Present day
Cassie Simmons, a museum curator, is enthusiastic about solving mysteries from the past, and she has a personal interest in the history of the rumrunners who ferried illegal booze across the Detroit River during Prohibition. So when a cache of whisky labeled Bailey Brothers’ Best is unearthed during a local home renovation, Cassie hopes to find the answers she’s been searching for about the legendary family of bootleggers...
1918
Corporal Jeremiah Bailey of the 1st Canadian Tunnelling Company is tasked with planting mines in the tunnels beneath enemy trenches. After Jerry is badly wounded in an explosion, he finds himself in a Belgium field hospital under the care of Adele Savard, one of Canada’s nursing sisters, nicknamed “Bluebirds” for their blue gowns and white caps. As Jerry recovers, he forms a strong connection with Adele, who is from a place near his hometown of Windsor, along the Detroit River. In the midst of war, she’s a welcome reminder of home, and when Jerry is sent back to the front, he can only hope that he’ll see his bluebird again.
By war’s end, both Jerry and Adele return home to Windsor, scarred by the horrors of what they endured overseas. When they cross paths one day, they have a chance to start over. But the city is in the grip of Prohibition, which brings exciting opportunities as well as new dangerous conflicts that threaten to destroy everything they have fought for.
Pulled from the pages of history, Bluebird is a compelling, luminous novel about the strength of the human spirit and the power of love to call us home.
When I first started reading Bluebird I had a sense of deja vu. I could’ve sworn I’d read this novel before, even though I knew I hadn’t. Like I said, this has been my historical fiction go-to lately, so it’s not surprising, but it was distracting as I tried to submerge myself into this world, though the ravages of war took care of that real quick, taking over my imagination.
The world building was immense, and reading about the history of prohibition in Canada was fascinating, and something I really didn’t consider until this novel. The details behind the speakeasies, altered modes of transportation, and all the tricks to stay under the police radar while smuggling hooch was nothing short of genius.
The overall story is well written and I enjoyed the fact that it wasn’t too graphic, despite part of the story being during a war. Jerry and Adele are wonderful, and I loved being a witness to their love story. There were a few side stories that I could’ve seen having more bearing, and some seemed incomplete but, for me, it didn’t hurt the overall story.
I truly enjoyed Bluebird, and if you’re looking for a great glimpse of The Great War, as well as prohibition in Canada, paired with a very sweet love story, this is the novel for you.
Genevieve Graham is the Globe & Mail, Toronto Star, and USA Today bestselling author of several novels, including #1 INSTANT NATIONAL BESTSELLERS Letters Across the Sea and The Forgotten Home Child—which was #1 across Canada for 11 weeks in 2020, and became the #5 bestselling Canadian fiction novel of 2020. Genevieve graduated from the University of Toronto with a Bachelor of Music, worked in advertising, marketing, and fundraising, then became a stay-at-home mom. In 2007, Genevieve decided to try writing a book using everything she’d learned from years of reading, focusing on historical fiction. Upon moving to Nova Scotia, she was suddenly surrounded by Canadian history she knew nothing about. Alarmed by what she’d never learned, she has made it her mission to bring Canadian history to life, writing one book per year. Bluebird, publishing April 2022, will be her 7th novel. She lives in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
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