Sisters Under the Rising Sun

It’s hard to imagine the terror women and children faced as they fled Singapore in 1942 only to be shipwrecked, captured by Japanese, and to spend the rest of the war as POWs. It reads more like a YA story written by a young adult. And while I believe it to be worthwhile, especially for today’s young people who didn’t hear about wartime deprivations firsthand, it was difficult to connect with the characters. Anyone coming across this topic for the first time might get the wrong impression completely from the cheerfulness and sugary sweetness in many scenes. The shipwreck episode was particularly unbelievable, with those in the water calling out to each other as if they were bathing in a pool, not trying to stay alive clinging to show more bits of wreckage of a bombed ship. Disappointing, to say the least. I’ve been told Morris’ other books are excellent but I doubt I’ll ever pick one up. show less

Morris' novelization of the experiences of a group of women held in a Japanese POW camp during WWII is an amazing story of courage, endurance, and friendship. Unfortunately, the author's truly pedestrian writing style robs it of much of its emotional impact (although one should probably have a Kleenex at hand for the closing chapters).

Central to the story are a pair of English sisters and a diminutive Australian Army nurse heading a contingent of nurses caught up in the fall of Singapore. When the Dutch merchant ship loaded with refugees is bombed and sinks off the coast of Indonesia, the survivors eventually end up on a small island and are quickly captured by Japanese forces.

As these women and their companions, including a group of show more Dutch nuns, learn to survive under the harsh conditions of the camp, strong friendships form and Norah, one of the English sisters, even puts together an unlikely musical group that forms the backbone of the women's ability to endure and even resist the hardships they endure over nearly three years of captivity.

The Author's Notes and Afterword sections, which include biographical material (pre- and post-war) of many of the main characters, is equally fascinating.

This novel comes very close to greatness, but Morris just can't quite pull it off. show less

I read a lot of WWII historical fiction but most of it involves the war in Europe. Because of that, it's easy to forget that there was an equally horrific war going on in the Pacific with concentration camps, cruelty and depravation and there were also strong women who helped other people survive their ordeal in captivity.

As the Japanese army began a siege in Singapore, Norah Chambers and her husband make the decision to put their 8 year old daughter on a ship with Norah's sister. Norah wants her daughter to be safe but has to stay in Singapore to help take care of her sick husband and her parents. She doesn't know if she'll ever see her daughter again but realizes how important it is to get her out of Singapore. When things get worse, show more Norah, her husband and sister board a ship to safety. When the kamikaze pilots shoot at the ship, it sinks leaving many passengers dead and a number of others struggling to survive in the water. Some of the survivors of the ship were a team of Australian nurses who had enlisted to help the Allied troops but knew that they had to get out of Singapore before it was invaded. After surviving their time in the ocean, the passengers who survived were put into POW camps by the Japanese. The camps were places of starvation and brutality, where sickness of mind and body happened to the people who were trying to survive. The men were sent to separate camps and the women had to band together to survive. In total, this group of women was held captive for over three and a half years and were moved several times to even worse camps. There were many heroic women and nurses who worked tirelessly to make sure that people survived and that the children were taken care of. Often times, the adults would deny themselves food to try to keep the children alive. Among the things that helped them survive was the gift of music. Several of the women were very musical and formed a choir using their voices in place of instruments. Their concerts gave the other women a renewed sense of camaraderie and helped them survive.

Be sure to read the authors notes at the end to read about the women that the book was based on. Most of the main characters were real people and it amazes me that they've never been written about before. The author did extensive research and its apparent on every page. The bravery of the women and their love for each other is something that I'll always remember. Yes, there are some difficult parts in this book but the overwhelming feeling of the book is admiration for the bravery and resilience of these women as they survived a horrific experience. If you enjoy World War II historical fiction, you don't want to to miss this excellent book. It's a book that I won't forget. show less

Historical fiction, especially based on WW2, is one of my favorite genres. I especially like a book that explores different locales, like this one. Set in Singapore and Malaysia, it tells the story of real nurses, nuns, and real women and children that were fleeing Japanese occupation. As the women were leaving Singapore, their ship was sunk and they were captured by the Japanese and taken to Malaysia. There they were interned in numerous prison camps, as they had to move camps multiple times. At camp, the nuns and nurses helped run a hospital and keep everyone as healthy as humanly possible. The other women and children learned to do their part in cooking, cleaning, etc. to make the camps run with some order. The living conditions were show more horrific, food was scarce and contaminated, and the guards were far from hospitable. The nuns tried to keep up Sunday services with a small choir. One woman had formal musical training and created a voice orchestra. Each person's voice became an instrument to create and perform the music she remembered. The music created was beautiful and touched everyone who heard it.
Nesta and Norah, just 2 of the many women in the book, were incredibly strong characters and since they were real people, it is hard to wrap your head around what they had to endure for 3 years and 7 months. I found myself crying at different times when they had to say goodbye to one of their own due to malnutrition and disease and then at the end when they were repatriated back home.
The author's notes at the end explain who the people were in real life and a bit about what happened to them after the book time period ended.
I read this in a few days because I had a hard time putting it down. Whenever I had a few minutes or more, I had to return to the story to see how these characters were getting along and what would happen to them next. If you are looking for a quick-paced book about unknown women doing the hard things during WW2, I recommend this book.

#StMartinsPress #SistersUndertheRisingSun #SMPInfluencers
Thank you St. Martin's Publishing Group and Net Galley for a complimentary copy. All opinions expressed are my own. show less

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 show more 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. show less

After reading Heather Morris’ previous book ‘Three Sisters’ (loved) and hearing so much about ‘The Tattooist of Auschwitz’ (haven’t read but definitely will), I couldn’t request this book fast enough. I knew very little about the Japanese invasion of the Pacific and the POW camps.

This book follows a group of Australian, English and Americans trying to leave Singapore to escape capture. Highlighted are the difficult decisions faced by families on sending their loved one ahead hoping they will be safe, being torn apart. The dedication of the nurses, putting themselves in harms way, to administer to others. The brutal massacre of innocent people. These woman are held prisoners for over 3 years. Their resiliency is amazing, show more as is any POW story. Unfortunately, somewhere along the line, this story was flat for me. I didn’t feel the pain, horrors as deeply as I did in her past book. It seemed almost to be glossed over. Yes, it is an important story to tell, I just felt the true story was lost. I appreciated the research and the Author’s Note. Would I read this author again, definitely. If you are someone who enjoys historical fiction but cannot handle the graphic atrocities, this book might be for you.

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for this ARC. This is my honest opinion. show less

Having children sent away, being on a boat sunk by the Japanese, taken prisoner, and living without decent health care or food is where we meet all those who survived from the Vyner Brooke merchant ship and others as they endure the hardships in a Japanese POW camp.

The main characters were nurses who tried to keep the residents healthy and spirits up.

The nurses were the saving grace for everyone because of their resilience and positive attitudes.

They started a voice orchestra, put on plays, and did anything to keep the boredom and despair at bay.

You will love Nurse Nesta and her crew of lovely ladies.

SISTERS UNDER THE RISING SUN is based on true events and real women.

Heather Morris brings to life another WWII book telling us of the show more survival of women being prisoners of war. I had never heard of these sisters, their imprisonment, nor this POW camp.

You will cheer on the women when they defy their captors and feel every emotion they are feeling.

I enjoyed her other books more, but this is still a good read. 4/5

Thank you to the publisher for a copy of this book. All opinions are my own. show less