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3.79 AVERAGE
3.79 AVERAGE
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
š§4.75āļø
I had the audiobook read by Laura Carmichael known from Downton Abbey. She does a fabulous job with the narration. I was very impressed.
Iāve read several other books by this author and thoroughly enjoyed them. They arenāt easy reading due to the subject matter, but very well written and capture the reader.
As Singapore falls to the Japanese British families and Australian nurses are evacuated on a ship. The ship is sunk, the survivors end up in a Japanese POW camp. There are also Dutch women with them including nuns along with an American Mrs Hinch. It concentrates predominantly on the Australian nurses, particularly Nora and Nesta.
Itās a story of the struggle for survival, showing their endurance, and unbroken spirit. The story is bleak and heart wrenching, the characters are so well portrayed I had the utmost admiration for their enduring spirit and perseverance in the harshest of conditions, and the way the nurses tried to help the others. The women are very likeable and caring. I was rooting for them all to survive their internment.
The ending was incredibly emotional.
Another great addition to the WW2
stories from this author, an aspect I had known little of, only watching the tv drama Tenko.
Listening to Noraās vocal arrangement of Bolero was amazing!
I highly recommend this book if WW2 books are for you. Especially the audiobook version for the brilliant narration.
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
This book opened my eyes to another place I haven't even heard about. Even though the book is fiction, I now want to read non-fiction books of the time and learn just what exactly happened then. If you read this book, keep in mind it is fiction, even though it's based on a true telling.
I loved the dynamic between the main characters. They all felt so real and what they had to go through was probably even worse than what was told in the book. It must've taken so much bravery and strength to keep on to that small piece of hope of getting away.
The journey these people went through and the sufferings were immense. I can't even imagine the real depth on how they affected them. All of the characters felt real and their pain and joy I felt. I very much loved the community that got built so fast, even in these horrible situations the characters found themselves in. They looked after each other and went to great lengths to survive.
I had to take a lot of breaks during this book, as it was very heavy and I didn't have the mental capacity to take on too much at a time. But when I did it was worth it.
This book very much focuses on he characters and not on the evils of the time. I highly recommend on doing more research on the subject or read non-fiction books of the time as I'm about to do. The selflessness the characters have is wild and probably the reason they were able to keep on going. We all need a shoulder to lean on now and then.
I got an eARC in exhange for an honest review.
I loved the dynamic between the main characters. They all felt so real and what they had to go through was probably even worse than what was told in the book. It must've taken so much bravery and strength to keep on to that small piece of hope of getting away.
The journey these people went through and the sufferings were immense. I can't even imagine the real depth on how they affected them. All of the characters felt real and their pain and joy I felt. I very much loved the community that got built so fast, even in these horrible situations the characters found themselves in. They looked after each other and went to great lengths to survive.
I had to take a lot of breaks during this book, as it was very heavy and I didn't have the mental capacity to take on too much at a time. But when I did it was worth it.
This book very much focuses on he characters and not on the evils of the time. I highly recommend on doing more research on the subject or read non-fiction books of the time as I'm about to do. The selflessness the characters have is wild and probably the reason they were able to keep on going. We all need a shoulder to lean on now and then.
I got an eARC in exhange for an honest review.
emotional
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
From Heather Morris, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Tattooist of Auschwitz, comes āSisters Under the Rising Sun, a story of sisterhood, bravery, and friendship.
In the midst of World War II, Norah Chambers, an English musician, evacuates Singapore on the Vyner Brooke merchant ship, along with her husband, John, her sister, Ena, and her brother-in-law, Ken. Two days later, the ship is bombed by the Japanese and sinks off the coast of Indonesia. Also on the ill-fated ship is Sister Nesta James, a nurse with the Australian Army. Once on land, the survivors are captured by the Japanese and taken to the first of many POW camps, where the women and children are separated from the men. The camps are places of starvation and brutality, where disease runs rampant. For three years and seven months, the women and children live under the harshest of conditions. Sisters in arms, they must fight every day to help each other survive.
Based on real experiences of real women, Sisters Under the Rising Sun is a powerful and compelling novel that will stay with me long after reading it. In the Authorās Notes, Heather Morris writes, āI have not told this story so the womenā¦will be remembered. I have told this story so they will be known. How can you be remembered if youāve never been heard of?ā Now that I know of these inspirational and brave woman, I will remember them. Norah, Nesta, Ena, Vivian, Audrey, Betty, Sister Catherina, Mrs. Hinch, Margaret, Dr. McDowell, and so many more. Their suffering and courageousness will not be forgotten. This was a beautiful and powerful story of sisterhood, friendship, found family, bravery.
I had the privilege of listening to the audiobook narrated by Laura Carmichael (Downton Abbey). The audiobook includes a dedication, author's note, and two afterwords, all read by the author, as well as two songs by the Sydney Womenās Vocal Orchestra with clips from both songs throughout the narration. Ms. Carmichael is truly one of the best narrators Iāve ever had the pleasure of listening to, and her ability to voice all of the characters from all over the world was remarkable. The authorās note was incredibly moving, and I shed a few tears as the womenās real-life stories were told.
Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martinās Press, and Macmillan Audio for the ARC and ALC in exchange for an honest review.
In the midst of World War II, Norah Chambers, an English musician, evacuates Singapore on the Vyner Brooke merchant ship, along with her husband, John, her sister, Ena, and her brother-in-law, Ken. Two days later, the ship is bombed by the Japanese and sinks off the coast of Indonesia. Also on the ill-fated ship is Sister Nesta James, a nurse with the Australian Army. Once on land, the survivors are captured by the Japanese and taken to the first of many POW camps, where the women and children are separated from the men. The camps are places of starvation and brutality, where disease runs rampant. For three years and seven months, the women and children live under the harshest of conditions. Sisters in arms, they must fight every day to help each other survive.
Based on real experiences of real women, Sisters Under the Rising Sun is a powerful and compelling novel that will stay with me long after reading it. In the Authorās Notes, Heather Morris writes, āI have not told this story so the womenā¦will be remembered. I have told this story so they will be known. How can you be remembered if youāve never been heard of?ā Now that I know of these inspirational and brave woman, I will remember them. Norah, Nesta, Ena, Vivian, Audrey, Betty, Sister Catherina, Mrs. Hinch, Margaret, Dr. McDowell, and so many more. Their suffering and courageousness will not be forgotten. This was a beautiful and powerful story of sisterhood, friendship, found family, bravery.
I had the privilege of listening to the audiobook narrated by Laura Carmichael (Downton Abbey). The audiobook includes a dedication, author's note, and two afterwords, all read by the author, as well as two songs by the Sydney Womenās Vocal Orchestra with clips from both songs throughout the narration. Ms. Carmichael is truly one of the best narrators Iāve ever had the pleasure of listening to, and her ability to voice all of the characters from all over the world was remarkable. The authorās note was incredibly moving, and I shed a few tears as the womenās real-life stories were told.
Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martinās Press, and Macmillan Audio for the ARC and ALC in exchange for an honest review.
Thereās something about the ease of Heather Morrisā writing that makes her books so engaging and easy to read whilst retaining the truly heartbreaking feel of the harrowing stories she tells and I just found this book very captivating.
I thought the characters in this book were the biggest strength of the story; I felt really connected to all of them and just found the fact they were so inspired by real people to add real weight to the story and my investment. Reading about the people who inspired this story at the end gave me goosebumps as I reflected on finding them in the pages. I think the amount of characters made this book feel a lot different to her other books but in a way that worked really well for me.
I love stories about strong women, and even more so when they are strong because of the other women around them and this story was full of that.
I liked the way that the story of these women were told in order to bring their story to the forefront and I do think this is the really important but itās something that always makes me feel a bit nervous in books as without being the person at the centre of the story itās hard to ascertain whether the story has been told well.
I did find the switching between characters perspective a little hard to follow at first but Iām not sure if that was the formatting of the arc as appose to the book itself; there were then a few times it caught me off guard throughout and pulled me out of the story briefly however it did this less as the book went on and the characters spent more time together.
Overall I thought this book was really engaging, heartbreaking and the characters very complex and real and despite there being times that I felt a little less connected or pulled out of the story itself because of the shifts it wasnt overwhelming and didnāt impact my overall reading experience.
A big thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and of course the author for an ARC in exchange for an honest review
I thought the characters in this book were the biggest strength of the story; I felt really connected to all of them and just found the fact they were so inspired by real people to add real weight to the story and my investment. Reading about the people who inspired this story at the end gave me goosebumps as I reflected on finding them in the pages. I think the amount of characters made this book feel a lot different to her other books but in a way that worked really well for me.
I love stories about strong women, and even more so when they are strong because of the other women around them and this story was full of that.
I liked the way that the story of these women were told in order to bring their story to the forefront and I do think this is the really important but itās something that always makes me feel a bit nervous in books as without being the person at the centre of the story itās hard to ascertain whether the story has been told well.
I did find the switching between characters perspective a little hard to follow at first but Iām not sure if that was the formatting of the arc as appose to the book itself; there were then a few times it caught me off guard throughout and pulled me out of the story briefly however it did this less as the book went on and the characters spent more time together.
Overall I thought this book was really engaging, heartbreaking and the characters very complex and real and despite there being times that I felt a little less connected or pulled out of the story itself because of the shifts it wasnt overwhelming and didnāt impact my overall reading experience.
A big thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and of course the author for an ARC in exchange for an honest review
dark
informative
reflective
slow-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:
Complicated
Absolutely beautiful, heartbreaking story, so moving.
My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.
My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-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
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No