From Goodreads: 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?
My Rating: 4 hearts
Thoughts on the Novel: If you’re looking for a historical fiction novel that
gives you an accurate feeling of the time period that it takes place in, In the Shadow of Blackbirds by Cat Winters would be one such book.
Set during the month of October 1918 when Americans were experiencing both
WWI and the Spanish influenza
epidemic, there was a palpable sense of fear and desperation throughout the
book. With so many young people dying in such a short span of time, the grief-stricken
living sought to contact their beloved through spiritualism, which
Winters uses to her advantage by seamlessly incorporating the presence of a
ghost into the story.
Throw in a likeable protagonist such as Mary Shelley
with her no-nonsense approach and love of science, secondary characters like anxious Aunt Eva with her folk
remedies, a sweet romance that isn’t the focal point of the plot, a mysterious
death, and the inclusion of black and white photographs that enrich the overall atmosphere of the
story, and it’s not surprising that I enjoyed In the Shadow of
Blackbirds.
In the Shadow of
Blackbirds was released by Amulet Books in April 2013.
