In the midst of World War II, an English musician, Norah Chambers, places her eight-year-old daughter Sally on a ship leaving Singapore, desperate to keep her safe from the Japanese army as they move down through the Pacific. Norah remains to care for her husband and elderly parents, knowing she may never see her child again.
Sister Nesta James, a Welsh Australian nurse, has enlisted to tend to Allied troops. But as Singapore falls to the Japanese she joins the terrified cargo of people, including the heartbroken Norah, crammed aboard the Vyner Brooke merchant ship. Only two days later, they are bombarded from the air off the coast of Indonesia, and in a matter of hours, the Vyner Brooke lies broken on the seabed.
After surviving a brutal 24 hours in the sea, Nesta and Norah reach the beaches of a remote island, only to be captured by the Japanese and held in one of their notorious POW camps. The camps are places of starvation and brutality, where disease runs rampant. Sisters in arms, Norah and Nesta fight side by side every day, helping whoever they can, and discovering in themselves and each other extraordinary reserves of courage, resourcefulness and determination.
❀❀
Another incredible, heartbreaking novel.
How do I begin? Sisters Under Rising Sun is not the first book that I read by Heather Morris ; I should know that I would fall in love again. I have read most of Heather Morris , and there wasn't one I could get out of my head. I am not going to forget this one. I was excited when I found out Morris was writing a new book, and even happier when I came across ARC on NetGalley. I had to request it; I couldn't give up a chance to read it ahead of time. Heather Morris writes emotional books, but the World War is a challenging subject to write about. World War I/II is my favorite to read about in historical fiction. Reading historical fiction taught me a lot, and I thought I knew everything. I was wrong. Reading Sisters Under Rising Sun , I learned much more. I want to go back and re-read it to discover it all again.
How can I even begin to describe the emotions in this book? There were so many of them. I finished reading the book this morning, yet I cannot get it out of my mind. Sisters Under Rising Sun is a story that should be read by everyone who loves historical fiction. This book is one of the reasons that I love historical fiction. I knew I would fall in love, but I didn't know how much it would affect me. Of all her books that I have read so far, this is my favorite so far. You can tell that this is the genre she is passionate about and how much research goes into her novels. I love the author's note towards the end of the story; it made the book much more accurate. There is much more I can say about her writing, but that would take me all day.
There is so much that I can say about the characters. I don't have a favorite main character because I love them all. Norah, Sister Nesta James. Two brave women. After reading the book, I wondered how they had survived for as long as they did. Sisters Under Rising Sun is a story about war, friendship, bravery, survival, and hope. I loved that no matter what they had to endure or go through, they were always there for one another. Their friendship reminds me of a few of my closest friends, the ones I would do anything for.
Highly recommended, be prepared for the ride of a lifetime.
0 comments:
Post a Comment