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3.79 AVERAGE
3.79 AVERAGE
challenging
emotional
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
I really enjoy this authors historical fiction. The epilogue is as good as the rest of the book.
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
My Review...
This is the first book I've read by the very successful author Heather Morris, and I was excited by the blurb, mainly because I love novels set during WW2 so Sisters Under The Rising Sun was on my wishlist.
The book is based on a true story of a group of Australian nurses who were based in Singapore, when the Japanese invaded they boarded the ship - Vyner Brooke to escape, however, the ship was bombed and sunk and Nesta and Norah survived but were interned in a Japanese Prisoner of war camp.
The story then revolves around the women and their survival under such appalling and harsh conditions, and how they manage to keep the women's morale up during their incarceration.
A brilliant novel with a very easy-read style that I was able to devour over a couple of says, the characters were so life-like and real, and you can see Heather Morris has done an immense amount of research which makes Sisters Under The Rising Sun a gripping read. My only issue was that I found it all a bit fluffy, as in it's written in such a way that the horrors of war are almost overlooked, and it's like the book is not meant to 'offend' anyone? This is obviously my opinion! But overall a good read and I'm sure this will be as successful as her previous works.
A 4 star rating from me.
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Thank you NetGalley for an Advanced copy of Sisters Under the Rising Sun.
I, like many others would ready anything that Heather Morris writes. Like The Tattooist of Auschwitz, Sisters Under the Rising Sun is based on the true story of the women and nurses attempting to flee Singapore to safety during WWII. Singapore was a stronghold for the British army during World War II with many British families living there, along with a large port for both merchant and army ships. When Singapore fell to the Japanese, many families attempted to flee along with Australian nurses from the Red Cross....and unfortunately fleeing straight into the hands of the enemy when multiple ships are sunk in bombings. This story tells of the survival of these amazing women imprisoned in the jungle for over 3.5 years.
This book focuses heavily on characterization and descriptions of events. Although the number of characters is many, Morris develops them so well that it is not overwhelming. It is also hard not to become super invested in each of them.
The narrative was also very interesting. I have read many stories about WWII from a variety of sides, however, this story is not one I had heard or ever read about before. I had never heard of the Vyner Brook (the ship which many of the characters originally sailed on), nor have read anything about Japanese POW camps for prisoners other than soldiers, so this was a very fresh perspective of the atrocities of war.
The main theme of this story is hope in the darkest of times, and how hope above all else is the key to survival. These women were so inspiring in how they banded together to keep both themselves and their friends/neighbors alive.
That being said, there were a couple things I wasn't so keen on in this book. The writing at times seemed impersonal and disjointed. Some of the sentences at the end of paragraphs seemed almost thrown in to summarize, but read as detached and choppy. It was not my favorite book by Morris.
In all, this was overall an incredible story and I would recommend it to anyone that loves a WWII saga- especially one rarely told.
I, like many others would ready anything that Heather Morris writes. Like The Tattooist of Auschwitz, Sisters Under the Rising Sun is based on the true story of the women and nurses attempting to flee Singapore to safety during WWII. Singapore was a stronghold for the British army during World War II with many British families living there, along with a large port for both merchant and army ships. When Singapore fell to the Japanese, many families attempted to flee along with Australian nurses from the Red Cross....and unfortunately fleeing straight into the hands of the enemy when multiple ships are sunk in bombings. This story tells of the survival of these amazing women imprisoned in the jungle for over 3.5 years.
This book focuses heavily on characterization and descriptions of events. Although the number of characters is many, Morris develops them so well that it is not overwhelming. It is also hard not to become super invested in each of them.
The narrative was also very interesting. I have read many stories about WWII from a variety of sides, however, this story is not one I had heard or ever read about before. I had never heard of the Vyner Brook (the ship which many of the characters originally sailed on), nor have read anything about Japanese POW camps for prisoners other than soldiers, so this was a very fresh perspective of the atrocities of war.
The main theme of this story is hope in the darkest of times, and how hope above all else is the key to survival. These women were so inspiring in how they banded together to keep both themselves and their friends/neighbors alive.
That being said, there were a couple things I wasn't so keen on in this book. The writing at times seemed impersonal and disjointed. Some of the sentences at the end of paragraphs seemed almost thrown in to summarize, but read as detached and choppy. It was not my favorite book by Morris.
In all, this was overall an incredible story and I would recommend it to anyone that loves a WWII saga- especially one rarely told.
Thanks to NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. Unfortunately I was unable to finish this book. I’m pained to write a review like this but I pushed and pushed until I was over 50% in the hope it would get better but I just couldn’t get on with the writing style of this book. I absolutely loved the author’s previous novels but this did not have the same magic for me - I didn’t feel any connection to the characters, they felt very hollow and underdeveloped to me, I didn’t ‘care’ for them. I also just didn’t feel that the writing was up to scratch compared to the previous books I’ve read by the author.
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
My ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. As with all books by Heather Morris, I was quickly drawn into the story and emotionally invested in the outcome. I’m not normally interested in history but this author helps weave in real life accounts, interviews, well documented events, etc. into her retelling.
Definitely an area I’ve not really known much about
I’ve heard of some stories of how hard it was living in Malaysia (Malaya at that time) from my grandparents but I’ve not even considered the amount of people being kept as POV around SEA
The book focused more about the relationship and bond between the inmates which was a nice change.
I’ve heard of some stories of how hard it was living in Malaysia (Malaya at that time) from my grandparents but I’ve not even considered the amount of people being kept as POV around SEA
The book focused more about the relationship and bond between the inmates which was a nice change.
Not sure what it is but this seems to be the year of being disappointed by writers I have previously loved.
I listened to both of Heather Morris' previous books on audio so perhaps that has something to do with it? I loved both of them and I really admire how she manages to find so many different stories from WWII that haven't already been covered. However this one just didn't do it for me.
Why? Mainly because everyone was so excrutiatingly NICE to each other. Obviously I'm talking about the internees, not the Japanese guards. Yes, I get that often difficult times bring out the best in people, but I mean it's a war and they're in a really horrible situation, surely all of them would be a bit grumpy at least some of the time? Yet every interraction between the characters is so saccarine I had to skim most of it. As was the descriptions of the music and everyone's reactions to it.
Perhaps she just didn't want another depressing and awful account of the period, but I've read other uplifting WWII books and honestly, this just wasn't as good.
I listened to both of Heather Morris' previous books on audio so perhaps that has something to do with it? I loved both of them and I really admire how she manages to find so many different stories from WWII that haven't already been covered. However this one just didn't do it for me.
Why? Mainly because everyone was so excrutiatingly NICE to each other. Obviously I'm talking about the internees, not the Japanese guards. Yes, I get that often difficult times bring out the best in people, but I mean it's a war and they're in a really horrible situation, surely all of them would be a bit grumpy at least some of the time? Yet every interraction between the characters is so saccarine I had to skim most of it. As was the descriptions of the music and everyone's reactions to it.
Perhaps she just didn't want another depressing and awful account of the period, but I've read other uplifting WWII books and honestly, this just wasn't as good.
challenging
emotional
informative
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Norah Chambers and a group of other women become prisoners of war when their escape ships from Singapore are bombed and they are taken hostage by the Japanese. They are kept in the jungle for the duration of World War II. During this time, they deal with all manner of challenges from four of the women amongst them being chosen to "entertain" the Japanese soldiers to hunger and the death of their fellow hostages. By war's end, these women have formed a sisterhood that will remain with them always.
This was a half-and-half book for me. While the true story is compelling and I am glad that I read it and can now speak of and celebrate these women, I found the writing at the start of the book to be sophomoric. While I have no doubt that there was a strong camaraderie between the women, Morris, at times, especially at the beginning of their imprisonment, makes it seem as if the women are at a long-term pajama party. The writing does improve some in the last part of the novel which makes for a fast read. One of the best parts of the book is the brief description of the women mentioned throughout the story. It was wonderful to learn a little about them. The roles women played in World War II are often diminished or never discussed but it is so important that their stories are told.