Bluebird

Bluebird blew me away. 

Genevieve Graham is one of my favourite Canadian authors and has made a name for herself with her engaging stories set around often lesser-known aspects of Canadian history. In this new novel, she sets her sights on (and pulls no punches) with her story that centres around WWI and post-war Prohibition in Windsor, Ontario.

Bluebird is set in two timelines (post-WWI and present day) and is told by three POVs - Adele Savard, one of Canada's 'Bluebird' nurses who works in a field hospital where she meets Corporal Jerry Bailey, a tunneller in the 1st Canadian Tunnelling Company. The third voice comes from Cassie, a museum curator in present day Windsor, Ontario whose link to Adele and Jerry develops into an intriguing mystery. 

When Adele and Jerry return home after the war to the Windsor area, they see how much their hometowns have changed. The Spanish Flu has invaded, Prohibition has taken over, rumrunning is a booming business and they witness firsthand how war veterans and nurses don't receive respect after risking their lives overseas. Adele and Jerry adjust to this new life and through them, Graham tells a riveting and emotional story that brings parts of Canadian history to life, particularly what life was like during Prohibition and the dangerous (but oh-so-exciting) lives of Canadian rumrunners.

This is a fantastic and fascinating story that will sweep readers away to battlefields, speakeasies (and Blind Pigs - look it up!) that balances a sweet romance, a modern mystery and a look into the dangerous lives and long-held grudges of Windsor rumrunners. If you're in the mood for some history, mystery, with a splash of true love and just one helluva good story, make sure to pick up a copy (or preorder now) for Bluebird's April 5th release.

Disclaimer: My sincere thanks to Simon and Schuster Canada for my advanced digital copy provided in exchange for my honest review.

My Rating: 5 stars

Author: Genevieve Graham

Genre: Historical Fiction (Canada)

Type and Source: eBook from publisher via NetGalley

Publisher: Simon and Schuster Canada

First Published: April 5, 2022

Opening Lines: Cassie Simmons rolled her shoulders back, 

then her neck, wishing she'd restocked on Tylenol.

Book Description from GoodReads: A dazzling novel set during the Great War and postwar Prohibition about a young nurse, a soldier, and a family secret that binds them together for generations to come—from USA TODAY and repeat #1 bestselling author Genevieve Graham.

Present day

Cassie Simmons, a museum curator, is enthusiastic about solving mysteries from the past, and she has a personal interest in the history of the rumrunners who ferried illegal booze across the Detroit River during Prohibition. So when a cache of whisky labeled Bailey Brothers’ Best is unearthed during a local home renovation, Cassie hopes to find the answers she’s been searching for about the legendary family of bootleggers...

1918

Corporal Jeremiah Bailey of the 1st Canadian Tunnelling Company is tasked with planting mines in the tunnels beneath enemy trenches. After Jerry is badly wounded in an explosion, he finds himself in a Belgium field hospital under the care of Adele Savard, one of Canada’s nursing sisters, nicknamed “Bluebirds” for their blue gowns and white caps. As Jerry recovers, he forms a strong connection with Adele, who is from a place near his hometown of Windsor, along the Detroit River. In the midst of war, she’s a welcome reminder of home, and when Jerry is sent back to the front, he can only hope that he’ll see his bluebird again.

By war’s end, both Jerry and Adele return home to Windsor, scarred by the horrors of what they endured overseas. When they cross paths one day, they have a chance to start over. But the city is in the grip of Prohibition, which brings exciting opportunities as well as new dangerous conflicts that threaten to destroy everything they have fought for.

Pulled from the pages of history, Bluebird is a compelling, luminous novel about the strength of the human spirit and the power of love to call us  home.