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In the Shadow of Blackbirds
In 1918, the world seems on the verge of apocalypse. Americans roam the streets in gauze masks to ward off the deadly Spanish influenza, and the government ships young men to the front lines of a brutal war, creating an atmosphere of fear and confusion. Sixteen-year-old Mary Shelley Black watches as desperate mourners flock to séances and spirit photographers for comfort, but she herself has never believed in ghosts. During her bleakest moment, however, she’s forced to rethink her entire way of looking at life and death, for her first love—a boy who died in battle—returns in spirit form. But what does he want from her?
Featuring haunting archival early-twentieth-century photographs, this is a tense, romantic story set in a past that is eerily like our own time.
Featuring haunting archival early-twentieth-century photographs, this is a tense, romantic story set in a past that is eerily like our own time.
404 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 2, 2013
253 people are currently reading
22533 people want to read
About the author
Cat Winters
9 books1,556 followersCat Winters is a critically acclaimed, award-winning author of five novels for teens: IN THE SHADOW OF BLACKBIRDS, THE CURE FOR DREAMING, THE STEEP AND THORNY WAY, ODD & TRUE, and THE RAVEN'S TALE. She has been named a Morris Award finalist, a Bram Stoker Award nominee, and an Oregon Spirit Book Award winner, and her young adult novels have appeared on Kirkus, School Library Journal, and Booklist best-of-the-year lists, as well as numerous state lists. She is also the author of two novels for adults, THE UNINVITED and YESTERNIGHT, and she contributed to the young adult horror anthology SLASHER GIRLS & MONSTER BOYS. Her debut picture book, CUT!: HOW LOTTE REINIGER AND A PAIR OF SCISSORS REVOLUTIONIZED ANIMATION, written as C.E. Winters, will release from Greenwillow Books in Winter 2023.
Winters lives in Oregon. Visit her online at www.catwinters.com.
Winters lives in Oregon. Visit her online at www.catwinters.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,094 reviews
April 22, 2013
The lovely Cat Winters joined us over at the blog to talk about the inspiration for this novel and writing about women in 1918: http://thebookgeek.co.uk/308.php
Wow. I thought this was fantastic - one of the best books I've read in a long while.
When I think of 1918, I think of a world torn apart by war. I think of trenches and Kaiser Willhelm and a general fear that your father, husband, brother and/or son will never make it back to you. When I think of death in 1918, I picture a bleak image of those trenches filled with corpses, surrounded by rats and filth. I did not, however, think of the Spanish influenza that infected 500 million people and killed between 20 and 50 million of those - until now. Now, it's pretty much all I can think about.
In the Shadow of Blackbirds is an incredibly atmospheric novel that captures the fear of fighting an invisible enemy at home while your loved ones fight the foreign threat across the globe. This is not a nice story. Plain wooden boxes become the coffins of the latest victims and they lie piled in the street, waiting to be carried away on the back of trucks. People cover their faces with masks and peer anxiously at those standing next to them, checking for the first signs of illness. Your neighbour who you were speaking to just yesterday might very well be dead today after being hit with a fever during the night. Winters takes you back to this time of fear and dread; and into this world she introduces a fantastic heroine and a supernatural mystery.
Mary Shelley Black (yes, named after the author) is a budding scientist in a man's world - the author manages to subtly weave a few gender equality struggles into the story without letting it overtake the main plot focus ("why can't a girl be smart without it being explained away as a rare supernatural phenomenon?"). Her father has been imprisoned as a traitor for refusing to fight in the war and she has been sent to live with her aunt (a widow who is working in the shipyard while the men are absent). I love how Winters carefully shows the world at this delicate time down to the details of how women's roles began to shift and change - it was an eye-opener for many to witness the fact that women were fully capable of performing the same jobs as men. Mary Shelley's childhood sweetheart - Stephen - is off fighting on the front line and she waits impatiently for his return. In the meantime, she sceptically poses for Stephen's brother, Julius, who claims to be able to photograph spirits.
When the spirit stood next to Mary Shelley in her photograph turns out to be Stephen, her whole world is tipped upside down. And it gets even crazier when he appears to her with a confused message... Mary Shelley is determined to find out just what is so important that Stephen has become trapped between life and death on a mission to deliver the information to her. The author guides Mary Shelley on a journey to meet mediums and hospitalised soldiers, there is not one second of this novel where I didn't fully believe I was in 1918 amid the opium dens and new technology. Very, very atmospheric.
I also loved the rather unique relationship between Mary Shelley and her aunt, the development of it had such a genuine feel. They are two very different women but each are strong in their own ways and they support each other endlessly, even whilst simultaneously driving one another crazy at times. For once, I am very sad that this book is a standalone because I would love to see more from the two of them - they make such a wonderful pair. But I can't complain about anything in this, I honestly don't have a single bad thing to say about it.
You should read this book. I also think this might appeal to those who thought The Diviners was a bit too... flamboyant.
Wow. I thought this was fantastic - one of the best books I've read in a long while.
When I think of 1918, I think of a world torn apart by war. I think of trenches and Kaiser Willhelm and a general fear that your father, husband, brother and/or son will never make it back to you. When I think of death in 1918, I picture a bleak image of those trenches filled with corpses, surrounded by rats and filth. I did not, however, think of the Spanish influenza that infected 500 million people and killed between 20 and 50 million of those - until now. Now, it's pretty much all I can think about.
In the Shadow of Blackbirds is an incredibly atmospheric novel that captures the fear of fighting an invisible enemy at home while your loved ones fight the foreign threat across the globe. This is not a nice story. Plain wooden boxes become the coffins of the latest victims and they lie piled in the street, waiting to be carried away on the back of trucks. People cover their faces with masks and peer anxiously at those standing next to them, checking for the first signs of illness. Your neighbour who you were speaking to just yesterday might very well be dead today after being hit with a fever during the night. Winters takes you back to this time of fear and dread; and into this world she introduces a fantastic heroine and a supernatural mystery.
Mary Shelley Black (yes, named after the author) is a budding scientist in a man's world - the author manages to subtly weave a few gender equality struggles into the story without letting it overtake the main plot focus ("why can't a girl be smart without it being explained away as a rare supernatural phenomenon?"). Her father has been imprisoned as a traitor for refusing to fight in the war and she has been sent to live with her aunt (a widow who is working in the shipyard while the men are absent). I love how Winters carefully shows the world at this delicate time down to the details of how women's roles began to shift and change - it was an eye-opener for many to witness the fact that women were fully capable of performing the same jobs as men. Mary Shelley's childhood sweetheart - Stephen - is off fighting on the front line and she waits impatiently for his return. In the meantime, she sceptically poses for Stephen's brother, Julius, who claims to be able to photograph spirits.
When the spirit stood next to Mary Shelley in her photograph turns out to be Stephen, her whole world is tipped upside down. And it gets even crazier when he appears to her with a confused message... Mary Shelley is determined to find out just what is so important that Stephen has become trapped between life and death on a mission to deliver the information to her. The author guides Mary Shelley on a journey to meet mediums and hospitalised soldiers, there is not one second of this novel where I didn't fully believe I was in 1918 amid the opium dens and new technology. Very, very atmospheric.
I also loved the rather unique relationship between Mary Shelley and her aunt, the development of it had such a genuine feel. They are two very different women but each are strong in their own ways and they support each other endlessly, even whilst simultaneously driving one another crazy at times. For once, I am very sad that this book is a standalone because I would love to see more from the two of them - they make such a wonderful pair. But I can't complain about anything in this, I honestly don't have a single bad thing to say about it.
You should read this book. I also think this might appeal to those who thought The Diviners was a bit too... flamboyant.
May 16, 2013
This book is set in the year 1918, but feels quite Victorian in its immersion in spiritualism and séances. The author's note at the end confirms her interest in that era, as well as in the epidemic of influenza that killed 50 million people worldwide towards the end of the first world war. In the Shadow of the Blackbirds is certainly steeped in her research of both those eras, and the mash-up of time periods and genres work together beautifully, with historical drama, ghost story, and mystery all present in one immensely readable volume.
What I liked best: Mary's visits to the sick ward, where we gaze with unflinching eyes at the terrible toll that war takes on human life and liberty. Atmospheric descriptions. The desperate belief in futile home remedies, the doctor who is obsessed with measuring the weight of souls, and other immersive historical touches that were organic to the story. An unusual romance with an unexpectedly strong and sensual pull to it. Unforgettable secondary characters, particularly a weary young soldier who has seen too much. A few hair-raising moments where the supernatural world meets the living. Its examination of how fear plays tricks with your mind, so you're never really sure what's real and what's not.
I did find Mary Shelley (Black)'s name to be a bit distracting, particularly since it is repeated in full so often, and I was more drawn to the second half of the story, which I felt was better plotted, a little less crazed , and held its tension more assuredly than in the first half. Mary herself is also a character who engaged more of my interest than my whole heart, though I grew to like her more as her world started unraveling. I also think my reading of so many gothic/ghost stories has probably spoiled me a bit to love it as wildly as I think my younger self might've, though this is certainly a fantastic and mature addition to the YA genre. It actually reminds me a little bit of Sarah Waters' superbly chilling Affinity, though with a more straightforward plot and less complexity of language--and minus the lesbian subtext, of course.
Still, this is a wonderfully unusual novel that I highly recommend to fans of Libba Bray's The Diviners. I read it in a matter of hours, and count them an evening well-spent. An exceptional debut from an author to watch.
------
Oh--and the physical book is quite beautiful as well, so if you're wavering between ebook and hardback, this is one instance where I'd recommend the latter. Whoever designed the cover art, illustrations, etc. did a beautiful job, and there are also black and white photographs, some of which added to the spooky feel of the story.
What I liked best: Mary's visits to the sick ward, where we gaze with unflinching eyes at the terrible toll that war takes on human life and liberty. Atmospheric descriptions. The desperate belief in futile home remedies, the doctor who is obsessed with measuring the weight of souls, and other immersive historical touches that were organic to the story. An unusual romance with an unexpectedly strong and sensual pull to it. Unforgettable secondary characters, particularly a weary young soldier who has seen too much. A few hair-raising moments where the supernatural world meets the living. Its examination of how fear plays tricks with your mind, so you're never really sure what's real and what's not.
I did find Mary Shelley (Black)'s name to be a bit distracting, particularly since it is repeated in full so often, and I was more drawn to the second half of the story, which I felt was better plotted, a little less crazed , and held its tension more assuredly than in the first half. Mary herself is also a character who engaged more of my interest than my whole heart, though I grew to like her more as her world started unraveling. I also think my reading of so many gothic/ghost stories has probably spoiled me a bit to love it as wildly as I think my younger self might've, though this is certainly a fantastic and mature addition to the YA genre. It actually reminds me a little bit of Sarah Waters' superbly chilling Affinity, though with a more straightforward plot and less complexity of language--and minus the lesbian subtext, of course.
Still, this is a wonderfully unusual novel that I highly recommend to fans of Libba Bray's The Diviners. I read it in a matter of hours, and count them an evening well-spent. An exceptional debut from an author to watch.
------
Oh--and the physical book is quite beautiful as well, so if you're wavering between ebook and hardback, this is one instance where I'd recommend the latter. Whoever designed the cover art, illustrations, etc. did a beautiful job, and there are also black and white photographs, some of which added to the spooky feel of the story.
February 15, 2021
What an original little gem : this brilliant tale, served by a beautiful writing and a haunting atmosphere, is like nothing I've read before.
From page one I felt connected to every one of these characters, first of all Mary Shelley, a strong and clever heroine I instantly loved (I wish there were more YA leads like her, to be honest). In my opinion Cat Winters perfectly nailed the characterization, making me care for characters even before meeting them : how is that even possible? Before I knew it my heart was in my throat, my belly in knots, afraid to follow Mary on her journey.
But what won me over was the unexpected quality of the plot (especially because I didn't read the blurb, which gives away too much in my opinion). More than once did I find myself clasping my hand over my mouth, widening my eyes and giggling out of surprise : it was fabulous.
Do you believe in ghosts? Because I don't. Not that it stops them from creeping the hell out of me. See, my mum used to tell everyone that I channeled spirits because of that time when I told her that someone was dead without nobody knowing it yet. I was 4. As far as I'm concerned, it was only a sad and creepy coincidence, but my mother never really saw it that way, and it became the story every one of my friends religiously heard her recall over the years. Since then I've been afraid of spirits, even knowing how irrational my fear is. All this because I once was a spoiled child who said something mean. Payback is a bitch.
That's why I couldn't shake off the impression that someone was watching me while I was reading, not to mention that the pictures freaked the hell out of me. Trust me, if someone told me that they could capture spirits' soul in pictures, I would brush it off laughing and rolling my eyes, as Mary did. Yet some passages made my blood run cold, so much that I couldn't breathe. Perhaps I'm a chicken. I don't care. I. Was. Scared. Fucking bird. *shivers*
"Lives were being traded for other lives.
The line between right and wrong blurred into a haze."
For as long as I can remember, I've always been passionate about the darkest times my country lived : contrary to what some stupid people think, not being blind about France's faults in History doesn't mean that we don't love our country, but actually the opposite. I strongly believe that historical knowledge is needed to stop making the same mistakes again : it's far from enough, but that's a start, isn't it? Obviously I read a lot of books about both World Wars because literature is really prolific about them in France. Yet In the Shadow of Blackbirds is the only US insight I've come across since Dos Passos, and it's been almost 10 years since I've read The 42nd Parallel. As we follow Mary's story, we get to see how dark and dangerous this period was : if USA weren't where fighting was taking place, it doesn't mean that no battle were fought there. Between the flu and the prevailing paranoia, Mary's world is shredded into pieces.
Mary's father was taken into custody as a traitor because he proved himself to be against USA's participation in that war. If my knowledge about the way US citizens dealt with WW1 is close to zero, here are some facts about the Great War (I do know that I simplify some of them, but it is neither the place nor the time to write an History paper. Yet this book, and the November 11th anniversary coming this week made me want to talk about it). There's something to say about a book that makes you want to revisit your History. In my opinion anyway.
- As that's the case with most wars, every country involved spread hate and misinformation through propaganda. This poster, published in 1918 in France, chills the air around me so much it reminds me of those Mary sees everywhere : As Mary and her aunt points it, WW1 started due to a deadly game of alliances combined with the ambition to be the most influent, powerful, wealthy European country, and not really out of threat. Look how good it worked, you stupid.
- During Winter 1915, some French and German soldiers 'celebrated' Christmas together, many of them (on both sides) struggling to understand why the hell they were fighting to death in these awful conditions. Between 1914 and 1918, hundred, if not thousands French soldiers were sentenced to death by their hierarchy because they refused to carry on fighting. For those of you who speak French, I strongly recommend reading Paroles de Poilus: Lettres et carnets du front 1914-1918, a chilling collection of letters sent by French soldiers during WW1 : they're as unsettling as though-provoking, and Stephen's experience made way more sense knowing that.
The way Cat Winters captured the oppressive atmosphere during this year was brilliantly done, and added so much more depth to the story. Rarely struggles moved me as much as Mary's and Stephen's did.
"Oh, you silly, naive men." I shook my weary head and genuinely pitied their ignorance. "You've clearly never been a sixteen-year-old girl in the fall of 1918."
Moreover, I loved how Cat Winters tackled women's emancipation issue : as it played out for Mary's aunt, WW1 brought many French women to work in factories and other 'men' jobs for the first time, creating a growing awareness of the need to give more rights to women - Don't hold your breath, though. In France the fight for women's suffrage ended in 1944, and women earn the right to work without their father/husband's permission in 1965 only. If France's always been the country of humans rights, it takes its time to acknowledge that women deserved them too. All of that is to say that I really appreciated reading about how women were dealing with war overseas, especially through such strong yet realistic characters.
► All in all, a book that I won't forget anytime soon. Strongly recommended.
I found the crow to make my pict here.
For more of my reviews, please visit:
October 31, 2019
"I think between the war and the flu, no one is going to escape being haunted. We live in a world so horrifying, it frightens even the dead."
IN THE SHADOW OF BLACKBIRDS is a great atmospheric ghost story set in 1918 during a time of pestilence, war, famine and death where a brave sixteen year old Mary Shelley Black (Yep, named after the author) tells her amazing tale of young love, loss and connection to the spirit world.
This engaging young adult mystery is filled with wonderful haunting old photos, unsettling visions of war by wounded and disturbed soldiers, and fear of being the next casualty of the Spanish Flu pandemic, but the scariest part of this ghostly tale is that "The only real monsters in the world are human beings."
Befitting October read!
April 6, 2013
The Nocturnal Library: Guest post by Cat Winters, 10 Ways I Researched the Past for In the Shadow of Blackbirds. Stop by to read it and enter to win a hardcover copy from The Book Depository.
Some books should be sold with a companion novel, a cheerful, nonsensical one people would read immediately after the main story to lighten up their souls. If there was ever a book that left me in urgent need of some cheering up (and a cup of spicy hot chocolate), it’s this one. But would I change a single thing about it? Not in a million years!
There are some things most people would rather not think about. I dare say Spanish flu is one of them. It’s a nasty scar in human history, and October 1918 possibly the worst month humankind has ever endured. Not only was the world desperate and exhausted by the First World War, but far worse was the second wave of influenza that killed anywhere between 50 and 100 million people.
This is the month Cat Winters chose to write about, and she did so with the surety of a seasoned author (I still can’t believe that this is her debut) and a thorough research behind her. In the Shadow of Blackbirds is a story built on the contrast between a young, innocent love and the war that tried (and succeeded) to steal that innocence away. Everywhere Mary Shelley turned, she saw nothing but ugliness and death. In her world, human warmth and compassion disappeared behind fear and mistrust. The gauze masks people wore to protect themselves from the flu are very symbolic of the period, and of the terror and distance between people.
”Oh, you silly, naive men.” I shook my weary head and genuinely pitied their ignorance. “You’ve clearly never been a sixteen-year-old girl in the fall of 1918.”*
Through it all, Mary Shelley Black is practically alone. Her father is in prison, accused of being a traitor, her 26-year-old aunt is superstitious and unsupportive, and her young boyfriend Stephen died in a battlefield in France. As a very unconventional girl who enjoys taking things apart to see how they work, Shell is quite used to a lonely life, but at least before she always had Stephen to talk to. He was the only one who ever appreciated and even admired her eccentricities.
When Stephen's spirit starts showing up next to Mary Shelley in photographs taken by his opportunistic half-brother, Mary has to consider the possibility that he isn’t resting peacefully and investigate the circumstances of his death. In this book, the brutally realistic and the paranormal collide, and the reader is never quite sure how much of it is truth, and how much is the product of overactive imagination (actually, the words ‘group delusion’ and ‘mass hysteria’ come to mind).
I’ve never given much thought to the things people hold on to in difficult times to alleviate their fear, but the sudden (renewed) popularity of spiritualism during World War I makes perfect sense, as do the folk remedies people resorted to to protect themselves from the flu. It’s very easy for us to be judgmental and ridicule people who stuffed salt up their nose, but in October 1918, I’m not sure I wouldn’t have done the same.
I don’t need to be a clairvoyant to see the future that lies ahead of Cat Winters and her debut: awards, critical acclaim, translations to more languages than I can name (I’m a linguist, I can name a lot of languages). If you squint at the cover, you can already see the shiny William C. Morris medal in the top left corner, possibly even a Printz. I’ll keep my fingers crossed.
*Quote taken from an uncorrected proof.
Some books should be sold with a companion novel, a cheerful, nonsensical one people would read immediately after the main story to lighten up their souls. If there was ever a book that left me in urgent need of some cheering up (and a cup of spicy hot chocolate), it’s this one. But would I change a single thing about it? Not in a million years!
There are some things most people would rather not think about. I dare say Spanish flu is one of them. It’s a nasty scar in human history, and October 1918 possibly the worst month humankind has ever endured. Not only was the world desperate and exhausted by the First World War, but far worse was the second wave of influenza that killed anywhere between 50 and 100 million people.
This is the month Cat Winters chose to write about, and she did so with the surety of a seasoned author (I still can’t believe that this is her debut) and a thorough research behind her. In the Shadow of Blackbirds is a story built on the contrast between a young, innocent love and the war that tried (and succeeded) to steal that innocence away. Everywhere Mary Shelley turned, she saw nothing but ugliness and death. In her world, human warmth and compassion disappeared behind fear and mistrust. The gauze masks people wore to protect themselves from the flu are very symbolic of the period, and of the terror and distance between people.
”Oh, you silly, naive men.” I shook my weary head and genuinely pitied their ignorance. “You’ve clearly never been a sixteen-year-old girl in the fall of 1918.”*
Through it all, Mary Shelley Black is practically alone. Her father is in prison, accused of being a traitor, her 26-year-old aunt is superstitious and unsupportive, and her young boyfriend Stephen died in a battlefield in France. As a very unconventional girl who enjoys taking things apart to see how they work, Shell is quite used to a lonely life, but at least before she always had Stephen to talk to. He was the only one who ever appreciated and even admired her eccentricities.
When Stephen's spirit starts showing up next to Mary Shelley in photographs taken by his opportunistic half-brother, Mary has to consider the possibility that he isn’t resting peacefully and investigate the circumstances of his death. In this book, the brutally realistic and the paranormal collide, and the reader is never quite sure how much of it is truth, and how much is the product of overactive imagination (actually, the words ‘group delusion’ and ‘mass hysteria’ come to mind).
I’ve never given much thought to the things people hold on to in difficult times to alleviate their fear, but the sudden (renewed) popularity of spiritualism during World War I makes perfect sense, as do the folk remedies people resorted to to protect themselves from the flu. It’s very easy for us to be judgmental and ridicule people who stuffed salt up their nose, but in October 1918, I’m not sure I wouldn’t have done the same.
I don’t need to be a clairvoyant to see the future that lies ahead of Cat Winters and her debut: awards, critical acclaim, translations to more languages than I can name (I’m a linguist, I can name a lot of languages). If you squint at the cover, you can already see the shiny William C. Morris medal in the top left corner, possibly even a Printz. I’ll keep my fingers crossed.
*Quote taken from an uncorrected proof.
July 11, 2016
It excites me so when I come across a novel that shows me there can still be books that thoroughly stand out from any other in its originality and outstanding story-telling. I can not even believe that In the Shadow of Blackbirds is Cat's debut novel!
What I love most from this book is how, through impressive research, Cat achieves an exceptionally poignant historical atmosphere from a time that saw through so much death and horror. The fall of 1918 had not only the highest death toll from the Spanish Flu which killed over 50 million people (some sources even say up to 100 million), but it was also in the throes of the first World War. Having been fascinated by an epidemic flu that, even to this day, is seen as unusual without a known origin, I have fell upon surprisingly few books on the matter, so I was instantly drawn to this novel. And I'm highly impressed with the level of realism and drive it endorsed in showing us exactly what people were going through in those god-awful days. From frantic - but in a way necessary - beliefs in thrifty home remedies; to face masks that hides you from the world - and you to it; to the number of bodies being picked up like garbage every evening. We're brought into a time that was, in the best of descriptions, gray.
Not only do we see the horrors of this invisible killer, we're also in the midst of Word War I. This, too, is full of unbelievable sadness. Cat is not afraid to show us the real ugly truths. Through the eyes of Mary Shelley - an innocent 16 year old girl - we experience the longing that comes from having loved ones at war, and we see the grim consequences of this war during her visits to the recovering veterans' ward when we meet soldiers who have been irreversibly damaged; not just physically, but mentally. And that is what In the Shadow of Blackbirds is really about: the fragility of the mind. Even while reading, you're forever questioning what is real, and what isn't.
Throughout, Mary becomes such a compelling character that I found myself easily lost in the ways she's seeing this bitter world. She despises the masks that she sees as the face of an unflinching villain. She digresses, at least to herself, from the new "patriotic" ways, believing what her father was saying about doing what is right instead of what's safe. She finds bravery when she has nothing else. In addition, I loved the side characters who, no matter how small the role, had great impact in the story, insuring their memorability.
When Mary Shelley's sweetheart starts haunting her, this turns an already bleak story into one that was positively eerie. There could not have been a better atmosphere set for a plot such as this. Along with hair-raising scenes that range from cryptic to horrific, the book includes several grim photographs that make its eeriness even moreso. Plus, when you think about the real surge of spirit photography from a desperate time with desperate mourners, the book doesn't stray very far from reality. Cat simply takes history and turns beliefs into actuality.
Cat Winters was immediately added on my "auto-buy" list upon finishing the last page. Her talent is proven undeniable in this unique, well-researched, and evocative novel that is In the Shadow of Blackbirds.
Also, isn't it odd that I was reading this book while sick with the flu? *looks around warily*
--
A copy was provided by the publisher for review.
For more of my reviews, visit my blog at Xpresso Reads
What I love most from this book is how, through impressive research, Cat achieves an exceptionally poignant historical atmosphere from a time that saw through so much death and horror. The fall of 1918 had not only the highest death toll from the Spanish Flu which killed over 50 million people (some sources even say up to 100 million), but it was also in the throes of the first World War. Having been fascinated by an epidemic flu that, even to this day, is seen as unusual without a known origin, I have fell upon surprisingly few books on the matter, so I was instantly drawn to this novel. And I'm highly impressed with the level of realism and drive it endorsed in showing us exactly what people were going through in those god-awful days. From frantic - but in a way necessary - beliefs in thrifty home remedies; to face masks that hides you from the world - and you to it; to the number of bodies being picked up like garbage every evening. We're brought into a time that was, in the best of descriptions, gray.
Not only do we see the horrors of this invisible killer, we're also in the midst of Word War I. This, too, is full of unbelievable sadness. Cat is not afraid to show us the real ugly truths. Through the eyes of Mary Shelley - an innocent 16 year old girl - we experience the longing that comes from having loved ones at war, and we see the grim consequences of this war during her visits to the recovering veterans' ward when we meet soldiers who have been irreversibly damaged; not just physically, but mentally. And that is what In the Shadow of Blackbirds is really about: the fragility of the mind. Even while reading, you're forever questioning what is real, and what isn't.
Throughout, Mary becomes such a compelling character that I found myself easily lost in the ways she's seeing this bitter world. She despises the masks that she sees as the face of an unflinching villain. She digresses, at least to herself, from the new "patriotic" ways, believing what her father was saying about doing what is right instead of what's safe. She finds bravery when she has nothing else. In addition, I loved the side characters who, no matter how small the role, had great impact in the story, insuring their memorability.
When Mary Shelley's sweetheart starts haunting her, this turns an already bleak story into one that was positively eerie. There could not have been a better atmosphere set for a plot such as this. Along with hair-raising scenes that range from cryptic to horrific, the book includes several grim photographs that make its eeriness even moreso. Plus, when you think about the real surge of spirit photography from a desperate time with desperate mourners, the book doesn't stray very far from reality. Cat simply takes history and turns beliefs into actuality.
Cat Winters was immediately added on my "auto-buy" list upon finishing the last page. Her talent is proven undeniable in this unique, well-researched, and evocative novel that is In the Shadow of Blackbirds.
Also, isn't it odd that I was reading this book while sick with the flu? *looks around warily*
--
A copy was provided by the publisher for review.
For more of my reviews, visit my blog at Xpresso Reads
August 14, 2017
Click here to watch a video review of this book on my channel, From Beginning to Bookend.
March 11, 2016
War is never like the history books portray it. I'm not saying they lie- I'm saying they don't show you everything... or what's more like it, they tell you the stories, they don't t show it, and we readers know that by telling and not showing the majority of the emotions are drained. (I'm not complaining about history books, by the way. I'm just using them as starting point for my review).
History books tell you World War I started on 1914 and ended on 1918. History books tell you X amount of people died, that there was crisis after, that it was true horror, etc. When reading those books, I feel saddened, but the feeling is not the same if you found about all those things through someone else's experience or story, whether it is a true account, or a book/movie.
In the Shadow of Blackbirds is one of those stories.
Mary Shelley Black (named after the one and only author of the masterpiece Frankenstein) is only 16 but she's already experienced grief and loss. She lives in 1918 US and there's war and the Spanish flu to deal with. She has few things to cling to, one of them is her childhood friend Stephen, but nothing lasts forever: He enlists to war as a way to escape his non-happy life...and dies there.
Little does Mary Shelley know that he's not gone. He's haunting her now and seems suffering and distressed and won't leave her alone until he finds out what happened to him...and she wants the truth too. Why is he not able to rest in peace? Why is everything such a secret? And what is all that talk about black birds?
Just as history books say, there are deaths in ITSOB. As they say, there are widows and children without fathers, and there are hospitals full of injured and agonizing boys and men. Unlike history books, though, Cat Winters manages to transport you to that era and makes everything feel so vivid.
We’re all simply waiting to be killed. All that’s left is blinding sorrow and a painful death by drowning in our own fluids. What’s the point of being alive?
The atmosphere is even more eerie thanks to the slightly supernatural aspect. Mary Shelley has a scientific mind, and she does not believe in ghosts. I don't believe in them either, and nothing you say will convince me of the contrary, but I assure you... if the spirit of my dead love haunted me, I would reconsider what I said.
There are questions about war and human nature, all posed in Winters' perfect and beautiful writing style. Have you ever thought how ironic (or hypocritical) we humans are? War is a perfect example of that.
“And do you know the oddest thing about murder and war and violence?”
(...)
“The oddest thing is that they all go against the lessons that grown-ups teach children. Don’t hurt anyone. Solve your problems with language instead of fists. Share your things. Don’t take something that belongs to someone else without asking. Use your manners. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Why do mothers and fathers bother spending so much time teaching children these lessons when grown-ups don’t pay any attention to the words themselves?”
Shelley also questions what the point of life is if there's nothing in it worth living for. And don't even mention the flu that was spreading - it only made those wonderings darker, and it made me feel heavier as well.
Mary Shelley is a great character too. She's intelligent and humble. Her love for science may have influenced upon my liking her, because... it's so unusual that I find a YA heroine who sees science as something interesting, and not something boring and dense. Her reluctance to believe in the existence of ghosts at first was realistic, and I kind of related to her, but she... She has gone through so much at such a young age, and her experiences made her braver.
Not only is the heroine the sole fleshed out character, though. All of them are well developed, and their relationships too. Julius (Stephen's step-brother) is an especially complex and interesting character. I admit I hated him from the beginning, but I can't deny he was intriguing. And so is Stephen himself, even though it's for a short time that we see him alive. The same applies to Shell's aunt and to everyone else.
Cat Winters not only managed to make me fall hard for a novel heavy on the romance, she also made me feel all the anger and sadness everyone felt, and I fell so badly in love with the book that right after I finished it, I already wanted to start it again from the beginning. And this was Winters' debut novel. Talented, is she?
If you have not read this book, I really don't know why you're stll reading this review. If I were you, I would have gotten myself a copy (physical one because there are pictures and it's a beautiful book both physically and inside too) and would have immersed myself in it. There's a great story with a page-turning mystery (what I said in my synopsis at the beginning), thought-provoking moments, vivid and incredible writing that gives life to an atmosphere already gone, fantastic characters and relationships between them, etc - all aspects that make In the Shadow of Blackbirds a full-deserving 5-star read.
___________________
Pre-review (November 15, 2015):
Not a perfect book at all, but good enough for me to give it 5 stars despite its faults. What I loved the most was the atmosphere, the characters and the tragic yet not overwhelming feel. Also, it addressed important themes from the era and some that even apply to the present. I'll elaborate more in my full review.
May 24, 2016
4 stars!
"Surely, though, I must have stolen into the future and landed in an H.G. Wells - style world -- a horrific, fantastical society in which people's faces contained only eyes, millions of healthy young adults and children dropped dead from the flu, boys got transported out of the country to be blown to bits, and the goverment arrested citizens for speaking the wrong words. Such a place couldn't be real. And it couldn't be the United States of America, 'the land of the free and the home of the brave.'
But it was.
I was on a train in my own country, in a year the devil designed.
1918."
This book is unlike any other historical fiction I've read. And not just because of the paranormal aspects. Previously when I thought of the year 1918, what popped into my head was World War 1.
The war spanned 1914-1918 and our country suffered a great number of losses because of it. But now, after reading this debut novel by Cat Winters, these are some more images that will come to me when I think of 1918.
^ That is a photo of a poster that would have hung up around town.
In this grim year in history, people didn't leave their home without their flu mask secured over their faces. They looked at others with suspicion, looking for signs that the pandemic has spread to their neighbors and loved ones. Whole cities were quarantined, schools shut down. People were desperate for remedies and resorted to crude and sometimes ridiculous measures to protect themselves. The men were off to war and the woman began to show that they could do a man's job just as well. But those lost in war had a huge impact as well, with many people jumping on the Spiritualism craze, looking for any shred of proof that their lost loved ones still existed somewhere in some possible way.
For the most part, the picture that Cat Winter's painted was terrifying...and I'm not saying that because of the paranormal aspect of this novel. It's more terrifying knowing that these things actually happened. This was how things were.
This pandemic has been described as "the greatest medical holocaust in history" and may have killed more people than the Black Death. It is said that this flu killed more people in 24 weeks than AIDS has killed in 24 years, more in a year than the Black Death killed in a century.
^ That quote was taken straight from Wikipedia and those are some horrifying statistics. The Spanish Flu is thought to be responsible for over 20 million deaths worldwide.
This book is about a 16 year old girl named Mary Shelley Black. She is very scientifically inclined, intelligent beyond her years. She dismisses spiritualism. She is the type to need concrete proof in order to accept something as real. Her father is arrested for treason, though in reality he is simply a good man trying to do good things for some others concerning things he doesn't agree with. Mary Shelley packs a bag and leaves her hometown of Portland, Oregan... She jumps on a train that takes her to San Diego, to live with her deceased mother's sister, her Aunt Eva.
It's October 16, 1918.
She is now where Stephen Embers (her childhood friend who has grown into so much more to her) and his brother, Julius live with their mother. Julius is a Spiritualist Photographer, cashing in on grieving people by claiming he can capture their loved ones spirits in a photo with them. Stephen has told her how Julius falsifies these pictures, though so far he has managed to elude Aloysius Darning (a legitimate photographer renowned for his ability to catch people in the act of falsifying spirit images). Stephen signed up for the war before he even finished school, wanting to get away from Julius and his fraudulent business.
At her Aunt Eva's urging, Mary Shelley agrees to pose for Julius. Days later, they go to pick up the print only to discover that the "spirit" in her photo is Stephen. It's then that Julius tells them that Stephen died in battle a war hero. That they are awaiting his body to return home so that they can give him a proper burial. Later that same evening, Mary Shelley has a brush of her own with death and after that, she's not quite the same. She begins to hear whispers from Stephen's spirit, who seems to be terrified. This begins to change her perception about the spirit world.
"I just buried the boy who meant the world to me. I've seen corpses as blue as ripe huckleberries lying in front yards out there. There's no need to protect me from anything."
Mary Shelley begins to look into his death, hoping that by unraveling the details, she'll be able to put his spirit to rest. What she learns, both from her own research and ghostly encounters with Stephen don't necessarily coincide with what Julius has told her though and she is more determined than ever to find out the truth of what really happened to Stephen.
"I think between the war and the flu, no one's going to escape getting haunted. We live in a world so horrifying, it frightens even the dead."
I don't want to say much more and spoil anything, but I was actually pretty content with the ending. The paranormal parts of this book never felt cheesy. You could also tell that Cat Winter's did a tremendous amount of research for this novel. Her writing is so atmospheric...you can clearly picture the gloomy and bleak setting of the world that she brought to life. This was my first novel by her and it was her debut. I can't wait to read more by her, because I'm sure that her others are just as captivating, if not better. The only thing stopping me from giving it the full 5 stars was that the pacing was a bit slow in places. But that is my one and only complaint. Would recommend this to everyone!
"I know the world seems terrifying right now and the future seems bleak. Just remember that human beings have always managed to find the greatest strength within themselves during the darkest hours. When faced with the worst horrors the world has to offer, a person either cracks and succumbs to the ugliness, or they salvage the inner core of who they are and fight to right wrongs."
"Surely, though, I must have stolen into the future and landed in an H.G. Wells - style world -- a horrific, fantastical society in which people's faces contained only eyes, millions of healthy young adults and children dropped dead from the flu, boys got transported out of the country to be blown to bits, and the goverment arrested citizens for speaking the wrong words. Such a place couldn't be real. And it couldn't be the United States of America, 'the land of the free and the home of the brave.'
But it was.
I was on a train in my own country, in a year the devil designed.
1918."
This book is unlike any other historical fiction I've read. And not just because of the paranormal aspects. Previously when I thought of the year 1918, what popped into my head was World War 1.
The war spanned 1914-1918 and our country suffered a great number of losses because of it. But now, after reading this debut novel by Cat Winters, these are some more images that will come to me when I think of 1918.
^ That is a photo of a poster that would have hung up around town.
In this grim year in history, people didn't leave their home without their flu mask secured over their faces. They looked at others with suspicion, looking for signs that the pandemic has spread to their neighbors and loved ones. Whole cities were quarantined, schools shut down. People were desperate for remedies and resorted to crude and sometimes ridiculous measures to protect themselves. The men were off to war and the woman began to show that they could do a man's job just as well. But those lost in war had a huge impact as well, with many people jumping on the Spiritualism craze, looking for any shred of proof that their lost loved ones still existed somewhere in some possible way.
For the most part, the picture that Cat Winter's painted was terrifying...and I'm not saying that because of the paranormal aspect of this novel. It's more terrifying knowing that these things actually happened. This was how things were.
This pandemic has been described as "the greatest medical holocaust in history" and may have killed more people than the Black Death. It is said that this flu killed more people in 24 weeks than AIDS has killed in 24 years, more in a year than the Black Death killed in a century.
^ That quote was taken straight from Wikipedia and those are some horrifying statistics. The Spanish Flu is thought to be responsible for over 20 million deaths worldwide.
This book is about a 16 year old girl named Mary Shelley Black. She is very scientifically inclined, intelligent beyond her years. She dismisses spiritualism. She is the type to need concrete proof in order to accept something as real. Her father is arrested for treason, though in reality he is simply a good man trying to do good things for some others concerning things he doesn't agree with. Mary Shelley packs a bag and leaves her hometown of Portland, Oregan... She jumps on a train that takes her to San Diego, to live with her deceased mother's sister, her Aunt Eva.
It's October 16, 1918.
She is now where Stephen Embers (her childhood friend who has grown into so much more to her) and his brother, Julius live with their mother. Julius is a Spiritualist Photographer, cashing in on grieving people by claiming he can capture their loved ones spirits in a photo with them. Stephen has told her how Julius falsifies these pictures, though so far he has managed to elude Aloysius Darning (a legitimate photographer renowned for his ability to catch people in the act of falsifying spirit images). Stephen signed up for the war before he even finished school, wanting to get away from Julius and his fraudulent business.
At her Aunt Eva's urging, Mary Shelley agrees to pose for Julius. Days later, they go to pick up the print only to discover that the "spirit" in her photo is Stephen. It's then that Julius tells them that Stephen died in battle a war hero. That they are awaiting his body to return home so that they can give him a proper burial. Later that same evening, Mary Shelley has a brush of her own with death and after that, she's not quite the same. She begins to hear whispers from Stephen's spirit, who seems to be terrified. This begins to change her perception about the spirit world.
"I just buried the boy who meant the world to me. I've seen corpses as blue as ripe huckleberries lying in front yards out there. There's no need to protect me from anything."
Mary Shelley begins to look into his death, hoping that by unraveling the details, she'll be able to put his spirit to rest. What she learns, both from her own research and ghostly encounters with Stephen don't necessarily coincide with what Julius has told her though and she is more determined than ever to find out the truth of what really happened to Stephen.
"I think between the war and the flu, no one's going to escape getting haunted. We live in a world so horrifying, it frightens even the dead."
I don't want to say much more and spoil anything, but I was actually pretty content with the ending. The paranormal parts of this book never felt cheesy. You could also tell that Cat Winter's did a tremendous amount of research for this novel. Her writing is so atmospheric...you can clearly picture the gloomy and bleak setting of the world that she brought to life. This was my first novel by her and it was her debut. I can't wait to read more by her, because I'm sure that her others are just as captivating, if not better. The only thing stopping me from giving it the full 5 stars was that the pacing was a bit slow in places. But that is my one and only complaint. Would recommend this to everyone!
"I know the world seems terrifying right now and the future seems bleak. Just remember that human beings have always managed to find the greatest strength within themselves during the darkest hours. When faced with the worst horrors the world has to offer, a person either cracks and succumbs to the ugliness, or they salvage the inner core of who they are and fight to right wrongs."
November 18, 2020
The writing wasn't my thing at all - bland, not compelling, too straight-forward with way too much telling. This kind of writing will never get me to give its author another chance.
But some historical details were interesting. I indeed want to know more about onion syrup, sugar dipped in kerosene and onion baths as remedies against Spanish flu. Did they have flu deniers back then? Anti-maskers? An orange clown telling the flu wasn't real while millions were dying of it? I would have rather read a novel about 1918 epidemic and WWI instead of this one, diluted by ghosts and horny in a weird way teen romance.
But some historical details were interesting. I indeed want to know more about onion syrup, sugar dipped in kerosene and onion baths as remedies against Spanish flu. Did they have flu deniers back then? Anti-maskers? An orange clown telling the flu wasn't real while millions were dying of it? I would have rather read a novel about 1918 epidemic and WWI instead of this one, diluted by ghosts and horny in a weird way teen romance.
May 13, 2013
Spoilers are hidden under spoiler tags.
What would you do if the ones you love are in danger? What would you do if the ghost of your beloved sweetheart comes back to haunt you?
Would you be willing to risk your safety-your life, even-just to find out the truth beneath it all? Would you have the courage to help him rest in peace?
Actual rating: 4.5 stars
In the Shadow of Blackbirds is a mix of mystery, paranormal, superstition, romance and tragedy.
After reading all the praises for this book, I was really excited to finally pick this up. But I have to admit -part of me was a bit worried that it wouldn't live up to the hype. It turned out that all the worrying was just a total waste of time. In the Shadow of Blackbirds does not disappoint.
This book truly amazed me in a lot of ways. The plot, the setting, the characters, the world-building, even the writing, were all sorts of perfection. The plot was carefully planned and thought through. The setting was really well-researched. The writing was beautiful. And every. single. character. has their depth. I cannot describe how much I adore this book. It surprised me and brought me the sense of satisfaction I needed. This is what I call a work of perfection. It truly deserves all the praises in this world.
First off, I just want to say, the title of the book, In the Shadow of Blackbirds is utterly brilliant. It not only fits perfectly with the mystery and the soldier's fear of their corpses getting eaten by birds in war, but it also contains the meaning that people at this time are living under the shadow of the bird influenza. Whoever named this book was all kinds of amazing.
"Millions of healthy young adults and children dropped dead from the flu, boys got transported out of the country to be blown to bits, and the government arrested citizens for speaking the wrong words. Such a place couldn’t be real. And it couldn’t be the United States of America, “the land of the free and the home of the brave.”
But it was.
I was on a train in my own country, in a year the devil designed.
1918."
With World War I on full blast, and the deadly Spanish influenza spreading all over the country, 1918 was truly a year of horror. Humanity is corrupting, and the entire world was shrouded in doubt, loss, pain, superstitions, and tragic. This is a time when trust is nowhere to be found. This is a time when people get suspicious about one another just because of their names. This is a time when millions of lives are lost due to war, epidemic, or even standing up against the government. This is a time when all hope is lost. 1918 really is one of the darkest times in American history. This is shameful to say, but before reading this book, 1918 was just the year WWI ended, it was nothing but a few pages in my history textbook that I have to memorize for exams. I didn't even know that people were struggling to survive through this tragic time. I didn't know that there was a flu so severe it took aways many lives, and simultaneously torn apart thousands, if not millions of family. But thanks to Mrs. Winters, I learned a lot more about this time period, and I finally understood what kind of pain people had experienced, and how strong their will must have been to be able to survive through all of this. 1918 really is a unique and spectacular setting, and it was also one of the reasons that made the book stand out from the others.
"Human beings have always managed to find the greatest strength within themselves during the darkest hours."
The plot was spectacular. The storyline was unique. Everything began with Mary Shelley seeking refuge in her Aunt Eva's house. Her father was arrested for standing against WWI, so she had to run away in case she gets arrested as the traitor's daughter. After that, all sorts of things started to happen. She learned that her sweetheart, Stephen, had died in war, and that her father was trialled to a twenty year sentence in prison. What's worse, she got , and creepy things started happening around her, including Stephen's ghost coming back to haunt her. Being a girl who believes in science and truth, she set out to find what was keeping Stephen from resting in peace. Even though a lot of things happened on her journey to help Stephen, she never gave up. The mystery was really well-built. I never would have guessed the ending. Looking back, I wonder why I didn't see that coming. Everything was clear as day by the end of the book. I really love how the story was unpredictable. There were also some flashbacks on Mary Shelley and Stephens's time spent together, and on how she ended up coming to Portland. I have to admit, though. The beginning of the book scared me. A lot. I was tucked in my bed and shivering against the creepiness of the book. This is a warning. Never read this on your phone in the middle of the night with your lights turned off. You might get scared to death.
Part of the story was centered on spirits. Spiritualism was a trend back then, it provided something of a relief to the people who have lost their dearest. Many spirit photographers started popping up to seize the chance of obtaining wealth from tricking these people suffering from loss with spirit photographs. Most of the people were desperate enough to believe in them. They wanted to believe that their loved ones were doing well, and in heaven. So they all turned to spirit photographs. That's all I can say here without spoiling anyone.
"They're always desperate."
Mary Shelley Black, our main protagonist, is a heroine I adored with all my heart. She's brilliant, reliable, courageous, stubborn and she would do anything to fight for the one she loves . I love her personality, her way of thinking, and I love how she isn't afraid to stand up against the devils. She's also a girl with a scientific mind. I adore her rationality and quick-thinking. I love how she always plans and thinks through what she should do, instead of acting on impulse. I also admire her strength. There was a scene when she visited Red Cross to investigate on Stephen's death. I really love how she has the courage to volunteer in there, even though a lot of the men in there are disabled from the war. Mary Shelley is definitely one of my favorite heroines. I truly admire her wholeheartedly.
Stephen, Mary Shelley's best friend and sweetheart, was artistic, gentle, and sweet. His dream is to become a photographer. In this book, however, he is supposed to have died in war by the time we finally meet him. I think Mrs. Winters' did a great job in creating his character. Unlike other love interests, Stephen is a lot more realistic. He fears, he cries, he relies on others. This is how a boy should react when he is in the face of a war, watching his battalions get bombed, and stranger's body parts littering all around him. He's just so real. I really love Stephen's character.
I hate to say this, but Aunt Eva actually annoyed me a little at first. I thought of her as this love-struck aunt who trusts her crush's opinion more than her own niece. But she changed. After one certain incident, I finally realized that she does love her niece, she was just a bit misled. Although she's not my favorite, she is certainly admirable in her own ways.
Julius, Stephen's big brother, is a spirit photographer, and has always struck me as the evil type. He constantly argues with Stephen. Moreover, he beats him up and burns his photographs when he's feeling it. He's cold and aloof. He likes money, fame, and power more than anything. But for some reason, I did like his character. He wasn't mean to Mary Shelley, he was kind at times, even. I certainly did not understand him, though.
Mr. Darning is a professional photographer who is also an expert at catching spirit photographer frauds. I really liked his character and trusted him, completely. He's this really sweet and kind gentleman who offers Mary Shelley nothing but kindness. And he helped her with a lot of things. He also has an enthusiasm for spirits.
"I've loved you from the moment you fixed my camera on those church steps when we were little kids."
The romance was beautiful. I felt the sweet young love between Mary Shelley and Stephen. I love how strong their connection is. It's like they would never be torn apart by death. I really love how they started out as best friends. It strengthened their relationship and made it special. The story of how they met was beautiful and heart-warming. But as you can see,
Isn't that just romantic? This is one of the purest love I've ever read about. Their relationship will always hold a special place in my heart. It proves that love doesn't always have to be passionate to be amazing. Pure and sweet love can sometimes be a lot more breath-taking.
The pacing was slow, but never boring. It lured me in page by page, paragraph by paragraph, word by word, until I was fully trapped inside the world of 1918. It was as if I were experiencing the world together with Mary Shelley. It was as if my own neighbors dropped dead due to the influenza, and that I was the one whose country was torn by war. The writing was beautiful. Mrs. Winters' writing style made the world under her pen realistic. All the tiny details, the dialogue, everything, was well-researched and planned out. Her writing also had the ability to keep me in suspense, and the ability to let the readers feel what she intended to make us feel. I felt the tension, the sadness in the atmosphere, and I also felt what Mary Shelley was feeling. Only the most skilled writer can make me feel that way. Mrs. Winters' writing truly is remarkable.
If I said the book was perfect, then why did I rate it 4.5 instead of a perfect 5? Because of the onions. Yes, you read that right, the onions. The onions are used to block the flu back at that time. Just to be clear, I don't have problems with the onions, I just couldn't relate to it. There was another reason, though. I felt like the pacing in the first few chapters was a tad bit too slow. Like I said, it wasn't boring. It was just that I really wanted something to happen, quickly. But I did get what I wanted not long after. So I'm still really satisfied with this book.
The book ended on a beautiful note. All the questions were solved. Everything was tied up neatly. I absolutely loved it. I really didn't want the book to end. I just can't get enough of Mary Shelley and Stephen.
Lastly, I want to compliment whoever designed that cover. That cover fits perfectly with this book! And those pictures in the book, too! They were all sorts of creepy yet fitting.
This was a really hard book to review without spoiling anything, too many things happened and there was just too much I wanted to say but couldn't actually describe it, but I tried my best! Anyways, everything about In the Shadow of Blackbirds was perfect. I really really loved this book. I haven't read something so utterly beautiful and engrossing since If I stay. So just READ IT and prepare to be AMAZED!
What would you do if the ones you love are in danger? What would you do if the ghost of your beloved sweetheart comes back to haunt you?
Would you be willing to risk your safety-your life, even-just to find out the truth beneath it all? Would you have the courage to help him rest in peace?
Actual rating: 4.5 stars
In the Shadow of Blackbirds is a mix of mystery, paranormal, superstition, romance and tragedy.
After reading all the praises for this book, I was really excited to finally pick this up. But I have to admit -part of me was a bit worried that it wouldn't live up to the hype. It turned out that all the worrying was just a total waste of time. In the Shadow of Blackbirds does not disappoint.
This book truly amazed me in a lot of ways. The plot, the setting, the characters, the world-building, even the writing, were all sorts of perfection. The plot was carefully planned and thought through. The setting was really well-researched. The writing was beautiful. And every. single. character. has their depth. I cannot describe how much I adore this book. It surprised me and brought me the sense of satisfaction I needed. This is what I call a work of perfection. It truly deserves all the praises in this world.
First off, I just want to say, the title of the book, In the Shadow of Blackbirds is utterly brilliant. It not only fits perfectly with the mystery and the soldier's fear of their corpses getting eaten by birds in war, but it also contains the meaning that people at this time are living under the shadow of the bird influenza. Whoever named this book was all kinds of amazing.
"Millions of healthy young adults and children dropped dead from the flu, boys got transported out of the country to be blown to bits, and the government arrested citizens for speaking the wrong words. Such a place couldn’t be real. And it couldn’t be the United States of America, “the land of the free and the home of the brave.”
But it was.
I was on a train in my own country, in a year the devil designed.
1918."
With World War I on full blast, and the deadly Spanish influenza spreading all over the country, 1918 was truly a year of horror. Humanity is corrupting, and the entire world was shrouded in doubt, loss, pain, superstitions, and tragic. This is a time when trust is nowhere to be found. This is a time when people get suspicious about one another just because of their names. This is a time when millions of lives are lost due to war, epidemic, or even standing up against the government. This is a time when all hope is lost. 1918 really is one of the darkest times in American history. This is shameful to say, but before reading this book, 1918 was just the year WWI ended, it was nothing but a few pages in my history textbook that I have to memorize for exams. I didn't even know that people were struggling to survive through this tragic time. I didn't know that there was a flu so severe it took aways many lives, and simultaneously torn apart thousands, if not millions of family. But thanks to Mrs. Winters, I learned a lot more about this time period, and I finally understood what kind of pain people had experienced, and how strong their will must have been to be able to survive through all of this. 1918 really is a unique and spectacular setting, and it was also one of the reasons that made the book stand out from the others.
"Human beings have always managed to find the greatest strength within themselves during the darkest hours."
The plot was spectacular. The storyline was unique. Everything began with Mary Shelley seeking refuge in her Aunt Eva's house. Her father was arrested for standing against WWI, so she had to run away in case she gets arrested as the traitor's daughter. After that, all sorts of things started to happen. She learned that her sweetheart, Stephen, had died in war, and that her father was trialled to a twenty year sentence in prison. What's worse, she got , and creepy things started happening around her, including Stephen's ghost coming back to haunt her. Being a girl who believes in science and truth, she set out to find what was keeping Stephen from resting in peace. Even though a lot of things happened on her journey to help Stephen, she never gave up. The mystery was really well-built. I never would have guessed the ending. Looking back, I wonder why I didn't see that coming. Everything was clear as day by the end of the book. I really love how the story was unpredictable. There were also some flashbacks on Mary Shelley and Stephens's time spent together, and on how she ended up coming to Portland. I have to admit, though. The beginning of the book scared me. A lot. I was tucked in my bed and shivering against the creepiness of the book. This is a warning. Never read this on your phone in the middle of the night with your lights turned off. You might get scared to death.
Part of the story was centered on spirits. Spiritualism was a trend back then, it provided something of a relief to the people who have lost their dearest. Many spirit photographers started popping up to seize the chance of obtaining wealth from tricking these people suffering from loss with spirit photographs. Most of the people were desperate enough to believe in them. They wanted to believe that their loved ones were doing well, and in heaven. So they all turned to spirit photographs. That's all I can say here without spoiling anyone.
"They're always desperate."
Mary Shelley Black, our main protagonist, is a heroine I adored with all my heart. She's brilliant, reliable, courageous, stubborn and she would do anything to fight for the one she loves . I love her personality, her way of thinking, and I love how she isn't afraid to stand up against the devils. She's also a girl with a scientific mind. I adore her rationality and quick-thinking. I love how she always plans and thinks through what she should do, instead of acting on impulse. I also admire her strength. There was a scene when she visited Red Cross to investigate on Stephen's death. I really love how she has the courage to volunteer in there, even though a lot of the men in there are disabled from the war. Mary Shelley is definitely one of my favorite heroines. I truly admire her wholeheartedly.
Stephen, Mary Shelley's best friend and sweetheart, was artistic, gentle, and sweet. His dream is to become a photographer. In this book, however, he is supposed to have died in war by the time we finally meet him. I think Mrs. Winters' did a great job in creating his character. Unlike other love interests, Stephen is a lot more realistic. He fears, he cries, he relies on others. This is how a boy should react when he is in the face of a war, watching his battalions get bombed, and stranger's body parts littering all around him. He's just so real. I really love Stephen's character.
I hate to say this, but Aunt Eva actually annoyed me a little at first. I thought of her as this love-struck aunt who trusts her crush's opinion more than her own niece. But she changed. After one certain incident, I finally realized that she does love her niece, she was just a bit misled. Although she's not my favorite, she is certainly admirable in her own ways.
Julius, Stephen's big brother, is a spirit photographer, and has always struck me as the evil type. He constantly argues with Stephen. Moreover, he beats him up and burns his photographs when he's feeling it. He's cold and aloof. He likes money, fame, and power more than anything. But for some reason, I did like his character. He wasn't mean to Mary Shelley, he was kind at times, even. I certainly did not understand him, though.
Mr. Darning is a professional photographer who is also an expert at catching spirit photographer frauds. I really liked his character and trusted him, completely. He's this really sweet and kind gentleman who offers Mary Shelley nothing but kindness. And he helped her with a lot of things. He also has an enthusiasm for spirits.
"I've loved you from the moment you fixed my camera on those church steps when we were little kids."
The romance was beautiful. I felt the sweet young love between Mary Shelley and Stephen. I love how strong their connection is. It's like they would never be torn apart by death. I really love how they started out as best friends. It strengthened their relationship and made it special. The story of how they met was beautiful and heart-warming. But as you can see,
Isn't that just romantic? This is one of the purest love I've ever read about. Their relationship will always hold a special place in my heart. It proves that love doesn't always have to be passionate to be amazing. Pure and sweet love can sometimes be a lot more breath-taking.
The pacing was slow, but never boring. It lured me in page by page, paragraph by paragraph, word by word, until I was fully trapped inside the world of 1918. It was as if I were experiencing the world together with Mary Shelley. It was as if my own neighbors dropped dead due to the influenza, and that I was the one whose country was torn by war. The writing was beautiful. Mrs. Winters' writing style made the world under her pen realistic. All the tiny details, the dialogue, everything, was well-researched and planned out. Her writing also had the ability to keep me in suspense, and the ability to let the readers feel what she intended to make us feel. I felt the tension, the sadness in the atmosphere, and I also felt what Mary Shelley was feeling. Only the most skilled writer can make me feel that way. Mrs. Winters' writing truly is remarkable.
If I said the book was perfect, then why did I rate it 4.5 instead of a perfect 5? Because of the onions. Yes, you read that right, the onions. The onions are used to block the flu back at that time. Just to be clear, I don't have problems with the onions, I just couldn't relate to it. There was another reason, though. I felt like the pacing in the first few chapters was a tad bit too slow. Like I said, it wasn't boring. It was just that I really wanted something to happen, quickly. But I did get what I wanted not long after. So I'm still really satisfied with this book.
The book ended on a beautiful note. All the questions were solved. Everything was tied up neatly. I absolutely loved it. I really didn't want the book to end. I just can't get enough of Mary Shelley and Stephen.
Lastly, I want to compliment whoever designed that cover. That cover fits perfectly with this book! And those pictures in the book, too! They were all sorts of creepy yet fitting.
This was a really hard book to review without spoiling anything, too many things happened and there was just too much I wanted to say but couldn't actually describe it, but I tried my best! Anyways, everything about In the Shadow of Blackbirds was perfect. I really really loved this book. I haven't read something so utterly beautiful and engrossing since If I stay. So just READ IT and prepare to be AMAZED!
October 18, 2015
Rating: Four ghostly spirit stars
"'I'm not trying to sound un-American,' I said, 'but the aspirin rumor is stupid. Influenza is an airborne illness. The only way the Germans could have used the flu as a weapon is if they shipped boatloads of sick German people over here and let everyone cough on us'...
Another siren screamed by. That old bully Death breathed down my neck and nipped at my skin, warning, Don't waste one spare second of your time. If there are things you want to accomplish while you're still alive, you'd better do them soon. I'm coming."
The backdrop: It is October 16, 1918 when Mary Shelley Black boards the train in Portland bound for San Diego, to stay with her Aunt Eva. Her mother has passed away several years before, and her father has been arrested for treason, as he assisted boys in escaping the draft. World War I has wreaked its ugly havoc and has taken countless lives, but that is not the only threat. The Spanish Flu pandemic is spreading like wildfire across the country, across the world, and no one is safe. Mary passes her time on the train reading letters from her once childhood friend, and now beloved, Stephen. When Mary discovers that Stephen has been killed in battle, she is beyond devastated, but soon, Mary discovers that she is being haunted by his tortured, restless spirit. A deep mystery begins to unfold...
It is very obvious that the author conducted quite a lot of research on this historic year 1918, and each end of chapter in the book contains black and white photos from the time period. The writing and story is incredible and there is a general atmosphere of gloom and darkness, which begins right away with the introduction of train passengers that wear gauze masks, and there is "a whiff of something clammy and sour I took to be fear." I felt like I was right in the middle of the story at all times, which creates an amazing reading experience. The love story is beautiful and unique, and never takes over the entire story. The main character Mary is intelligent beyond her years, and speaks her mind with a certain boldness and wit. The supporting characters came alive, and I definitely found myself looking forward to evening, when I could read more. This was part of the Big Library Read 2015, and I am fortunate to have learned of this book. The ending is very climactic in a great way, and the mystery is solved, questions answered...I look forward to reading more books by Cat Winters in the near future.
Another siren screamed by. That old bully Death breathed down my neck and nipped at my skin, warning, Don't waste one spare second of your time. If there are things you want to accomplish while you're still alive, you'd better do them soon. I'm coming."
The backdrop: It is October 16, 1918 when Mary Shelley Black boards the train in Portland bound for San Diego, to stay with her Aunt Eva. Her mother has passed away several years before, and her father has been arrested for treason, as he assisted boys in escaping the draft. World War I has wreaked its ugly havoc and has taken countless lives, but that is not the only threat. The Spanish Flu pandemic is spreading like wildfire across the country, across the world, and no one is safe. Mary passes her time on the train reading letters from her once childhood friend, and now beloved, Stephen. When Mary discovers that Stephen has been killed in battle, she is beyond devastated, but soon, Mary discovers that she is being haunted by his tortured, restless spirit. A deep mystery begins to unfold...
It is very obvious that the author conducted quite a lot of research on this historic year 1918, and each end of chapter in the book contains black and white photos from the time period. The writing and story is incredible and there is a general atmosphere of gloom and darkness, which begins right away with the introduction of train passengers that wear gauze masks, and there is "a whiff of something clammy and sour I took to be fear." I felt like I was right in the middle of the story at all times, which creates an amazing reading experience. The love story is beautiful and unique, and never takes over the entire story. The main character Mary is intelligent beyond her years, and speaks her mind with a certain boldness and wit. The supporting characters came alive, and I definitely found myself looking forward to evening, when I could read more. This was part of the Big Library Read 2015, and I am fortunate to have learned of this book. The ending is very climactic in a great way, and the mystery is solved, questions answered...I look forward to reading more books by Cat Winters in the near future.
December 2, 2017
داستان تو دهه ۱۹۹۰ تو فضای کشوری درگیر جنگ و ویروسی مسری، در مورد دختری شونزده ساله ست که به نحوی درگیر ماجراهای پر رمز و رازی میشه.
فضای کتاب گرچه پیچیدگی کمی داره، تینیچریه و داستان تا حدی سرراسته ولی این باعث نشده جذابیتش کم بشه. فراز و فرودها و خلاقیت نویسنده مثلا اینکه احساسات آدما رو به صورت طعم تجربه کنی جالب توجه بود.
در مجموع تجربهی خوبی بود و با سرعت بالا، علاقه و لذت خوندمش. امتیازم بهش ۳.۸ بود که به بالا گردش کردم.
-----------
یادگاری از کتاب:
میگفت تنها هیولاهای واقعی در این دنیا، انسانها هستن... فهمیدنش ترسناک بود اما خیلی معنا داره. ما میتونیم با همدیگه خیلی بد باشیم.
...
میدونین عجیبترین چیز دربارهی جنگ و خشونت چیه؟
عجیبترین چیز اینه که همهشون خلاف درسهایی هستن که بزرگترها به بچهها یاد میدن. کسی رو آزار نده. مشکلاتت رو به جای مشت با زبان حل کن. چیزهات رو با بقیه تقسیم کن. بدون اجازه چیزی رو که متعلق به کس دیگهایه برندار. مودب باش. با دیگران طوری رفتار کن که میخوای باهات رفتار کنن. چرا پدر و مادرها به خودشون زحمت میدن و این همه زمان صرف میکنن تا به بچهها درسهایی بدن که خود بزرگترها هیچ توجهی بهش ندارن؟
فضای کتاب گرچه پیچیدگی کمی داره، تینیچریه و داستان تا حدی سرراسته ولی این باعث نشده جذابیتش کم بشه. فراز و فرودها و خلاقیت نویسنده مثلا اینکه احساسات آدما رو به صورت طعم تجربه کنی جالب توجه بود.
در مجموع تجربهی خوبی بود و با سرعت بالا، علاقه و لذت خوندمش. امتیازم بهش ۳.۸ بود که به بالا گردش کردم.
-----------
یادگاری از کتاب:
میگفت تنها هیولاهای واقعی در این دنیا، انسانها هستن... فهمیدنش ترسناک بود اما خیلی معنا داره. ما میتونیم با همدیگه خیلی بد باشیم.
...
میدونین عجیبترین چیز دربارهی جنگ و خشونت چیه؟
عجیبترین چیز اینه که همهشون خلاف درسهایی هستن که بزرگترها به بچهها یاد میدن. کسی رو آزار نده. مشکلاتت رو به جای مشت با زبان حل کن. چیزهات رو با بقیه تقسیم کن. بدون اجازه چیزی رو که متعلق به کس دیگهایه برندار. مودب باش. با دیگران طوری رفتار کن که میخوای باهات رفتار کنن. چرا پدر و مادرها به خودشون زحمت میدن و این همه زمان صرف میکنن تا به بچهها درسهایی بدن که خود بزرگترها هیچ توجهی بهش ندارن؟
May 13, 2020
4.5
“I think between the war and the flu, no one’s going to escape getting haunted. We live in a world so horrifying, it frightens even the dead.”
...
Horror is subjective, so not everyone will find the same things scary. In the Shadow of Blackbirds understands this, and creeps up on you in painfully honest ways. I really loved this.
Mary Shelley lives in a world on the verge of devastation. The year is 1918, and across the Atlantic, young American boys fight for their lives in the trenches at No Man's Land. In the states, where the horrors of war seem like a distant nightmare, the Spanish Influenza rages against a panicked populous. Mourners seek out séances and spirit photographers for comfort, but Mary Shelley doesn't believe in such things.
Not until her childhood sweetheart who died in battle, Stephen, appears to her as a ghost. What does he want?
I'm fairly knowledgable of World War I and the historical time period of this book, but I was unaware of the sheer number of deaths caused by the Spanish Influenza. Nearly 500 million people were infected worldwide, and between 20 and 50 million died from it. Cat Winters painted 1918, a terror-filled, devastating year in our history, with palpable atmosphere and realistic horror.
Wooden coffins are stacked on the sides of the road, filled with corpses claimed by the flu. The few people who walk the streets wear masks and gauze, anxiously looking at one another, wondering who could be infected by the deadly disease. Anyone could get sick, and anyone could die from it. The historical setting alone added to the eeriness of this ghost story, and the added elements of spiritualism and séances made for some wonderful atmosphere. I could smell the onions that people ate to ward off the flu virus. I could feel the contagion, the terror. It was all so engrossing.
“We were all survivors—every last one of us who limped our way out to the sidewalks that afternoon and spit in Death’s cold face.”
Mary Shelley is a young girl fascinated by science, and longs to be with her sweetheart, Stephen, who went off to fight in the war. Due to some extenuating circumstances, Mary Shelley must live with her Aunt Eva in the bay area, which is also home to Stephen's mysterious older brother, Julius. When Stephen appears to Mary Shelley as a ghost, mystery ensues. Why is Stephen appearing to Mary Shelley? What's preventing him from moving on?
The mystery was incredibly interesting, and the added emotional stakes made for palpable tension and effective emotional storytelling. I was...surprisingly touched by this book, and I didn't see that ending coming at all.
I was constantly on edge, constantly drawn in by the paranoia brought on by the deadly flu. Cat Winters knows how to write dread, and it was almost like the disease was a character all on its own: large and ominous, looming over everyone, picking off its victims one at a time. Also, the ghostly scenes in this book were truly creepy, and made my spine tingle. I love horror movies, and I really think In the Shadow of Blackbirds could be a truly great one.
Mary Shelley was an enjoyable main character: she was a smart and thoughtful heroine. Even though there were several instances where characters were basically telling her "you're not like other girls," (*gags*) she was still an interesting protagonist, and I greatly appreciated Mary Shelley's growing bond with Aunt Eva. Her romance with Stephen was also incredibly sweet and so tragic.
One of my favorite parts of this book was when Mary Shelley visited a hospital ward housing young wounded soldiers. Again, this book touched my heart in more ways than I expected.
This is a highly underrated, horrifically effective historical fiction book. Seriously, if you're in the mood for the genre and want to be seriously creeped out, read this book. I highly recommend it, and I'm definitely looking to read more of Cat Winters' books in the future.
...
“Just remember human beings have always managed to find the greatest strength within themselves during the darkest hours. When faced with the worst horrors the world has to offer, a person either cracks and succumbs to the ugliness, or they salvage the inner core of who they are and fight to right wrongs.”
“I think between the war and the flu, no one’s going to escape getting haunted. We live in a world so horrifying, it frightens even the dead.”
...
Horror is subjective, so not everyone will find the same things scary. In the Shadow of Blackbirds understands this, and creeps up on you in painfully honest ways. I really loved this.
Mary Shelley lives in a world on the verge of devastation. The year is 1918, and across the Atlantic, young American boys fight for their lives in the trenches at No Man's Land. In the states, where the horrors of war seem like a distant nightmare, the Spanish Influenza rages against a panicked populous. Mourners seek out séances and spirit photographers for comfort, but Mary Shelley doesn't believe in such things.
Not until her childhood sweetheart who died in battle, Stephen, appears to her as a ghost. What does he want?
I'm fairly knowledgable of World War I and the historical time period of this book, but I was unaware of the sheer number of deaths caused by the Spanish Influenza. Nearly 500 million people were infected worldwide, and between 20 and 50 million died from it. Cat Winters painted 1918, a terror-filled, devastating year in our history, with palpable atmosphere and realistic horror.
Wooden coffins are stacked on the sides of the road, filled with corpses claimed by the flu. The few people who walk the streets wear masks and gauze, anxiously looking at one another, wondering who could be infected by the deadly disease. Anyone could get sick, and anyone could die from it. The historical setting alone added to the eeriness of this ghost story, and the added elements of spiritualism and séances made for some wonderful atmosphere. I could smell the onions that people ate to ward off the flu virus. I could feel the contagion, the terror. It was all so engrossing.
“We were all survivors—every last one of us who limped our way out to the sidewalks that afternoon and spit in Death’s cold face.”
Mary Shelley is a young girl fascinated by science, and longs to be with her sweetheart, Stephen, who went off to fight in the war. Due to some extenuating circumstances, Mary Shelley must live with her Aunt Eva in the bay area, which is also home to Stephen's mysterious older brother, Julius. When Stephen appears to Mary Shelley as a ghost, mystery ensues. Why is Stephen appearing to Mary Shelley? What's preventing him from moving on?
The mystery was incredibly interesting, and the added emotional stakes made for palpable tension and effective emotional storytelling. I was...surprisingly touched by this book, and I didn't see that ending coming at all.
I was constantly on edge, constantly drawn in by the paranoia brought on by the deadly flu. Cat Winters knows how to write dread, and it was almost like the disease was a character all on its own: large and ominous, looming over everyone, picking off its victims one at a time. Also, the ghostly scenes in this book were truly creepy, and made my spine tingle. I love horror movies, and I really think In the Shadow of Blackbirds could be a truly great one.
Mary Shelley was an enjoyable main character: she was a smart and thoughtful heroine. Even though there were several instances where characters were basically telling her "you're not like other girls," (*gags*) she was still an interesting protagonist, and I greatly appreciated Mary Shelley's growing bond with Aunt Eva. Her romance with Stephen was also incredibly sweet and so tragic.
One of my favorite parts of this book was when Mary Shelley visited a hospital ward housing young wounded soldiers. Again, this book touched my heart in more ways than I expected.
This is a highly underrated, horrifically effective historical fiction book. Seriously, if you're in the mood for the genre and want to be seriously creeped out, read this book. I highly recommend it, and I'm definitely looking to read more of Cat Winters' books in the future.
...
“Just remember human beings have always managed to find the greatest strength within themselves during the darkest hours. When faced with the worst horrors the world has to offer, a person either cracks and succumbs to the ugliness, or they salvage the inner core of who they are and fight to right wrongs.”
February 8, 2020
در شهری پر از مردگان و محتضران،
هنگامی که جنگی همچون کابوس
در مسیرش از اینسو به آنسوی جهان
بیداد میکند،
ماتمزدگان
در عکسها و جلسات احضار روح
به دنبال پاسخ میگردند.
اینجا سانتیاگو،
سال ۱۹۱۸.
اینجا مری شلی بلک به اندازهی خود اسمش خاصه. دختری شانزده ساله و -غیررسماً- دانشمند که اگه بویی از منطق و حقایق ثابتشده نبردی، بهتره نزدیکش نشی!
همونطور که اشاره شد، سال ۱۹۱۸ئه و اون چیزی که مردم رو انقدر وحشتزده و خرافاتی و ناامید کرده، آنفولانزاست. نیروی تباهی و شرور این داستان.
نهایتاً همه چیز حول محور یک معما میچرخه. معمایی برای مریشلی که ناچارش میکنه ارزشها و عقیدههای سفت و محکم خودش رو برای حل کردن اون زیر سوال ببره.
فکر میکنم بیشتر از هر چیزی، فضاسازی کتابه که خواننده رو به وجد میاره.
کتابی نیست که به یکبار خوندنش اکتفا کنی! در عین حال جاهایی هم داره که دست از خوندن بکشی، دستت رو بزنی زیر چونه و فکر کنی که میتونست حال و هوای مستولی بر این بخش رو، دهشتناکتر روایت کنه، میتونست کمتر قابل پیشبینی باشه و میتونست از فلان موضوع زود نگذره و.. نظر به این «میتونستها»ست که ستارهبارون نکردمش. :دی
و در مورد ترجمه! ترجمهی نسترن هادوی، واقعاً خوب بود.
هنگامی که جنگی همچون کابوس
در مسیرش از اینسو به آنسوی جهان
بیداد میکند،
ماتمزدگان
در عکسها و جلسات احضار روح
به دنبال پاسخ میگردند.
اینجا سانتیاگو،
سال ۱۹۱۸.
اینجا مری شلی بلک به اندازهی خود اسمش خاصه. دختری شانزده ساله و -غیررسماً- دانشمند که اگه بویی از منطق و حقایق ثابتشده نبردی، بهتره نزدیکش نشی!
همونطور که اشاره شد، سال ۱۹۱۸ئه و اون چیزی که مردم رو انقدر وحشتزده و خرافاتی و ناامید کرده، آنفولانزاست. نیروی تباهی و شرور این داستان.
نهایتاً همه چیز حول محور یک معما میچرخه. معمایی برای مریشلی که ناچارش میکنه ارزشها و عقیدههای سفت و محکم خودش رو برای حل کردن اون زیر سوال ببره.
فکر میکنم بیشتر از هر چیزی، فضاسازی کتابه که خواننده رو به وجد میاره.
کتابی نیست که به یکبار خوندنش اکتفا کنی! در عین حال جاهایی هم داره که دست از خوندن بکشی، دستت رو بزنی زیر چونه و فکر کنی که میتونست حال و هوای مستولی بر این بخش رو، دهشتناکتر روایت کنه، میتونست کمتر قابل پیشبینی باشه و میتونست از فلان موضوع زود نگذره و.. نظر به این «میتونستها»ست که ستارهبارون نکردمش. :دی
و در مورد ترجمه! ترجمهی نسترن هادوی، واقعاً خوب بود.
May 20, 2013
Rating: 4.5 Stars
"The road ahead may be rather upsetting for a sixteen-year-old girl. I'm afraid your delicate female eyes and ears will experience some ugliness."
"Oh, you silly, naive men." I shook my weary head and genuinely pitied their ignorance. "You've clearly never been a sixteen-year-old girl in the fall of 1918."
And thank god for that. In the Shadows of Blackbirds is historical fiction at its best - so richly atmospheric and full of true accounts that it leaves you chilled to the bone. It is often difficult to imagine that our world could be as scary or frightening as an alien planet, but it was, it is, and it will continue to be. World War I especially, though, was a frightful time. Granted, there was no threat of nuclear warfare, but trench warfare was just as deadly and the image of poison gas, giant rats, and infection still plagues my mind when I think back to that time period in history. Now, undoubtedly, the image of white masked faces and black feet, carts carrying the dead as if it were the Bubonic Plague, will haunt me too.
Cat Winters picks a time period of deep loss, fatigue, and fear to place her debut novel in, but it works perfectly. Although the aura is one of fear, for people are hiding away not just from officers determined to arrest any and all who seem pro-German, but they are hiding away from Death himself. Mary Shelley Black, the headstrong protagonist of our tale, has arrived in San Diego to live with her recently widowed aunt. Since her mother died during child birth and her father has been deemed a traitor, Mary is alone in the world but for her aunt and childhood sweetheart, Stephan, who is now fighting in the war. In San Diego, though, the people are slowly going mad, both from fear of the plague - eating nothing but onions and clutching their gauze masks to their faces - but also from the hope of seeing their deceased ones in spirit images. Julian, the older step-brother of Stephan, specializes in such images and Mary, ever a girl of practical knowledge and scientific learning, is skeptical of his claims. When Mary begins to see the spirit of Stephan, her first love, though, she turns her eye to the spiritual - and to the question of why Stephan can't find peace in the afterlife.
"Why can't a girl be smart without it being explained away as a rare supernatural phenomenon?"
From the first page itself, Mary Shelley Black is the type of protagonist I love. Not only is she fiercely independent and practical, but as the daughter of a female physician, she is intensely curious in how things work. Mary is, quite simply put, the beginning of women engineers in our world. While she remains skeptical of Julian, though, she never relinquishes her strength in helping her aunt and maintains her courage during this time of death. Furthermore, and perhaps best of all, Mary is smart enough to realize that seeing the ghost of her first love is not a ticket to happily-ever-after like so many other young adult protagonists seem to think. No, the ending of this story is bittersweet and set in an era of so much death, there really are only a few ways this book can turn out.
"Everyone wants to categorize the world as good or bad, right or wrong. There is nothing 'in between' in their eyes."
In the Shadow of Blackbirds is not a happy novel, but it is beautifully written, managing to transport the reader into a time long-forgotten. Winters uses striking images, buried before and after certain chapters, to drive home the unforgettable era she paints. Not only that, but Cat Winters weaves beautiful love stories within these pages, whether it be the tales of familial love and strength that emerge or the sweet tales of first love. Both these dual - and prominent - relationships that Mary holds with her aunt and Stephan are richly developed and believable. Mary and her Aunt Eva, in particular, become close companions and though they are both very different women, they come to represent the strength of their sex in different ways. With Stephan, the unshakable foundation of their relationship is evident in past letters and ghostly encounters, both terrifying and soothing at the same time. For me, the strength of Winters's skill is shown most evidently in these scenes, both full of real-life horrors while simultaneously displaying an emotion of calm and palpable love.
"Just remember human beings have always managed to find the greatest strength within themselves during the darkest hours."
In nearly every way, In the Shadow of Blackbirds is perfect. Within its pages awaits a seemingly forgotten era - another Lost Generation of souls deceased from infection - along with a remarkable heroine and a blood-curling mystery. And yet, Winters doesn't stop there. In the Shadow of Blackbirds contains some of the most poignant one-liners I've come across, bursting with truth and dripping with wisdom. Furthermore, Winters takes care to explore the shifted dynamic that has emerged among women during this time of war. One of Winters's greatest assets as a writer is her ability to subtly weave in many aspects of this time period, from socially acceptable customs to gender roles to intimate details about warfare, but nothing is over-done. Every subject she touches upon manages to be delved with the perfect balance so that the reader is felt completely satisfied, even on the subject of spiritualism. If Winters did lose me anywhere, it was only that there were one-too-many near-death - or death - experiences to completely sell me, but as this is a novel of fiction that is perfect in every other way, I can easily forgive this. In the Shadow of Blackbirds is, undoubtedly, one of my favorite reads of the year. It is a novel I will return to, certainly, as for me, any book that is a time machine is worth holding on to.
"The road ahead may be rather upsetting for a sixteen-year-old girl. I'm afraid your delicate female eyes and ears will experience some ugliness."
"Oh, you silly, naive men." I shook my weary head and genuinely pitied their ignorance. "You've clearly never been a sixteen-year-old girl in the fall of 1918."
And thank god for that. In the Shadows of Blackbirds is historical fiction at its best - so richly atmospheric and full of true accounts that it leaves you chilled to the bone. It is often difficult to imagine that our world could be as scary or frightening as an alien planet, but it was, it is, and it will continue to be. World War I especially, though, was a frightful time. Granted, there was no threat of nuclear warfare, but trench warfare was just as deadly and the image of poison gas, giant rats, and infection still plagues my mind when I think back to that time period in history. Now, undoubtedly, the image of white masked faces and black feet, carts carrying the dead as if it were the Bubonic Plague, will haunt me too.
Cat Winters picks a time period of deep loss, fatigue, and fear to place her debut novel in, but it works perfectly. Although the aura is one of fear, for people are hiding away not just from officers determined to arrest any and all who seem pro-German, but they are hiding away from Death himself. Mary Shelley Black, the headstrong protagonist of our tale, has arrived in San Diego to live with her recently widowed aunt. Since her mother died during child birth and her father has been deemed a traitor, Mary is alone in the world but for her aunt and childhood sweetheart, Stephan, who is now fighting in the war. In San Diego, though, the people are slowly going mad, both from fear of the plague - eating nothing but onions and clutching their gauze masks to their faces - but also from the hope of seeing their deceased ones in spirit images. Julian, the older step-brother of Stephan, specializes in such images and Mary, ever a girl of practical knowledge and scientific learning, is skeptical of his claims. When Mary begins to see the spirit of Stephan, her first love, though, she turns her eye to the spiritual - and to the question of why Stephan can't find peace in the afterlife.
"Why can't a girl be smart without it being explained away as a rare supernatural phenomenon?"
From the first page itself, Mary Shelley Black is the type of protagonist I love. Not only is she fiercely independent and practical, but as the daughter of a female physician, she is intensely curious in how things work. Mary is, quite simply put, the beginning of women engineers in our world. While she remains skeptical of Julian, though, she never relinquishes her strength in helping her aunt and maintains her courage during this time of death. Furthermore, and perhaps best of all, Mary is smart enough to realize that seeing the ghost of her first love is not a ticket to happily-ever-after like so many other young adult protagonists seem to think. No, the ending of this story is bittersweet and set in an era of so much death, there really are only a few ways this book can turn out.
"Everyone wants to categorize the world as good or bad, right or wrong. There is nothing 'in between' in their eyes."
In the Shadow of Blackbirds is not a happy novel, but it is beautifully written, managing to transport the reader into a time long-forgotten. Winters uses striking images, buried before and after certain chapters, to drive home the unforgettable era she paints. Not only that, but Cat Winters weaves beautiful love stories within these pages, whether it be the tales of familial love and strength that emerge or the sweet tales of first love. Both these dual - and prominent - relationships that Mary holds with her aunt and Stephan are richly developed and believable. Mary and her Aunt Eva, in particular, become close companions and though they are both very different women, they come to represent the strength of their sex in different ways. With Stephan, the unshakable foundation of their relationship is evident in past letters and ghostly encounters, both terrifying and soothing at the same time. For me, the strength of Winters's skill is shown most evidently in these scenes, both full of real-life horrors while simultaneously displaying an emotion of calm and palpable love.
"Just remember human beings have always managed to find the greatest strength within themselves during the darkest hours."
In nearly every way, In the Shadow of Blackbirds is perfect. Within its pages awaits a seemingly forgotten era - another Lost Generation of souls deceased from infection - along with a remarkable heroine and a blood-curling mystery. And yet, Winters doesn't stop there. In the Shadow of Blackbirds contains some of the most poignant one-liners I've come across, bursting with truth and dripping with wisdom. Furthermore, Winters takes care to explore the shifted dynamic that has emerged among women during this time of war. One of Winters's greatest assets as a writer is her ability to subtly weave in many aspects of this time period, from socially acceptable customs to gender roles to intimate details about warfare, but nothing is over-done. Every subject she touches upon manages to be delved with the perfect balance so that the reader is felt completely satisfied, even on the subject of spiritualism. If Winters did lose me anywhere, it was only that there were one-too-many near-death - or death - experiences to completely sell me, but as this is a novel of fiction that is perfect in every other way, I can easily forgive this. In the Shadow of Blackbirds is, undoubtedly, one of my favorite reads of the year. It is a novel I will return to, certainly, as for me, any book that is a time machine is worth holding on to.
July 7, 2015
This was one of those books that seemed right up my alley, I remember the cover catching my eye immediately and thinking 'wow, that's an excellent cover shot' (and also when I got my copy, thinking that the girl reminds me of the lead from DUFF movie). I put it on the paperbackswap list and waited my turn.
I could not put this book down, if I hadn't been so tired I probably would have read this in one sitting. I love it when an author lures you in right from the first chapter and the spell doesn't let go :).
Mary Shelley Black is a refreshing voice, very brave and a smart girl. I loved how even though she was scared, she never gave up. A couple scenes in particular had me proud of her and at the same time cursing her stubbornness while admiring it.
*Looks at that sentence, wondering if it makes sense. Shrugs and continues*
It has the right blend of creepiness, romance, and ghost story... not a fast paced novel but it goes by quickly as we travel with Mary and the others.
I can't imagine living during that Flu pandemic/epidemic and being scared it is going to strike you and/or those you loved. *shudders* The photographs sprinkled throughout the story add to the haunting aspect of it.
Spiritualism was explored well here as well, I don't know what I would have thought of it back then... perhaps I would have thought like our MC?
I had theories as to what happened with Stephen but the truth of what happened I did not see coming. Not sorry for what happened to them in the end.
Not sure what else to say but that I really loved this and would recommend :). Only complaint I have was I would have loved to know more about what happened to her father *shrugs*
Two reviews of the book that say it better than me:
Emily's fabulous review
Wendy Darling's review
I could not put this book down, if I hadn't been so tired I probably would have read this in one sitting. I love it when an author lures you in right from the first chapter and the spell doesn't let go :).
Mary Shelley Black is a refreshing voice, very brave and a smart girl. I loved how even though she was scared, she never gave up. A couple scenes in particular had me proud of her and at the same time cursing her stubbornness while admiring it.
*Looks at that sentence, wondering if it makes sense. Shrugs and continues*
It has the right blend of creepiness, romance, and ghost story... not a fast paced novel but it goes by quickly as we travel with Mary and the others.
I can't imagine living during that Flu pandemic/epidemic and being scared it is going to strike you and/or those you loved. *shudders* The photographs sprinkled throughout the story add to the haunting aspect of it.
Spiritualism was explored well here as well, I don't know what I would have thought of it back then... perhaps I would have thought like our MC?
I had theories as to what happened with Stephen but the truth of what happened I did not see coming. Not sorry for what happened to them in the end.
Not sure what else to say but that I really loved this and would recommend :). Only complaint I have was I would have loved to know more about what happened to her father *shrugs*
Two reviews of the book that say it better than me:
Emily's fabulous review
Wendy Darling's review
September 29, 2016
2 ½ stars
The author did a wonderful job in creating atmosphere and I was (and still am) fascinated by the historical setting. The story is set during World War 1, the world has turned upside down and young men are dying in the trenches. At the home front people were battling their own enemy in the form of the Spanish Influenza epidemic. It’s no wonder that this period in history saw an upsurge in spiritualism, mediums and the need to make contact with a dead loved one.
The story also made some really poignant comments about shell shock and the impact on the soldiers that survived. It had a lot of potential and I had hoped that this would be a mix between Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children and The Spirit Room. Unfortunately, I didn’t connect with any of the characters and found the main character Mary Shelly particularly grating on my nerves.
I think the author went slightly overboard trying to make Mary Shelly quirky, independent, an inventor and ahead of her time. Yet in the book she came across as a love struck, monotone character that I could not find any connection with.
The story starts with Mary Shelly moving to San Diego to live with her aunt after her father has been arrested for being an absolutist and rebelling against the war. Mary’s sweetheart Stephen is at the front writing to her whenever he can. But then the letters stop and Mary finds out that he died serving his country.
The ghost story fell short, in my opinion. It wasn't spooky and neither was it romantic even though the author tried to make it so. I won’t comment on one of the final scenes between Mary and Stephen because that made me roll my eyes so much I got a headache.
I felt as if there were two books mashed together, one a very intriguing historical novel with vivid descriptions of the time period and the other a young adult love story that felt untrue to the time it was set in. The novel also initially included some fantastic vintage photos but after the first 1/3 that stopped. I am not sure if the author ran out of appropriate photos or forgot that she wanted to include them to add to the atmosphere.
This has really been my year for sub-par book choices as I have never had this many 2 star ratings but then again its sometimes nice to read out of your comfort zone or try books none of your GR friends have read yet.
The author did a wonderful job in creating atmosphere and I was (and still am) fascinated by the historical setting. The story is set during World War 1, the world has turned upside down and young men are dying in the trenches. At the home front people were battling their own enemy in the form of the Spanish Influenza epidemic. It’s no wonder that this period in history saw an upsurge in spiritualism, mediums and the need to make contact with a dead loved one.
The story also made some really poignant comments about shell shock and the impact on the soldiers that survived. It had a lot of potential and I had hoped that this would be a mix between Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children and The Spirit Room. Unfortunately, I didn’t connect with any of the characters and found the main character Mary Shelly particularly grating on my nerves.
I think the author went slightly overboard trying to make Mary Shelly quirky, independent, an inventor and ahead of her time. Yet in the book she came across as a love struck, monotone character that I could not find any connection with.
The story starts with Mary Shelly moving to San Diego to live with her aunt after her father has been arrested for being an absolutist and rebelling against the war. Mary’s sweetheart Stephen is at the front writing to her whenever he can. But then the letters stop and Mary finds out that he died serving his country.
The ghost story fell short, in my opinion. It wasn't spooky and neither was it romantic even though the author tried to make it so. I won’t comment on one of the final scenes between Mary and Stephen because that made me roll my eyes so much I got a headache.
I felt as if there were two books mashed together, one a very intriguing historical novel with vivid descriptions of the time period and the other a young adult love story that felt untrue to the time it was set in. The novel also initially included some fantastic vintage photos but after the first 1/3 that stopped. I am not sure if the author ran out of appropriate photos or forgot that she wanted to include them to add to the atmosphere.
This has really been my year for sub-par book choices as I have never had this many 2 star ratings but then again its sometimes nice to read out of your comfort zone or try books none of your GR friends have read yet.
November 30, 2015
I enjoyed this one, though it dragged a bit. I thought it was creepy and made the hairs on my neck stand. I'd recommend this one if you want something spooky. :)
September 29, 2014
To be honest, I think the World Wars were pretty pointless. War itself is pointless. When I had to learn about the world wars during class and about the numerous people who died and how they died, I was angered and saddened because really? You want kill people because they refuse to give their land? Because they refuse to surrender? Because you cannot dominate the whole world?
See, maybe I'm wrong and I'm not seeing the bigger picture but these are just my views. Why can't people just talk it over with? Why did people always want more? And why did war and death proved to be their only solutions? I honestly cannot even pretend to think and understand those people. Hopefully, in the coming years we'll never have to face such drastic wars that ruined and still ruins a lot of people's lives.
So yeah, sorry to bore you. Let's get on with the actual review, shall we?
This book was quite interesting to read about. As you all know, the story took place during World War I. The dates and other happenings were thoroughly researched and were very accurate.
Shortened version of the story: Miss Black's father gets arrested, so she flees from her home and lives with Aunt Eva. So, it's basically about her life, her childhood sweetheart Stephen and his brother Julius who specializes in spirit photography. I can't say more because then I'd be spoiling all the fun.
Our main character, Mary Shelley Black named after Frankenstein's author is really cool, kickass, reliable and original. I enjoyed her point of view very much. She was also super clever and loved to tinker with things.
Dear Miss Black,
For a girl who lived during such a drastic time, Miss Black was really innovative and different from the other girls. She was also the bravest character in this book. Every single person was scared of the flu, of the war, especially her aunt. And I had expected the same from the main character. I'm so glad to be wrong!
In every way, this book was really good but I think it dragged too much. It progressed too slowly for my taste and the smooth writing style and the kickass Mary Shelley Black were the only things that kept me reading.
This book also reminded me a lot of The Diviners. I loved that book very much. The main characters are a bit similar. They both have a lot of spunk.
I had expected scary, scary stuffs to happen in this book. Nothing like that ever happened so, that's the reason why I gave this book only three stars. I still think everyone should read this book. Just don't expect too much from it.
See, maybe I'm wrong and I'm not seeing the bigger picture but these are just my views. Why can't people just talk it over with? Why did people always want more? And why did war and death proved to be their only solutions? I honestly cannot even pretend to think and understand those people. Hopefully, in the coming years we'll never have to face such drastic wars that ruined and still ruins a lot of people's lives.
So yeah, sorry to bore you. Let's get on with the actual review, shall we?
This book was quite interesting to read about. As you all know, the story took place during World War I. The dates and other happenings were thoroughly researched and were very accurate.
Shortened version of the story: Miss Black's father gets arrested, so she flees from her home and lives with Aunt Eva. So, it's basically about her life, her childhood sweetheart Stephen and his brother Julius who specializes in spirit photography. I can't say more because then I'd be spoiling all the fun.
Our main character, Mary Shelley Black named after Frankenstein's author is really cool, kickass, reliable and original. I enjoyed her point of view very much. She was also super clever and loved to tinker with things.
Dear Miss Black,
For a girl who lived during such a drastic time, Miss Black was really innovative and different from the other girls. She was also the bravest character in this book. Every single person was scared of the flu, of the war, especially her aunt. And I had expected the same from the main character. I'm so glad to be wrong!
In every way, this book was really good but I think it dragged too much. It progressed too slowly for my taste and the smooth writing style and the kickass Mary Shelley Black were the only things that kept me reading.
This book also reminded me a lot of The Diviners. I loved that book very much. The main characters are a bit similar. They both have a lot of spunk.
I had expected scary, scary stuffs to happen in this book. Nothing like that ever happened so, that's the reason why I gave this book only three stars. I still think everyone should read this book. Just don't expect too much from it.
December 22, 2015
In the Shadow of Blackbirds is a dark and beautiful story that had me on the verge of tears.
The story takes place in 1918, during the time of the Spanish influenza. Our plucky and intelligent heroine Mary Shelley Black has never believed in ghosts, that is until her first love tragically dies in battle and returns as a traumatised spirit. Shocked beyond belief Shelley is determined to find out the true cause of his death.
It's clear that Winters has done her research, she paints a bleak and dreary picture of a world that has been torn apart by the war. Young men are sent to battle, the Spanish influenza is fast spreading, and desperate mourners find themselves seeking comfort from séances and spirit photographers. To add to this atmosphere of desperation and death black and white pictures are littered throughout the novel giving the reader a feel of life in 1918.
Mary Shelley Black is different from other girls her age, she has a fascination and passion for science. She is a like a modern day girl living in the past. The romance between Mary and her childhood friend Stephen is told through letters and flashbacks. It was sweet and touching, making it even more insufferable to witness the two in such pain. My heart just ached for them.
A gripping, emotional, and heartbreaking read. I can say without a doubt that In the Shadow of Blackbirds is one of my favourite standalone books of the year so far.
This review also appears on my blog, The Page Turner
The story takes place in 1918, during the time of the Spanish influenza. Our plucky and intelligent heroine Mary Shelley Black has never believed in ghosts, that is until her first love tragically dies in battle and returns as a traumatised spirit. Shocked beyond belief Shelley is determined to find out the true cause of his death.
It's clear that Winters has done her research, she paints a bleak and dreary picture of a world that has been torn apart by the war. Young men are sent to battle, the Spanish influenza is fast spreading, and desperate mourners find themselves seeking comfort from séances and spirit photographers. To add to this atmosphere of desperation and death black and white pictures are littered throughout the novel giving the reader a feel of life in 1918.
Mary Shelley Black is different from other girls her age, she has a fascination and passion for science. She is a like a modern day girl living in the past. The romance between Mary and her childhood friend Stephen is told through letters and flashbacks. It was sweet and touching, making it even more insufferable to witness the two in such pain. My heart just ached for them.
A gripping, emotional, and heartbreaking read. I can say without a doubt that In the Shadow of Blackbirds is one of my favourite standalone books of the year so far.
This review also appears on my blog, The Page Turner
August 14, 2017
great passage that sets the tone for the story:
"Was I dreaming? ...
Surely, though, I must have stolen into the future and landed in an H. G. Wells -- style world -- a horrific, fantastical society in which people's faces contained only eyes, millions of healthy young adults and children dropped dead from the flu, boys got transported out of the country to be blown to bits, and the government arrested citizens for speaking the wrong words. Such a place couldn't be real. And it couldn't be the United States of America, 'the land of the free and the home of the brave.'
But it was.
I was on a train in my own country, in a year the devil designed.
1918."
Cat Winters, In the Shadow of Blackbirds
16 is a difficult age. Mary Shelley is literally surrounded by death and everyone around her is obsessed with spiritualism and contacting their recently dead family members. In addition to the troubles of her surroundings, there is the mystery surrounding her childhood friend and first love, and her father's arrest in her hometown of Portland for his unpatriotic actions.
Even though I didn't particularly warm to the main character, Cat Winters does a good job with creating an unrelenting somber atmosphere throughout the story. It ends a little abruptly but it turned out to be an apropos read for this Halloween week.
"Was I dreaming? ...
Surely, though, I must have stolen into the future and landed in an H. G. Wells -- style world -- a horrific, fantastical society in which people's faces contained only eyes, millions of healthy young adults and children dropped dead from the flu, boys got transported out of the country to be blown to bits, and the government arrested citizens for speaking the wrong words. Such a place couldn't be real. And it couldn't be the United States of America, 'the land of the free and the home of the brave.'
But it was.
I was on a train in my own country, in a year the devil designed.
1918."
Cat Winters, In the Shadow of Blackbirds
16 is a difficult age. Mary Shelley is literally surrounded by death and everyone around her is obsessed with spiritualism and contacting their recently dead family members. In addition to the troubles of her surroundings, there is the mystery surrounding her childhood friend and first love, and her father's arrest in her hometown of Portland for his unpatriotic actions.
Even though I didn't particularly warm to the main character, Cat Winters does a good job with creating an unrelenting somber atmosphere throughout the story. It ends a little abruptly but it turned out to be an apropos read for this Halloween week.
Want to read
April 6, 2017**Big-Library-Read title**--October 7-21, 2015.
November 15, 2015
A copy of In the Shadow of Blackbirds was provided to me by Amulet Books/Netgalley for review purposes.
'Stay still. Smile. And summon the dead.'
Mary Shelley Black is a sixteen year old girl living in a war ravaged world. After her father is arrested she is forced to flee and stays with her Aunt in San Diego. After losing her father and finding out that her childhood love, Stephen, has lost his life in the war, Mary Shelley struggles desperately to cling to a reason to continue living when she's visited by Stephen, as a spirit who is traumatized by visions of his death that he continues to re-live. Realizing that she's the only one that can see him and the only one that can help him she begins to seek out information regarding his death and what truly happened to him.
Wowsa. This book was high on my anticipating in 2013 list and I'm so very glad to say that it lived up to all the anticipation. This was a fabulous, and fresh ghost story that fans of the genre will enjoy.
'I think between the war and the flu, no one's going to escape getting haunted. We live in a world so horrifying, it frightens even the dead.'
Blackbirds had an amazing story albeit based strongly on actual history. The story centers on the year 1918 when the Spanish influenza has swept through cities and World War I is ongoing. It was quite a dreary time to write about and Cat Winters didn't hold back or try and make the story any less bleak and I loved that. The black and white pictures that were included throughout the book made the perfect addition to really showcase the mood of the story.
And oh, young love. The love between Mary and Stephen was so touching and quite shocking in its fervency. It may have seemed a tad unlikely that two could love each other so much at such a young age but it was beautifully written and completely believable. Your heart will ache for them.
This could have been like any other typical war story but what really managed to make this something special and distinctive was the focus on the increased interest in a spiritual nature as mourners became willing to attempt anything to assuage the pain of losing a loved one. A truly wonderful story, Cat Winters debut is an absolute triumph. In the Shadow of Blackbirds possesses a subtle intensity that will leave you breathless.
*All quotes taken are from an uncorrected proof*
'Stay still. Smile. And summon the dead.'
Mary Shelley Black is a sixteen year old girl living in a war ravaged world. After her father is arrested she is forced to flee and stays with her Aunt in San Diego. After losing her father and finding out that her childhood love, Stephen, has lost his life in the war, Mary Shelley struggles desperately to cling to a reason to continue living when she's visited by Stephen, as a spirit who is traumatized by visions of his death that he continues to re-live. Realizing that she's the only one that can see him and the only one that can help him she begins to seek out information regarding his death and what truly happened to him.
Wowsa. This book was high on my anticipating in 2013 list and I'm so very glad to say that it lived up to all the anticipation. This was a fabulous, and fresh ghost story that fans of the genre will enjoy.
'I think between the war and the flu, no one's going to escape getting haunted. We live in a world so horrifying, it frightens even the dead.'
Blackbirds had an amazing story albeit based strongly on actual history. The story centers on the year 1918 when the Spanish influenza has swept through cities and World War I is ongoing. It was quite a dreary time to write about and Cat Winters didn't hold back or try and make the story any less bleak and I loved that. The black and white pictures that were included throughout the book made the perfect addition to really showcase the mood of the story.
And oh, young love. The love between Mary and Stephen was so touching and quite shocking in its fervency. It may have seemed a tad unlikely that two could love each other so much at such a young age but it was beautifully written and completely believable. Your heart will ache for them.
This could have been like any other typical war story but what really managed to make this something special and distinctive was the focus on the increased interest in a spiritual nature as mourners became willing to attempt anything to assuage the pain of losing a loved one. A truly wonderful story, Cat Winters debut is an absolute triumph. In the Shadow of Blackbirds possesses a subtle intensity that will leave you breathless.
*All quotes taken are from an uncorrected proof*
October 25, 2015
I could have met Cat Winters at the ALA midwinter conference in Seattle. The thing is, we had scheduled a food tour at the same time she was signing and well…food won. As it is wont to do where I am concerned. Anyway, I wish I had met her because let me tell you this, In The Shadow of Blackbirds is fantastic. It really is. I liked it so much that it is currently a contender for the best YA debut of the year award that happens annually in my head. My head, I tell you, the place to go for fun.
Anyway, Mary Shelley Black is my kind of heroine. Funny, sassy and questioning. She doesn’t sit down and let life come to her. She puts on her goggles and goes looking for it. The novel is set at a time in America that I really have no clue about. People are dying all around due to the Spanish influenza and everyone seems to be really loving the onions at this time. Because onions have germ killing skills or something? I am not sure. Anyway, so Shells is a skeptic where ghosts and spirit mediums and images are concerned. She doesn’t believe in them.
But when her first love allegedly dies at war, and she dies after being struck by lightning (don’t worry, she’s revived), she begins to experience things that cannot be explained by science. There are other revelations made in the course of the narrative. There are moments of passion, moments of terror and moments of introspection. The book owes its success to the beautiful prose that is moderately lyrical and contains images that hit you right there. There is an atmosphere of desperation, dirt and helpless sorrow that threatens to consume everything in its path to annihilation.
There is a mystery too that appears gradually and just…I loved this novel. I don’t even have any criticisms for the way it handled anything. Gender constructions are interesting and the romance is honest – sincere, nothing coquettish about Shells.
The book is brilliant. And you should read it. Oh yes, the photographs add to the atmosphere of the novel. The novel is different from others in the YA genre. It has a stark beauty that is reminiscent of When the Sea is Rising Red by Cat Hellison. Must be a Cat thing, eh? Anyway, READ THIS, you guys. It’s brilliant.
Anyway, Mary Shelley Black is my kind of heroine. Funny, sassy and questioning. She doesn’t sit down and let life come to her. She puts on her goggles and goes looking for it. The novel is set at a time in America that I really have no clue about. People are dying all around due to the Spanish influenza and everyone seems to be really loving the onions at this time. Because onions have germ killing skills or something? I am not sure. Anyway, so Shells is a skeptic where ghosts and spirit mediums and images are concerned. She doesn’t believe in them.
But when her first love allegedly dies at war, and she dies after being struck by lightning (don’t worry, she’s revived), she begins to experience things that cannot be explained by science. There are other revelations made in the course of the narrative. There are moments of passion, moments of terror and moments of introspection. The book owes its success to the beautiful prose that is moderately lyrical and contains images that hit you right there. There is an atmosphere of desperation, dirt and helpless sorrow that threatens to consume everything in its path to annihilation.
There is a mystery too that appears gradually and just…I loved this novel. I don’t even have any criticisms for the way it handled anything. Gender constructions are interesting and the romance is honest – sincere, nothing coquettish about Shells.
The book is brilliant. And you should read it. Oh yes, the photographs add to the atmosphere of the novel. The novel is different from others in the YA genre. It has a stark beauty that is reminiscent of When the Sea is Rising Red by Cat Hellison. Must be a Cat thing, eh? Anyway, READ THIS, you guys. It’s brilliant.
April 16, 2013
Four and a half stars: An amazing, well researched, haunting debut!
Mary Shelley Black boards the train. She is surrounded by a sea of frightened, masked passengers. They are leaving Portland, Oregon headed to San Diego in hopes of escaping the deathly Spanish Flu. The flu epidemic is sweeping the country and killing people in record numbers. Every sneeze or cough sets people on edge as it is viewed as a possible flu contamination. Mary Shelley, however, refuses to let the flu hold her back. At the train station, she is greeted by her Aunt Eva. A determined, recently widowed twenty six year old who now works in the ship yard. Now that she is in San Diego, Mary Shelley is anxious to visit the home of her sweetheart, Stephen, who is somewhere in Europe fighting in the bloody trenches. Julian, Stephen's brother, is running a successful spiritual photography business where he claims to photograph the spirits of the dead returning to comfort their loved ones. In a world of sickness and war, Mary Shelly discovers that there are even worse things and she is determined to uncover the truth!
What I Liked:
*I am a huge fan of historical books and lately I have read several books that take place during the World War I era. The more I read about this time period, the more grateful I am that I grew up well past it! This is a time period with a bloody and horrifying war fought in trenches, and also a time where the Spanish flu and tuberculosis ravaged and killed hundreds of thousands of people. You had to be made of tough stuff to survive during these years! I loved that this book was well researched and it brought forth the crippling fear of the Spanish Flu as it swept through and killed thousands of people in the fall of 1918. I have never studied this plague, and so I was thrilled to learn about this deadly strain of flu. Ms. Winters does a phenomenal job of depicting the fear and horror of those trying to go about their every day lives and avoid the flu. If you have not read anything from this time period, get this book!
*I was fascinated by the numerous home remedies that people used to try and ward of the flu. Everyone wore gauze masks daily. Others chewed garlic gum or ate a diet heavily laden with onions. There were pungent sachets worn around the neck and even sugar cubes soaked in kerosene! A true story told in the book tells of a woman in Portland, Oregon who buries her daughter onions and she survives! I am certain that Ms. Winters did an exorbitant amount of research to uncover all these supposed cures. Whether they worked or not, is hard to say, but no matter, it is interesting reading.
*Mary Shelley Black is one of those characters that you can't help but like. She is a courageous, determined, resourceful, smart and a scientific thinker. I loved her bravery and unwillingness to let the flu control her life. Mary Shelley refuses to stay cooped up in the house avoiding germs. Instead she sets out to get answers and even ends up volunteering at the Red Cross helping wounded war veterans. She is a survivor and a fighter and you can't help but cheer for a character with such an indomitable spirit.
*One of the story lines in this book focuses on Mary Shelley trying to get to the truth about Julian's photography. She doesn't believe for a minute that Julian is actually capturing the images of the departed. I enjoyed learning more about the fraudulent photography that was at its height from the Civil War era through the 1900's as the spiritualist movement grew. Unfortunately, there were many people who preyed on those who were crippled with grief as they manipulated photos to show supposed spirits, and it reality it was just darkroom trickery. Another popular scheme were seances and there is a scene in the book with a seance as well.
*I liked that this book took on an unexpected ghostly paranormal angle as Mary Shelley is haunted by a deceased spirit. It is a creepy good time!
*I thoroughly enjoyed the inclusion of the genuine photographs from this time period. They truly enriched the read for me, and I am sure they are even more stunning in the printed copy. (I read a digital ARC version). I only wished that there were more!
*Stephen was achingly beautiful and sweet. His love of photography and Mary Shelley shines through. He is a tender soul and certainly does not deserve his fate. My heart ached for him, especially once I learned what really happened!
*This is Ms. Winters debut novel and I was thoroughly impressed. Not only is it well detailed and researched but it is beautifully written and memorable. The story line is fantastic, the characters are well developed and the ending is stunning! This is a book that I won't soon forget. I can assure you that I will certainly be reading more of Ms. Winter's work in the future. If you are looking for a must read debut author book of 2013 this is one I highly recommend!
And The Not So Much:
*I was thoroughly intrigued by everything pertaining to the Spanish Flu since I have not really read or studied this disease at all. I had no idea that the casualties were so high and how quickly it stole lives. I only wished that there was just a tiny bit more detail on the illness. I would love to know more about the cause and the treatments and more of the symptoms. For instance, one of the symptoms was the feet turned black before people died, what caused this? Why was this flu so virulent? How is it different from the normal flu? I am one of those readers that wants to know all the details.
*I was disappointed that the story line with Mary Shelley's father didn't go anywhere. At the very beginning, he is arrested accused of war time treason, and it is mentioned a couple of times that he is to go on trial, but his story is never explored or finished. What happened with him?
*I loved Aunt Eva and I longed to know more about her past and I was curious about her work at the ship yard. I would love to know how she got into the industry and what her duties were. I am in awe and admiration of all the brave and resourceful women during the war years whether it be the Civil War, World War I or II. These women got out and stepped into the jobs vacated by men while they waited in agony wondering if they would receive news that someone they loved had perished. Eva is one of these women and I admired her and wished that I could have gotten a glimpse into her daily life at the shipyard.
*The ending felt a bit abrupt and open ended to me. It is not a cliffhanger or anything like that, but I just felt like there was more story to be told and I didn't want it to end. I wanted to know how Aunt Eva and Mary Shelley picked up and moved on, what happened to the two criminals? What happened with Mary Shelley's dad. I was hoping for an Epilogue down the road, but it doesn't happen. I don't know if Ms. Winters plans on a sequel or not, I certainly hope so because I feel there is a lot more to tell.
Favorite Quotations:
"The inability to see the truth about a person is a terrible thing."
"Please stay safe. It's not everyone who has the patience to photograph a butterfly."
"We understand each other, even when we astound each other."
"Let me leave his photographs hanging on my wall to remind me that something beautiful once happened in the middle of all the year's horrors."
"None of it seemed right. The kaisers, kings, and presidents should have had a good arm wrestle over their differences instead of bringing regular people into their mess."
"I think between the war and the flu, no one's going to escape getting haunted. We live in a world so horrifying, it frightens even the dead."
I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and I was not compensated for this review.
Posted@Rainy Day Ramblings.
July 8, 2013
Perfectly researched, poignant, and tragically romantic -- along with a mystery that kept me guessing till the end. Such a wonderful read! And the pictures are so evocative. Can't wait to see what Ms. Winters has up her sleeve for next time!
July 26, 2016
This book has one of the best female main characters ever. RTC.
March 16, 2018
“Why can't a girl be smart without it being explained away as a rare supernatural phenomenon?”
Wow! This one was a really nice surprise. Dark, atmospheric and completely haunting. Cat Winters, where have you been all my life?
I picked up In the Shadow of Blackbirdsup on a whim at the library. I admit that it was solely based on the cover and I had never heard a thing about it. I'm so grateful that I chose this one, I literally stayed up all night to read this one. Yep, it was a one sitting book for me. I don't really want to go too deep into this one because it's honestly just a really nice story to discover on your own.
I loved our main protagonist. Mary Shelley. She really rode the line of skeptical and curious - which is what this story needed. The setting for this book is very grim, it is during the First World War and the Spanish Flu is sweeping through, killing millions. It was such a dark story and having people terrified of a flu they couldn't really protect themselves from and wearing masks all the time was horrific to even think about. The things that people are doing out of desperation to stay healthy where there is little food and death at every turn was remarkable and devastating at the same time. During this time, many people sought to find peace when losing their loved one so a lot of "spiritual" professions started popping up to prey on this time. The one in the story is taking photos and hoping to see your dead loved one in the picture. In the Shadow of Blackbirds even has several creepy photos or something you might have seen back then. The whole story is just surrounded in a sense of dread.
The story isn't fast-paced but it's so interesting and I was so invested in what was going on that I it seemed like the book was just flying to me. The book deals with a lot of tough subjects while delving into the paranormal realm in a way that might even make a non-believer question things.
If you love really dark historical fiction with a twist of supernatural then you need this book. It's a five star all the way for me and I have since bought myself a copy for my won collection. I'll be checking out more of Cat's work soon.
Wow! This one was a really nice surprise. Dark, atmospheric and completely haunting. Cat Winters, where have you been all my life?
I picked up In the Shadow of Blackbirdsup on a whim at the library. I admit that it was solely based on the cover and I had never heard a thing about it. I'm so grateful that I chose this one, I literally stayed up all night to read this one. Yep, it was a one sitting book for me. I don't really want to go too deep into this one because it's honestly just a really nice story to discover on your own.
I loved our main protagonist. Mary Shelley. She really rode the line of skeptical and curious - which is what this story needed. The setting for this book is very grim, it is during the First World War and the Spanish Flu is sweeping through, killing millions. It was such a dark story and having people terrified of a flu they couldn't really protect themselves from and wearing masks all the time was horrific to even think about. The things that people are doing out of desperation to stay healthy where there is little food and death at every turn was remarkable and devastating at the same time. During this time, many people sought to find peace when losing their loved one so a lot of "spiritual" professions started popping up to prey on this time. The one in the story is taking photos and hoping to see your dead loved one in the picture. In the Shadow of Blackbirds even has several creepy photos or something you might have seen back then. The whole story is just surrounded in a sense of dread.
The story isn't fast-paced but it's so interesting and I was so invested in what was going on that I it seemed like the book was just flying to me. The book deals with a lot of tough subjects while delving into the paranormal realm in a way that might even make a non-believer question things.
If you love really dark historical fiction with a twist of supernatural then you need this book. It's a five star all the way for me and I have since bought myself a copy for my won collection. I'll be checking out more of Cat's work soon.
February 5, 2016
My reaction following this book: Slack-jawed.
......
Mary Shelley Black is as peculiar as her name. A sixteen year old scientifically inclined girl who dismisses spiritualism, relying on logic and hard-facts proven beyond doubt.
The year is 1918, the villain is the Flu. The Flu: the reason people bathe themselves in the repugnant smells of onions and camphor balls, deluding themselves with a false sense of protection. Or maybe it's the war? The war which drives the hopeless to seek solace in the fraudulence of "Spiritualist photographers," in hopes of reaching their loved and lost ones.
The story centers around the mystery surrounding the death of Mary's beloved, Stephen. We follow Mary's story as she begins to question her own beliefs - or rather, non-beliefs - when Stephen's ghost begins to make appearances to her.
⚫ MY THOUGHTS : For most part of the book, some part of me was waiting on the sideline for the moment when this book would swerve into ludicrous land. It never did, well not in the way I imagined. And while I fussed and pondered what the significance of this book was, I missed out on the bigger picture being painted. I thought about whether the aim of this book was to denounce or attest to spirituality, and it wasn't until towards the end of the book that I realized that this story explores more thought-provoking themes like; Saudade - the beauty of memories and remembrance of a loved one, the pain of loss itself and the melancholic longing and love for someone that remains long after they're dead, the futility and darkness of war, death, the possibility of the impossible.
This story was so good and very believable. In the end, we all agree war is monstrous and ugly enough to cut down the lives of so many without remorse or care. And just maybe, surviving is one of the hardest parts of it.
......
Mary Shelley Black is as peculiar as her name. A sixteen year old scientifically inclined girl who dismisses spiritualism, relying on logic and hard-facts proven beyond doubt.
The year is 1918, the villain is the Flu. The Flu: the reason people bathe themselves in the repugnant smells of onions and camphor balls, deluding themselves with a false sense of protection. Or maybe it's the war? The war which drives the hopeless to seek solace in the fraudulence of "Spiritualist photographers," in hopes of reaching their loved and lost ones.
The story centers around the mystery surrounding the death of Mary's beloved, Stephen. We follow Mary's story as she begins to question her own beliefs - or rather, non-beliefs - when Stephen's ghost begins to make appearances to her.
⚫ MY THOUGHTS : For most part of the book, some part of me was waiting on the sideline for the moment when this book would swerve into ludicrous land. It never did, well not in the way I imagined. And while I fussed and pondered what the significance of this book was, I missed out on the bigger picture being painted. I thought about whether the aim of this book was to denounce or attest to spirituality, and it wasn't until towards the end of the book that I realized that this story explores more thought-provoking themes like; Saudade - the beauty of memories and remembrance of a loved one, the pain of loss itself and the melancholic longing and love for someone that remains long after they're dead, the futility and darkness of war, death, the possibility of the impossible.
This story was so good and very believable. In the end, we all agree war is monstrous and ugly enough to cut down the lives of so many without remorse or care. And just maybe, surviving is one of the hardest parts of it.
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