Eva leaves Germany in 1946, just after the war is ending. She brings along her best friend, Brigit. Brigit is suffering shell shock after being brutalized by Russian soldiers. It is clear from the beginning that Eva is hiding things. She has papers hidden in her skirt that she carefully guards. It is also clear that Eva is out for revenge for some horrible experiences she witnessed by the Nazis.
We go back in time and hear the story of Inge whose father is a Nazi. He has taught Inge much about the master race, and she has no reason to believe anything nefarious about these lessons. She is in for a rude awakening.
Eva and Inga's stories merge in the way I suspected, but I don't think it's too difficult to discern. Cameron wrote the book for teens, so they may be more surprised than I was.
I quickly became attached to the characters. The people that help Eva when she gets to New York are amazing--almost too good to be believed. I did think the story moved a bit slowly in the middle, but that may be more of my problem than the book's. The climax is tense and exciting, but I was happy that wasn't the end. We get to learn quite a bit about what happened after.
The Author's Note at the end is possibly the part I found most interesting and a bit unbelievable! If you are interested in books about the aftermath of WWII, I think both teens and adults will find Bluebird fascinating.
Published by Scholastic, October 5, 2021
eARC obtained from Edelweiss
464 pages
eARC obtained from Edelweiss
464 pages
Rating: 4/5
I don't read a lot of historical fiction but this year was better than most. I do like the sound of this one and, I know that I've read this author previously.
ReplyDeleteI was also amazed when I read the After Word! I love it when I discover "unbelievable" bits of historical fiction are actually true.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you enjoyed this one. I LOVED it! I'm a big Cameron fan.
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