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3.8 AVERAGE
3.8 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
emotional
inspiring
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
fast-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
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
dark
sad
slow-paced
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
medium-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
You wouldn't think a book about the horrors of the Japanese POW camps could be saccharine, but here we are. The characters are all so aggressively plucky it's like a parody of Enid Blyton. The characters do different things, but they all have the same voice and feel interchangeable. At least it's a quick read...
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
True life experiences during WWII can make us pause and think about what if this happened today.
In 1942, Singapore was under attack by the Japanese Army. Virtually everyone in the city was in a state of complete disorder. Some people managed to get on the SS Vyner Brooke hoping to escape. The ship’s captain took off in a hurry when loud explosions were nearby. While they were in route, the Japanese saw them and fired. The ship went down.
The lucky survivors made it to Banka Island, east of Sumatra, Indonesia. However, they were immediately confronted by Japanese soldiers. For over three years, they lived under the control of the Japanese Army with very little food, clothes and shelter.
The story is about hardship with intolerable conditions like having rats running around and red ants in a hut when they were desperately trying to sleep. Some were sick from the water which wasn’t clean. Others felt severely depressed. To survive, they formed a tight bond with each other and created goals. They sang songs and built gardens. They tried to always stay positive.
I’ve read all of Heather Morris’s books and loved them but this one didn’t grab me as much. It started and continued at a slow pace. The emotional appeal wasn’t as apparent. I wish the author described more details about the prior life of characters in Singapore to get more of a sense who they were. In the end, she included a note of those she wrote about.
My thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for allowing me to read this advanced copy with an expected release date of October 24, 2023.
In 1942, Singapore was under attack by the Japanese Army. Virtually everyone in the city was in a state of complete disorder. Some people managed to get on the SS Vyner Brooke hoping to escape. The ship’s captain took off in a hurry when loud explosions were nearby. While they were in route, the Japanese saw them and fired. The ship went down.
The lucky survivors made it to Banka Island, east of Sumatra, Indonesia. However, they were immediately confronted by Japanese soldiers. For over three years, they lived under the control of the Japanese Army with very little food, clothes and shelter.
The story is about hardship with intolerable conditions like having rats running around and red ants in a hut when they were desperately trying to sleep. Some were sick from the water which wasn’t clean. Others felt severely depressed. To survive, they formed a tight bond with each other and created goals. They sang songs and built gardens. They tried to always stay positive.
I’ve read all of Heather Morris’s books and loved them but this one didn’t grab me as much. It started and continued at a slow pace. The emotional appeal wasn’t as apparent. I wish the author described more details about the prior life of characters in Singapore to get more of a sense who they were. In the end, she included a note of those she wrote about.
My thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for allowing me to read this advanced copy with an expected release date of October 24, 2023.