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Yellow Bird Sings Paperback – March 2, 2021
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National Jewish Book Award Finalist
"Rosner’s exquisite, heart-rending debut novel is proof that there’s always going to be room for another story about World War II....This is an absolutely beautiful and necessary novel, full of heartbreak but also hope, about the bond between mother and daughter, and the sacrifices made for love." ―The New York Times
In Poland, as World War II rages, a mother hides with her young daughter, a musical prodigy whose slightest sound may cost them their lives.
As Nazi soldiers round up the Jews in their town, Róza and her 5-year-old daughter, Shira, flee, seeking shelter in a neighbor’s barn. Hidden in the hayloft day and night, Shira struggles to stay still and quiet, as music pulses through her and the farmyard outside beckons. To soothe her daughter and pass the time, Róza tells her a story about a girl in an enchanted garden:
The girl is forbidden from making a sound, so the yellow bird sings. He sings whatever the girl composes in her head: high-pitched trills of piccolo; low-throated growls of contrabassoon. Music helps the flowers bloom.
In this make-believe world, Róza can shield Shira from the horrors that surround them. But the day comes when their haven is no longer safe, and Róza must make an impossible choice: whether to keep Shira by her side or give her the chance to survive apart.
Inspired by the true stories of Jewish children hidden during World War II, Jennifer Rosner’s debut is a breathtaking novel about the unbreakable bond between a mother and a daughter. Beautiful and riveting, The Yellow Bird Sings is a testament to the triumph of hope―a whispered story, a bird’s song―in even the darkest of times.
- Print length304 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- Publication dateMarch 2, 2021
- Dimensions5.51 x 0.86 x 8.24 inches
- ISBN-101250179785
- ISBN-13978-1250179784
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Editorial Reviews
Review
National Jewish Book Award Finalist
A Massachusetts Book Awards Honor Book
A Best Historical Fiction Book (Goodreads)
A Must-Read Book (Massachusetts Book Awards)
"Rosner’s exquisite, heart-rending debut novel is proof that there’s always going to be room for another story about World War II....This is an absolutely beautiful and necessary novel, full of heartbreak but also hope, about the bond between mother and daughter, and the sacrifices made for love."
―The New York Times
“Jennifer Rosner hooks readers from the onset…Readers will have empathy for Róza and Shira, and admire Róza’s courage and persistence as she faces life without her daughter, releasing her to save her, like a bird freed from a cage.”
―The Missourian
"Prepare to have your heart broken."
―Good Housekeeping
"The Yellow Bird Sings is at the top of my reading list."
―Elle
“A study of music, imagination and the power of a mother’s love.”
―Parade
“Satisfying and sweet…Love, empathy and fear―as well as a yellow songbird―wind through this tale of an unbreakable bond between mother and child. The novel demonstrates Ms. Rosner’s deep understanding of the terrors of the Holocaust.”
―Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
“The book will help you escape the drudgery of solitude in your own home―and remember past beacons of hope during troubling times.”
―ReadersDigest.com
“A riveting page-turner that will delight music lovers and please members of any book club.”
―Hadassah Magazine
“The power of a mother-daughter bond is beautifully portrayed against the backdrop of 1941 Poland.”
―WBUR’s The ARTery
“Written in beautifully understated prose and tinged with magical elements, The Yellow Bird Sings is about the bonds between mothers and daughters, and the enduring power of music and storytelling even in the most devastating of times.”
―Chronogram
“The Yellow Bird Sings pulled at all my heartstrings, then installed some more just to pull at those, too. Perhaps the most heartbreaking and moving WWII book since Markus Zusak’s The Book Thief…Melancholic and musical, Rosner’s narrative encapsulates the perseverance of hope even when it feels like hopelessness is all that’s left.”
―Paperback Paris
“Rosner challenges the Holocaust with a touch of magic (the yellow bird appears throughout), clarifying a dangerous time and place even as she offers a vibrant, affecting portrait of the mother-daughter relationship.”
―Library Journal (starred review)
“In Shira and Roza, Rosner captures two souls in turmoil, chronicling their grief as well as their strength of will to overcome, their longing and even surprising triumphs…The Yellow Bird Sings keeps your heart in your throat, your eyes pricked with tears.”
―BookPage (starred review)
“This stunning debut novel sings with the power of a mother’s love and the heartbreaking risks she’ll endure.”
―Booklist
“A World War II story with a Room-like twist, one that also deftly examines the ways in which art and imagination can sustain us…This is a Holocaust novel, but it’s also an effective work of suspense, and Rosner’s understanding of how art plays a role in our lives, even at the worst of times, is impressive.”
―Kirkus
“Moving…A wrenching chronicle.”
―Publishers Weekly
“A beautiful book in so many ways. Like Shira’s imaginary bird, Jennifer Rosner’s prose is lilting and musical, yet her tale of war’s grave personal reality is gripping, heartrending, and so very real.”
―Lisa Wingate, author of Before We Were Yours and Before and After
“Music and love course through this beautiful novel, twin rivers of wonder. Jennifer Rosner has written a book that will break your heart, and then put it back together again, a little larger than before.”
―Alex George, author of A Good American
“Desperately moving and exquisitely written. If you only read one book this year, make it The Yellow Bird Sings. A beautiful story with achingly memorable characters, for me Jennifer Rosner’s novel stands alongside The Boy in the Striped Pajamas and Code Name Verity as one of those profoundly special World War Two novels you know you will never forget.”
―AJ Pearce, author of Dear Mrs. Bird
“A beautifully written tale of mothers and daughters, war and love, the music of the living and the silence of the dead.”
―Kate Quinn, author of The Huntress and The Alice Network
“A captivating novel of the power of music, the human voice, and what we sacrifice in order to survive extraordinary circumstances. Absolutely riveting.”
―Ramona Ausubel, author of Sons and Daughters of Ease and Plenty and No One Is Here Except All of Us
“An extraordinary debut novel, brimming with beauty, hope, and heart.”
―Meg Waite Clayton, author of The Last Train to London
“A brilliant and transporting novel.”
―Margot Livesey, author of Mercury and The Flight of Gemma Hardy
“An extraordinarily beautiful and moving novel of the human heart. It is a rich and poignant story of the enduring power of love and hope in the face of peril.”
―David Gillham, author of City of Women
About the Author
Product details
- Publisher : Flatiron Books; Reprint edition (March 2, 2021)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 304 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1250179785
- ISBN-13 : 978-1250179784
- Item Weight : 2.31 pounds
- Dimensions : 5.51 x 0.86 x 8.24 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #381,367 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #677 in Jewish Literature & Fiction
- #1,151 in Historical World War II Fiction (Books)
- #1,591 in World War II Historical Fiction (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author
Jennifer Rosner is the author of THE YELLOW BIRD SINGS, called "exquisite, heart-rending... an absolutely beautiful and necessary novel" by The New York Times Book Review and a Finalist for the 2020 National Jewish Book Award. Her previously published books include the memoir, IF A TREE FALLS: A Family's Quest to Hear and Be Heard, and the picture book, THE MITTEN STRING, a Sydney Taylor Book Award Notable. In addition to writing, Jennifer teaches philosophy. She received her BA from Columbia University and her Ph.D. from Stanford University, and lives in western MA with her family. Her newest novel is ONCE WE WERE HOME, forthcoming from Flatiron Books.
Customer reviews
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Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers find the story moving and touching. They praise the writing style as descriptive, lyrical, and gripping. Readers are drawn into the characters and can visualize the scenery. The use of music enhances the emotional depth and connects the characters. The book is well-researched and thought-through, with excellent character development. The pacing keeps readers engaged until the end. Overall, customers consider the book worth the money and an emotional read.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers find the story moving and touching. They describe it as a gripping fictional story about the Holocaust. The writing is described as lyrical and poetic.
"The Yellow Bird Sings is a powerful story. There is so much depth and sorrow. It continues to build and gets better as it goes on...." Read more
"This book was beautifully written and kept my attention throughout the story...." Read more
"This is a written, moving story. I highly recommend it." Read more
"...to anyone who understands the language of music, who knows the strength of family bonds, who is willing to see the war from the perspective of a..." Read more
Customers enjoy the book's writing style. They find the prose descriptive, lyrical, and well-researched. The story is described as moving and hard to put down, with excellent descriptions emotionally and physically.
"...♥️ You expressed it all so well. I loved it! pamarella PRCS" Read more
"This book was beautifully written and kept my attention throughout the story...." Read more
"This is a written, moving story. I highly recommend it." Read more
"...This author is a great writer and I hope she writes more books. I loved it." Read more
Customers enjoy the character development. They find themselves engrossed in the characters and can imagine the scenery. The book makes them feel emotions like sadness and desperation.
"...it a beautifully written and extremely engaging story, with characters you connect with and an exceptionally poignant mother-daughter relationship,..." Read more
"...The author really captured the essence of her characters and you keep pulling for them to survive and reunite. Didn't want the book to end...." Read more
"...While reading it, I was drawn into the characters and could not put the book down and hope that there are more books to come from Jennifer Rosner!" Read more
"...the intense drama of the story and the masterful depiction of the characters' emotional journey. I loved it and highly recommend it!" Read more
Customers enjoy the book's use of music. They find it releases sorrow, aches, joy, and deep needs that cannot be expressed. The music holds them together and connects them beautifully. The emotional depth and use of music make it unique.
"The Yellow Bird Sings is a powerful story. There is so much depth and sorrow. It continues to build and gets better as it goes on...." Read more
"Musical motifs beautifully link the various stages of Rosner's debut novel set in WWII Poland...." Read more
"...Its immediacy, emotional depth, and use of music make it unique and unforgettable." Read more
"...The gift of music saves and reunites mother and daughter." Read more
Customers appreciate the book's research quality. They find it well-researched and thought-out, with excellent character development.
"This writer has excellent carachter development and you will fly thru the pages. Not at all like the other novels I have read from this era...." Read more
"It is a beautifully written book. Very well researched and very well thought through...." Read more
"An amazing, well researched book about a mother and child who go into hiding during the Holocaust. Loved the characters. Loved how genuine they were." Read more
"Well researched and a fast read but predictable after the first thirty oages. Disappointed" Read more
Customers enjoy the book's pacing. They say it holds them engaged until the end and is a book that stays with them forever.
"...I love books that just suck you in and hold onto you the whole time. I was so emotionally invested in these characters and the amazing story...." Read more
"A beautifully written book that will stay with you long after you finish. I didn't want the book to end! The characters become part of you...." Read more
"A book that will stay with you always! Marvelous!" Read more
Customers find the book a good value for money. They say it's worth the emotional investment.
"...It is a heartbreaking subject, but well worth the emotional expense. My only wish is that there was one more chapter!" Read more
"Great price..." Read more
"Worth the money..." Read more
Reviews with images
In the midst of war, can innocence survive?
Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on April 7, 2022The Yellow Bird Sings is a powerful story. There is so much depth and sorrow. It continues to build and gets better as it goes on. I have so many emotions happening it’s hard to settle myself and find the words for this review. It profoundly expresses the inner need to survive as well as devotion to your child. It shows the child’s desire to please her mama and be obedient as she senses there is a real need to do as she’s told. The power of music is brought to light. Music soothes the soul and gives a voice when unable to speak. Music releases the sorrow, the aching, the joy and deep needs that are unable to be expressed. With the many months of being lost to self and lost to the deepest human link my heart ached for Mama and Daughter. Then new loss of friends and companions… I cried many tears in this book, I had times of goosebumps running down my arms and legs. I had times of hope yet they were dashed. So much to say, yet I don’t want to give away any part of this book.
If you feel bogged down in the barn KEEP reading and don’t stop. It gets deeper and richer. This story will stay with me. I’ve read 100s of WWII books~some stay with me~many don’t. This one will. It’s powerful. I wished for more connection at the end. I guess that’s why we have imaginations! After finishing this book I sat and pondered and took it further.
Thank you Jennifer Rosner for this great, wonderful book! I know it must have taken a lot of research and time to write this. ♥️ You expressed it all so well. I loved it!
pamarella
PRCS
- Reviewed in the United States on November 29, 2020This book was beautifully written and kept my attention throughout the story. Spoiler alert - I was disappointed that, while one assumes that Roza and Shira find each other again at Shira’s recital in New York, the story ends without depicting their reuniting. I am wondering if other readers of this novel felt this ending to be anticlimactic.
- Reviewed in the United States on December 13, 2024It looks like a great read happy to have it.
- Reviewed in the United States on August 8, 2024This is a written, moving story. I highly recommend it.
- Reviewed in the United States on August 3, 2020Musical motifs beautifully link the various stages of Rosner's debut novel set in WWII Poland. Roza and her daughter Shira, Hebrew for song, are hidden in the loft of a barn by a farm family. The duo hide under the hay and must remain absolutely silent at all times so they will not be found by the Germans. Unlike a choir loft, mother and child sing silently while Shira composes music in her mind as well as creates an imaginary yellow bird as her personal companion. Malnourished and both emotionally and physically abused, mother and daughter must leave the farm as the Germans close in. They are separated.
Shira, renamed Zosia, is hidden in a Catholic orphanage. Her musical talents are nurtured and she evolves into a violin virtuoso. Her mother, meanwhile, escapes into the woods where she joins the partisans. After the war, another name change for Shira and her resettlement to Palestine complicate a possible reunion of mother and daughter. The end of the novel, set in 1965 is left rather ambiguous. But, to this reviewer, is the ending realistic?
- Reviewed in the United States on May 13, 2023The bird-thing was sort of cool, but by the end the book felt very contrived. Also, an unnecessary sex scene that's pretty graphic right near the front.
- Reviewed in the United States on March 31, 2022I read many books about WWII. They speak to me of extended family I will never know, people lost to Hitler’s madness before I was born. This book touched me deeply. As a violinist in my youth, I could relate to the story; as a mother & grandmother, I could relate to the story. I highly recommend this book to anyone who understands the language of music, who knows the strength of family bonds, who is willing to see the war from the perspective of a Jewish child and her desperate mother. I will recommend it to my book club, too.
- Reviewed in the United States on October 25, 2021I was reading this book on my kindle and really enjoying it. I stopped reading it to pull up a couple of other books for a friend. The next day I was ready to read some more and couldn’t remember the title of the book. I nearly panicked, all I could remember was yellow bird. It took me a while but finally found it and I just finished it. This author is a great writer and I hope she writes more books. I loved it.
Top reviews from other countries
- Shravan Kumar SwarupReviewed in India on April 6, 2022
5.0 out of 5 stars All round qualitythe quality was good
Reading
- ChelseaReviewed in Canada on October 5, 2020
5.0 out of 5 stars Marvellous
This author was able to bring me to streets, smells and experiences I didn’t think my own mind was capable of going to. This is a beautifully crafted book. I will never forget it.
- MaggieReviewed in the United Kingdom on June 23, 2021
5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful
What a wonderful, heartbreaking story. I had trouble putting it down and read the last few pages several times and wondered what could have happened next.
- Di CReviewed in Australia on June 9, 2020
5.0 out of 5 stars A beautiful story with a surprise ending
I just loved this book. It was quite heart wrenching at times and at other times fascinating to see how the mother coped under such difficult circumstances. I couldn’t put it down because I had no idea how it would end.
- AnneReviewed in Canada on September 14, 2020
4.0 out of 5 stars Uplifting read
Found this book to be a little difficult to read in certain spots but ultimately it proves to be well worth the read.
The difficulty is in seeing just how inhumane and cruel the world was during WW11. However, towards the end of this book, the indomitable resilience of the human spirit shines through.
Thoroughly enjoyed this read and this author.