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3.8 AVERAGE
3.8 AVERAGE
challenging
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I was so excited to get to read Heather Morris’s newest book Sisters Under The Rising Sun. I have discovered a love for books about the Pacific side of the war and had high hope for this book. My hopes were absolutely exceeded.
Based on the true story of a group of POWs and their incredible resilience under unimaginable circumstances.
After escaping Singapore on a ship at the 11th hour Australian Army nurse Nesta and civilian Norah are hopeful they will make it to safety. Their ship, the Vyner Brooke, is bombed and sinks forcing everyone on board to abandon ship and hope to make it to an island they can see. But the island has also been taken over by the Japanese and they survivors are taken captive where they will wait out the war.
The woman of this camp were incredible. The refusal to give up their humanity and dignity and kindness in a terrifying place with captors who were determined to strip them of all of those qualities is a testament to their incredible strength as individuals and as a group. I cried so many times. This is probably my favourite book that I have read about the Pacific Theatre. I love that this book shines a light on a group of people who’s story has been lost in the shuffle but deserved to be told and remembered.
Thank you so much to Netgalley and St.Martins Press for letting me read this one early in exchange for a review. If you want to pick this one up (and I highly recommend it) look for it Oct 24 2023.
Based on the true story of a group of POWs and their incredible resilience under unimaginable circumstances.
After escaping Singapore on a ship at the 11th hour Australian Army nurse Nesta and civilian Norah are hopeful they will make it to safety. Their ship, the Vyner Brooke, is bombed and sinks forcing everyone on board to abandon ship and hope to make it to an island they can see. But the island has also been taken over by the Japanese and they survivors are taken captive where they will wait out the war.
The woman of this camp were incredible. The refusal to give up their humanity and dignity and kindness in a terrifying place with captors who were determined to strip them of all of those qualities is a testament to their incredible strength as individuals and as a group. I cried so many times. This is probably my favourite book that I have read about the Pacific Theatre. I love that this book shines a light on a group of people who’s story has been lost in the shuffle but deserved to be told and remembered.
Thank you so much to Netgalley and St.Martins Press for letting me read this one early in exchange for a review. If you want to pick this one up (and I highly recommend it) look for it Oct 24 2023.
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Set during the Pacific war and the invasion of Singapore by the Japanese Empire. Evacuees trying to flee prior to the fall of Singapore boarded merchant ships to try to get back to British controlled territory. Some ships made it and others like the Vyner Brook were sunk by the Japanese air force. Those who survived became prisoners of war. The men and women are separated and shuffled from one prison camp to another. This is the story of a group of resilient women and children of different nationalities, who used their individual talents to create a community to survive over three years of captivity.
I liked that this is a story that highlights a part of history that is relatively unknown. Writing about these female prisoners of war and setting it in the Pacific theatre and specifically the fall of Singapore is a less known setting. Although I did enjoy and care about many of the characters, I didn't connect to them the way I was expecting. I wanted to know what happened to them and what they went on to do, but they tended to blend together for me. All in all, it was an enjoyable read, it just didn't hook me the way that her earlier novels did.
Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my review.
I liked that this is a story that highlights a part of history that is relatively unknown. Writing about these female prisoners of war and setting it in the Pacific theatre and specifically the fall of Singapore is a less known setting. Although I did enjoy and care about many of the characters, I didn't connect to them the way I was expecting. I wanted to know what happened to them and what they went on to do, but they tended to blend together for me. All in all, it was an enjoyable read, it just didn't hook me the way that her earlier novels did.
Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my review.
Heartbreaking to think that this is based on actual events. I couldn't stop once I started reading and stayed up til the wee hours to finish and find out what happened to all the women and their loved ones.
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I was interested in reading this book having learned about the Japanese POW camps from my in laws who were imprisoned in Indonesia because, while they were Dutch Indonesians (Indos) they were Dutch citizens. It’s a part of WWII we don’t hear much about. My in laws wouldn’t speak too much about their experiences except to say their Japanese captors were brutal and that they had witnessed many atrocities and starvation. I think Heather Morris does a nice job of telling this story relating the experiences of these women while avoiding overly fictionalizing it and because I listened to the audio version I really appreciated hearing Margaret’s hymn and Nora’s Bolero arrangement for voice.