Bluebird by Genevieve Graham ~ A Book Review

Bluebird is a story that just fills a whole bunch of "MUST HAVES" for a book that I would recommend.  I was given an "Advanced Readers Copy" through Netgalley (https://www.netgalley.com)

Reading is one pleasure that I enjoy immensely and now that I am retired it is what I consider my "job".  So I'm happy to be a member of Netgalley and help authors by reading their books and commenting on them!  It helps the authors to know that they are on the right track and gives them feedback before that book is actually published.

Genevieve Graham is not new to writing and has many other books under her belt.  Bluebird is the latest and will be available  April 5th of this year 2022!  

 

Synopsis:  What happens when a home renovator finds a stash of ancient looking bottles that have been hidden in a wall!  The wall is coming down as part of the renos and the stash is uncovered in the process.  It looks like these bottles are full of something, but what?  Bailey Brother's Best is on the label and whiskey is the scent that follows.  Who has ever heard of Bailey Brother's Best?  

Guessing that the local museum might have some answers, Cassie, the Curator of the museum, is astounded  and eager to solve the mystery of the hidden bottles.  She is actually quite stunned by what Matthew Flaherty (the renovator) has brought to her attention.  She knows some of the history, but not all of it.  Given her own history, she is very eager indeed to find out more.  

As you read this book you will relive some of the horrors of World War 1, and the hardships that the men endured.  You will also learn about the "Bluebirds", the nursing staff that saw as much of the horrors of war as the men who fought.  The Bluebirds was a nickname given to them because of the uniforms they wore.  Many a man was thankful for the services that these strong women performed during their confinement. I'm sure that more than one of them fell in love with the caring nursing staff too! 

I don't want to give too much of the story away because I know that you will be totally enthralled and captivated by what is happening in and out of the trenches during the war and then the return to civilization when the war is over.

This book is a history lesson, a mystery, and a love story all rolled up into a great book!  Not only is it a great read, but, because of the times, so much was changing  all around.  Hemlines were going up, dancing was becoming wilder, booze was illegal and women were becoming independent,  It was a brave new world that these men were coming home to.  

 I know for a fact that you will enjoy this as much as I did.  I could not put it down.  Congratulations to Ms. Graham on this book, it's another one that needs to be read by many.

Also By Genevieve Graham:

Letters Across the Sea

The Forgotten Home Child

At the Mountain's Edge

Come From Away

Promises to keep

Tides of Honour

Somewhere to Dream

Sounds of the Heart

Under the Same Sky

Bluebird Available April 5, 2022!

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN) and/or Esty (Awin) Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

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The Piano Maker Book Review

Austrian Kurt Palka’s THE PIANO MAKER is a fictional adventure story with a strong female lead and, true to the title, it is actually about the world of the piano. It is the story of one woman’s life journey from France in the time of the First World War to Canada in the 1930s. Given exceptional training as a child and a young woman as both a pianist and as a piano maker for the family firm, she loses everything during the war and eventually winds up in a small town on the French Canadian shore.

When she arrives, she appears in good clothing and with a nice car but everything that she owns, besides her skills related to the piano, is packed in that car. Her pianist skills, however, are enough for the local church to take her in as a pianist and choir conductor without even checking her references and she is thrilled to have found a new and simple life. Unfortunately, the years in between her time in France and this town contain a secret that she is unable to be rid of.

The story flips back and forth between the time of her new life and the times that have passed. It shares the piano training she received as a young woman and her struggles with that business during war time; the love of a solider and the subsequent loss of that man; another man who rescues her when she needs help supporting both herself and her daughter. The journey includes time spent searching for treasures of different sorts in Indochina and Canada. It includes some uncomfortable situations as the woman recalls at trial her struggle for survival in the frozen Canadian north.

The Piano Maker is RECOMMENDED by me. As a Canadian, I loved that it is partially set in Canada. Anyone with an interest in pianos might enjoy the references to piano playing and piano making that are included in this book. As well, those from the Maritimes and those who enjoy war-time fiction might want to pick up this book.

Amazon says that readers who enjoy The Piano Maker will also like The Imposter Bride by Nancy Richler, The Cellist of Sarajevo by Steven Galloway and Sarah’s Key by Tatiana de Rosnay. I have not read the first two but remember loving Sarah’s Key.

For those looking for piano-themed fiction, it turns out that there are an endless variety of books available. You might enjoy The Piano Tuner by Daniel Mason (a Nobel prize winner), The Piano (which is also a movie) by Jane Campion or The Piano Shop on the Left Bank (which is set in Paris) by Thad Carhart’s. Apparently, books with the word piano in the title are a bit trendy though apparently not all include very much about the world of the piano. You can see Amazon’s collection of Piano fiction here.

You can read more about Kurt Palka’s The Piano Maker or buy it from Amazon here.

Have you read The Piano Maker or maybe any of the related books? What did you think?

See you at
the book store!

Brenda

Quick Links:

Buy The Piano Maker on Amazon.

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN) and/or Esty (Awin) Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

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