Flora J. Solomon

Along the Broken Bay by Flora J. Solomon is a historical novel about the Philippine Islands during World War II. It opens just before the Japanese attack Pearl Harbor and introduces Gina Capelli Thorpe, an American expat who lives in Manila with her engineer husband and small daughter, Cheryl. Gina’s husband has been called to help the army on the island of Corregidor, and when the Japanese attack Manila, just 10 hours after Pearl Harbor, he is trapped there. Gina and her daughter escape show more to the Zambales Mountains along with her best friend and her two daughters. Soon a small camp of Americans are living in the mountains and forming themselves into a resistance group. Gina is dispatched back to Manila in order to help supply the group with money, medicine and guns.

Gina reinvents herself as an Italian expat and before long is running a nightclub that caters to the wealthy Japanese. She delights in the fact that the Japanese are both paying for the guerrillas and supplying information that she is able to pass on. Gina struggles to stay one step ahead of the Japanese, she worries about her husband, a captive of the Japanese and her daughter who she left in the mountains in the care of her friend.

This author has a background of working in research and she did an excellent job of inserting her facts into the story in an interesting way that helped to move the story along. The story was engaging and overall the book was very good. I felt that the characters could have been developed a little more as at times I felt we were only getting a surface look at these people. Overall, I enjoyed Along the Broken Bay and would recommend it to anyone who wishes to read about the invasion of the Philippines during World War II. show less

Couldn't read after 7 p.m. because I had some nightmares--that's how graphic the descriptions of war are. Pretty quick read, given the content. I've read a ton of WWII books about the European Theatre, but not many about the Pacific, so this was a nice way to fill in some of my WWII gaps. Love that it told the story of WWII from the perspective of women who served; I think we sometimes forget how many women were active duty. I wish I had asked my grandma about her time serving in the Navy show more during WWII but based on this book, I'm guessing she wouldn't have said much. show less

Philippines in December 1941. What could possibly go wrong? Along the Broken Bay does a good job of highlighting just what did go wrong. I had friends who lived through the horrors of Santo Tomas and the Japanese administration of the Philippines. I heard many stories growing up about the atrocities and the resistance of the people so I had a good grounding in the basic story line of this book.

Ms. Solomon does a good job of introducing what went on to anyone who has an interest in the War show more in the Pacific. Because of the time compression of the story, some things are brushed over, but the ground work is there for further exploration if one so desires. As a novel I found the main characters engaging and the plot line moved along well.

I would gladly recommend this book to others who have an interest in WWII and what happened in the Philippines. show less

As a female Army veteran, I love reading about other female military vets, and this story is so astounding that I am sure it will stay with me for a long time, if not forever. Margie is a fictional nurse, who enters the Naval Reserve and is called up during WWII to serve in the Philippines. Initially, her duty is filled with all that you might associate with a peacetime military, officers clubs, night life, easier duty, etc. However, once the attack at Pearl Harbor occurs, things change show more dramatically, and her duty becomes what we might picture as combat life. There is the surgical tent, the open bay area for the wounded, the never-ending fear of what might occur. Then, she is captured and held as a POW for three years, and suffers humiliation, starvation and abuse at the hands of her guards. However, once liberated there are more ghosts to haunt her, as those she should trust betray her. Once home, she suffers from what we now call PTSD, and, because of a paper she signed, cannot really divulge what occurred during her captivity, making treatment that much harder. Margie is a strong woman, much like many of the other women with whom I served in the military. I am more than proud to be a part of her legacy in the military, even though I was not a nurse or in combat or a POW. She is a role model for anyone to follow, and today, many young girls need such a role model. The book presents a great picture of the war and what things were really like. Unfortunately, there are not very many books providing this sort of information. I personally found it a fascinating read and think anyone who is interested on what life as a nurse in combat would be like can find many answers in the book. In addition, the book presents a different side of life in the Pacific Theater during WWII.

I received this from NetGalley to read and review—and I am glad I chose to read it. show less