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3.8 AVERAGE
3.8 AVERAGE
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
sad
slow-paced
3.5 - this is a beautiful and heartbreaking story that is an important testament to women’s mental resilience. Unfortunately, I couldn’t quite get past the narrative style. The exchanges between the women often felt too formal - this may have been an accurate depiction, but I couldn’t quite engage with the characters because of it.
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
The dialogue is unrealistic and takes over where description should be used. An example of this is June: "My name is June, my mummy is Dorothy, I am five years old." - is a long, unrealistic, not focused on the actual question, response to the question "what is your name?"
Also the women in this are so optimistic and happy for people who are supposed to be in a prisoner of war camp, having witnessed starvation, death, injury, illness, brutality. The constant optimism seems like the camp is just an annoying detour in their trip home, rather than a life and death situation.
If this focused on one character, focused on the actual brutality of war, and less 'friendship & sisterhood ✨🌈' it may have been interesting, or at least a shocking read - which I believe it's supposed to be.
Also the women in this are so optimistic and happy for people who are supposed to be in a prisoner of war camp, having witnessed starvation, death, injury, illness, brutality. The constant optimism seems like the camp is just an annoying detour in their trip home, rather than a life and death situation.
If this focused on one character, focused on the actual brutality of war, and less 'friendship & sisterhood ✨🌈' it may have been interesting, or at least a shocking read - which I believe it's supposed to be.
emotional
inspiring
reflective
**I received an uncorrected digital ARC in return for my honest review**
Oh my gosh. What can I say about this book? It's heartbreaking and beautiful and inspiring. It's the story of women persevering in horrific conditions while somehow becoming more compassionate. The truth of the women and children held in Japanese POW camps during WWII deserves to be told and Heather Morris has done it justice. A must read.
Oh my gosh. What can I say about this book? It's heartbreaking and beautiful and inspiring. It's the story of women persevering in horrific conditions while somehow becoming more compassionate. The truth of the women and children held in Japanese POW camps during WWII deserves to be told and Heather Morris has done it justice. A must read.
emotional
informative
inspiring
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This was a tough and emotional read following nurses caught up in the fighting in Singapore during World War Two.
I listened to the audiobook as well as physically read the book and I think that added to the reading experience as music performed by the nurses in the book are brought to life and for me music was central to the women's survival.
As prisoners of the Japanese this book follows the nurses as they find themselves in dangerous and precarious situations which they cannot control. Norah Chambers an English musician finds her talent reaches to create a voice choir of the women captured and the women used their voices to create the instruments needed for the classical pieces they performed. It was magical to hear what she wrote and shows how uplifting music can be.
I found the everyday situation for the women harrowing and their fight to survive in such a hot and punishing environment very upsetting and I was in awe of their survival and core belief of taking action to help those others in need, especially the children in the camp. They put others safety in front of their own all during a time when they did not know what had happened to their own loved ones.
This is a story of survival, friendship and love and I appreciated the dedications at the end of the book. It brought life the photos of those we followed and gave the reader an insight into their lives after the end of the war. I cried during parts of this book but overall this is a book of resilience and love for fellow humans in the face of great hardship and suffering and I thought it showed the often hidden part of history where women made an impact and mattered.
Incredible !
I listened to the audiobook as well as physically read the book and I think that added to the reading experience as music performed by the nurses in the book are brought to life and for me music was central to the women's survival.
As prisoners of the Japanese this book follows the nurses as they find themselves in dangerous and precarious situations which they cannot control. Norah Chambers an English musician finds her talent reaches to create a voice choir of the women captured and the women used their voices to create the instruments needed for the classical pieces they performed. It was magical to hear what she wrote and shows how uplifting music can be.
I found the everyday situation for the women harrowing and their fight to survive in such a hot and punishing environment very upsetting and I was in awe of their survival and core belief of taking action to help those others in need, especially the children in the camp. They put others safety in front of their own all during a time when they did not know what had happened to their own loved ones.
This is a story of survival, friendship and love and I appreciated the dedications at the end of the book. It brought life the photos of those we followed and gave the reader an insight into their lives after the end of the war. I cried during parts of this book but overall this is a book of resilience and love for fellow humans in the face of great hardship and suffering and I thought it showed the often hidden part of history where women made an impact and mattered.
Incredible !
Dat deze auteur boeken schrijft die grijpen en enorm vlot lezen is bij deze weer bevestigd. Ik pakte het boek gisteren op en las het alweer uit.
Het is door die vlotte schrijfstijl van de auteur dat de verhalen die ze schrijft steeds beeldend zijn, emotioneel pakkend en je prachtige personen leert kennen tijdens een gruwelijke tijd in de geschiedenis.
Ook nu weer moet ik de auteur bedanken om deze vrouwen onder de aandacht te brengen, om ervoor te zorgen dat ook hun lijden gekend en niet vergeten zal worden.
Ik had het genoegen om deze auteur al een te ontmoeten en te ontdekken hoeveel ze oprecht geeft om de personen en de gebeurtenis waarover ze schrijft. Dus bedank ik de auteur om al deze vrouwen weer een stem te geven.