Book Review: Bluebird, by Genevieve Graham

Books about World War I are much less common than WWII, so Bluebird caught my interest.

In the present day, Cassie is interested in the history of her little Canadian town, where during prohibition, the rumrunners ferried illegal whiskey across the Detroit River into the United States. When bottles of Bailey Brothers' Best are found in an old home, she is eager to help the recent owner of the home. The home also happens to be her family home, the one in which Cassie grew up. I must admit, I lost interest during these parts of the book. Fortunately, this part took way fewer pages than the historical part.

In 1918, Adele, a "Bluebird" Canadian nurse is stationed in Belgium at a field hospital.  Jerry, a tunneler also from Canada, is brought in after a cave-in at the tunnel that he and his brother are helping to dig under enemy lines. He's badly wounded, and during his recovery, Adele and Jerry form a very close relationship. Turns out they live very close to each other back in Canada, near the Detroit River.

From that, you can probably figure out the storyline. They both return home and eventually meet up. Jerry becomes involved in whiskey production and rumrunning. The story is fascinating. We think we have it hard now, but when they came home from the war, the Spanish Flu was running rampant. And there was also prohibition.

Bluebird really kept my interest, and I love the historical aspect of both the horrible atrocities of war and the interesting manifestations of prohibition. Like I said, I didn't think the present-day story was really needed, but it was okay.

If you are interested in WWI, and/or prohibition, Bluebird is well worth your time.

Published by Simon & Schuster, April 5, 2022

eARC obtained from NetGalley
352 pages

Rating: 4/5

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Book Review: The Cove by Ron Rash

The Cove is a beautifully atmospheric story set during World War One that involves complex characters and emotions.

Laurel lives with her brother, Hank, in an isolated cove in the Appalachian valley. Their parents are recently dead, and Hank has returned from the war, minus one hand.

It's a hard life, made even harder because the people think the cove is cursed and that Laurel is a witch. A secretive man appears who is mute, and ends up staying to help Hank with the farm. He's also taken a shine to Laurel.

The man's secrets are slowly revealed. We know right away that he has escaped from prison, but there's more to it.

Not much happens in The Cove. It's a somewhat simple story of love and secrets. But the way it is written keeps you in the story. The norms of a society at war and the difficulties of digging a well are just couple examples of explorations in The Cove that make the story rich in atmosphere.

I do have another complaint, though. I'm confused by the last sentence of the book. Does that change everything? Am I getting that right?

I decided to read The Cove because of Rash's other book, Serena, that was weirdly awesome. The Cove just didn't have the same tone, so I can't say I liked it as much, but it was still a very positive reading experience.

Published by Ecco, 2012
eBook, purchased
272 pages

Rating: 3.5/5

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Book Review: The Uninvited by Cat Winters @catwinters

I love the way Cat Winters takes an historical time period and immerses her readers in it. The Uninvited is no exception, portraying the influenza epidemic of 1918 in a unique and compelling way.

Ivy has finally recovered from the flu, but her world is still falling apart. There's also the war to consider, and the anti-German sentiment is pervasive in her small Illinois town. She also must live with the curse of the women in her family -- she occasionally sees the ghosts of her loved ones. And without fail, these visions are a prelude to the death of another of her loved ones. Ivy has a vision of her dead grandmother, then finds out her father and brother have brutally murdered a German shopkeeper in retaliation for her brother's death in the war.

Ivy can't take being at home anymore, so she goes and finds lodging in town. But she also feels compelled to visit the brother of the German man who was killed, and try to make up for what her family has done.

She's always been a recluse but now gets involved in rescuing people from the flu, listening to jazz, and building a relationship with the German man.

A couple of things worth mentioning. The Uninvited takes place in Illinois, where I'm from. Several references are made to Collinsville, where a German was murdered during this time just because he was German. I live about ten miles from Collinsville and knew nothing about this true story.

Secondly, this is an adult novel. I didn't realize this, since Winters' other novels have been young adult. At least I thought so. There's nothing explicit in the novel, but there are definitely adult themes, and I would only recommend this to mature teens who have enjoyed her previous stories.

The ending was a surprise. I didn't see that coming. But I liked it and thought it worked well. Given that historical fiction is my favorite genre, I thoroughly enjoyed The Uninvited and highly recommend it.

Published by William Morrow, August 11, 2015
eARC obtained from Edelweiss
368 pages

Rating: 5/5

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Book Review: The Care and Management of Lies, by Jacqueline Winspear

I'm a huge historical fiction fan, and there seems to be a dearth of books about World War I, so when I saw The Care and Management of Lies, written by a well-known author, I couldn't pass it up. For the most part, I really enjoyed the book

Kezia and Thea are best friends. Well, at least they were all through school. But now Kezia is  going to marry Tom, Thea's brother, and move to the family farm to become a farm wife. Thea is enjoying her job as a teacher in London, so the girls have grown apart.

It is surprising how well Kezia takes to farm life. She is a society girl, and knows nothing about cooking or running a household. But she works hard and she and Tom have a great relationship. Shortly after they are married, World War I breaks out, and Tom enlists. Kezia must now run the entire farm, with the help of a few men who for various reasons can't fight in the war.

Thea, always a suffragette, is now protesting the war, and when she is in danger of being arrested for sedition, she has a change of heart and joins a medical team and runs an ambulance transporting wounded from the front lines to the hospital.

The Care and Management of Lies does a good job of describing life in the trenches for the soldiers, as well as the changes in the lives of those left behind in England. Not a lot happens, but Kezia is a wonderful character, and I enjoyed reading the letters she wrote to Tom, and seeing her become such a strong woman. Ultimately, The Care and Management of Lies is a book about surviving a world turned upside down and holding true to what is important.

Winspear writes very beautifully, and The Care and Management of Lies will be enjoyed by those who want to know more about life during the war. The characters are memorable and while the book is heartbreaking, it's also heartwarming.

Published by Harper, July 1, 2014
eARC obtained from Edelweiss
336 pages

Rating: 4/5

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Book Review: In the Shadow of Blackbirds, by Cat Winters @catwinters

In the Shadow of Blackbirds is my kind of book, you guys. Historical fiction with a little macabre twist. Yummy!

It's 1918, and the world is in turmoil. The U.S. has entered the war, and there's a world-wide flu epidemic and people are dying by the thousands. Our main character, Mary Shelley, has to leave her home in Portland to stay with her Aunt Eva in San Diego. Her mother died in childbirth, and her father just got arrested for treason.

She's is worried about her father, but excited about seeing her best friend, Stephen, who moved to San Diego.

There are so many aspects to this rich story. First, the flu. Everyone wears masks. They have all these things that supposedly keep you from catching it. Eating onions. Chewing garlic flavored gum. Drinking kerosene. Of course, none of it worked very well, and it seems only a small percent of people survive this deadly disease.

The war. When Mary Shelley visits Stephen, who wants to be a photographer like his father, it is the day before he leaves to enlist in the army. There relationship has progressed into the romantic area, and Mary Shelley is devastated that Stephen is going to war. This was the first war that had things like machine guns and horrible fighting conditions, so there were many soldiers killed or maimed. Mary Shelley eventually volunteers at a hospital for those wounded in the war.

Spiritualism. People were dying right and left. Their relatives were desperate for some consolation. So, spiritualism became very popular. Seances were common. Stephen's brother, Julius, has a thriving business taking portraits of people where the spirits of their dead relatives appear after the picture is developed. Both Mary Shelley and Stephen think this is a scam. But Aunt Eva is a believer.

Mary Shelley gets struck by lightening, and it changes her. She can now see spirits, and feel their pain. I don't want to say too much more about this, because it involves some spoilers. But this is the main element of the mystery in In the Shadow of Blackbirds.

The end involved some surprises that were unexpected and enjoyable. There's a nice resolution to the story, although not entirely happy. How could it be, with all this suffering? I learned a lot about this period in time, especially what it was like trying to avoid getting sick. The flu ended up killing more people that WWI!

In the Shadow of Blackbirds reads so easily and quickly. I couldn't put it down and when I had to, I kept thinking about it. I had the urge to wear a mask when going out! As you can tell, I was pretty immersed in the story. And I love that feeling.

If you enjoy historical fiction, I would highly recommend In the Shadow of Blackbirds. Even if you don't like paranormal stories, this is very subtle. The spiritualism "epidemic" makes the paranormal aspects of the story seem very realistic. I really need to start pushing this one to my students. I think I know many of them that will enjoy In the Shadow of Blackbirds.

Published by Amulet Books, April 2, 2013
Copy obtained from the library
390 pages

Rating: 5/5

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