Bluebird

"This is the book that got me into historical fiction. Exactly what I was looking for without knowing. Would recommend for anyone interested in the genre. "

"Think Prisoner of Night and Fog, think Winter Soldier/Black Widow, think honestly a very slight return to some The Dark Unwinding vibes (Cameron's first book), and I'm gonna need to be more specific with that so the parallels I felt were mostly girl being unable to trust her own mind/body, and potentially shady government agents after a piece of technology. There are no superhumans or big action scenes and the subject matter is based on too real events so don't take my superhero movie comparison the wrong way but yeah.<br/><br/>This is less intense than Cameron's most recent book but take that with a million grains of salt because the last one was a true account of a girl hiding 13 Jews in her house during the Holocaust. Compared to the near-constant tension in that one this feels lighter because it is fiction and because the setting here is mostly a nice quaker house in New York City full of nice people and because dancing, but there is also rape and entire families killing themselves, and awful experimentation on people who were sorted into concentration camps to die and governments being awful. So like, truly less intense but that is also kind of a weird thing to say about a book with this subject matter.<br/> <br/>I knew in passing about the US government employing former Nazi scientists but I did not know about US human experimentation. Or that's not strictly true, I know about the Tuskeegee syphilis study, etc. and I know that vulnerable populations (those commited to sanatoriums, orphans, slaves, the uneducated) used to have all sorts of things done to them (including things blatantly against their best interest) without consent or even being told it happened, but I did not know the CIA was grabbing people and torturing them oh my god how is it even possible for me to have less respect for the CIA. I do like that Sharon Cameron shone more of the light on the US' wartime questionable stuff and like meanwhile in the US we had segregation etc. while also showing how horrible the Nazi camps were and also also showing what the Soviets were up to as they liberated Germany (lots of rape). I also was not particulary familiar with the Lebensborn program so I'm sure plenty of other people also might not be, but by pure coincidence it was relatively in the front of my mind at the time of reading this because I came across a memoir by Ingrid von Oelhafen that was exactly about this literally just a few days ago so great timing. Though I did not read it. But yeah this book doesn't get too far into any of these topics but they are major plot points. If you would like an account of the topics you'd be better served by finding non-fiction sources.<br/><br/>I neeed to stop doubting Sharon Cameron. She's never let me down.<br/><br/>Oh, also, I recommend the audiobook, I liked the voices."

"Such an interesting book! Excellent research into the situations and organizations! I have not read a book from this viewpoint of WW2 and it was eye opening. "

"The ending was sorta frustrating but it was a really good story. "

"Enthralling "

"Right now I’m reading Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzan Collins and I had recently finished Resistance by Jennifer A. Nielsen which is really good."

"Historical fiction that goes back and forth in time between 1945 and 1946 in the aftermath of WWII. Based on a true story it incorporates elements of a thriller, romance and the meaning of meaning of family. Highly recommend it! "

"Such a wonderful historical fiction from a different post-Great War perspective. Lovely innocent romance with secrets surely to keep you engaged until the very last page."

"This heroic story about a young girl who lives through tragedies, and the unthinkable, and now is starting a new life in New York City. She travels not only to get away from past traumas, and away from where it all happened.. there’s a purpose to her arrival in New York. The reader soon realizes, there’s also much more.<br/><br/>A novel with a past and present narrative, to help us understand, and connect all the pieces. This heroic novel, filled with surprises, and heartbreak will have you reflect on the importance of family, friendship, and where the power of willpower, and courage can lead us."