Three Little Birds Burning in the Flames of War by Julia Peters

I bought Three Little Birds Burning in the Flames of War by Julia Peters at the book launch event in Liverpool last month. This is an interesting book, available also as an e-book. I prefer paper books and I had my copy signed. This is a fictionalised account of the experience of 3 Ukrainian women: the author, her mother, and her mother’s friend. I read accounts by my soldiers, but I haven’t read accounts of refugees. The story doesn’t end with two of them leaving the country, but this is how the book starts. It shows their struggle to get support in Switzerland and also how much of an impact has on the third character, the author, who already lived in Europe for a long time, but had to deal with war in a very different way.

Being based on a real-life story it can have a different meaning. This books is as close to what happened as possible, with only small details being fictionalised. Her mother and her mother’s friend lived with her for a long time, as refugees, and she interviewed them many times to get the facts straight. From the 3 characters, her mother was my favourite. She seems like a strong woman. The book offers an insight into how some people feel about the war, the russians, themselves. At times the views in the book didn’t match mine, e.g. on russian guilt/responsibility, but I didn’t mark down the book for that. I enjoyed it and read it fast. I would definitely recommend it.

Three Little Birds Burning in the Flames of War by Julia Peters

Details about the picture: The cup in the picture is from Lviv, Ukraine
My rating: 5/5 Stars
Would I recommend it: yes
Published by: Good Friends for Ukraine
Year it was published: 2024 (first published in 2023)
Format: Paperback
Genre(s): Fiction
Pages: 230

About the author: Julia Peters was born in 1983 in Odesa. Lives in Zurich (Switzerland). Journalist, event-planner, and Instagram influencer.
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