Another fabulous story by Heather Morris! Did I regret finishing this book on the airplane as it made me cry happy tears? Not one bit. What a beautiful story! I loved the characters and it was so very interesting to me that none of the interned ladies were anything but lovely...not one was nasty or selfish. The music was beautiful and the way the ladies took care of each other and then maintained relationships once released. I injested this story and was just waiting until 1945 arrived because I just knew the ladies would be released.

Thanks so much to MacMillan Audio and NetGalley for the chance to listen to this book. It was fabulous!

This story based on events that I was not familiar with at all is a story of the resilience of women when faced with unimaginable. Set in the Japanese prisoner of war camps during World War II it focuses on the determination of the women, primarily British, Dutch, and Australian, to survive.

After the sinking of the ship that was supposed to take them to safety Norah, her husband John, and her sister Ena rescue a child, June, and manage to survive the ocean only to be separated into prisoner of war camps. Also on the ship were a group of Australian nurses and a group of them led by Nesta James end up in the same prisoner of war camp. Along with a group of other women Norah, Ena, and Nesta work to find ways to endure and survive the horrors of the camp. One thing that brings the women together and provides some beauty the women share music. Norah even finds a way to create an orchestra made entirely of voices. T

What the women endure are a lot to read but it is a story that needs to be told. The resilience of these women when faced with the unimaginable and the bonds they form is inspiring. Plus their ability to create music is just awe inspiring.

The narrator of the story did a good job conveying the horrors. The audiobook contains music which adds another level of authenticity to the story.

Sisters Under the Rising Sun
Heather Morris
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Imagine sending your child away for their protection & save their life?
I Loved this book about nurses all over. The risk they took. The support they gave to each other. The healing they performed to the injured & to each other. The way they rallied together to keep their spirits up while prisoners of war.
This book was a important part of history that we don't read alot about it.
I LOVED it!
Thank you to all the nurses through times of difficulty & now.
Thank you to Netgallery for the opportunity to enjoy this great book!

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.

Sisters Under the Rising Sun is Heather Morris’s latest historical fiction novel. Set during World War II, the novel focuses on the mostly untold story of Japanese prisoners of war held in POW camps. The novel alternates between two main protagonists—Norah Chambers, a musician, wife and mother and Sister Nesta James, a Welsh Australian nurse. Both women find themselves on the Vyner Brooke ship departing Singapore for safety when it is sunk by Japanese artillery off the coast of Indonesia. These women, along with an ensemble cast of family, friends and colleagues find themselves stranded on a remote island, soon captured by Japanese forces and forced to move from camp to camp as POWs. As expected, the conditions of these camps and the treatment of by their captors are difficult but the determination of these women and their sense of community amongst themselves carries them through even the most deplorable conditions.

First off, I want to say that Laura Carmichael has done a fabulous job narrating this story. Her voice is like a lovely cadence that was easy to listen to. 

The story, however, fell a bit short for me. I didn’t feel a connection to any of the main characters or to any of the supporting cast, of which there were many—so many that sometimes I had a hard time keeping them and their contributions to the story straight. Morris’s previous novels were emotionally charged, and evoked such deep emotion while reading them. Sisters Under the Rising Sun did not evoke any emotion in me, and just felt flat overall. I appreciate that Morris has given a voice to an important piece of history that needed to be told, and I thank her for piquing my interest enough to do some further reading on it. 

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for this advanced audio copy. I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

Survival and friendship.

Women being held in a notorious Japanese POW camp during WWII is another frightening example of brutalities that occur/occurred during wartime. I had both the book and the audiobook versions but mainly listened to the audiobook. I recommended the audiobook as the female characters form a chorus during their time in the POW camp and their singing/orchestra voices is played during at one point during the audiobook.

During the war, many tried to escape and find a safe refuge not only for themselves but for those that they loved. Some of the women enlisted as nurses to help the allied cause. One of which was Sister Nesta James, a Welsh Australian nurse, who boarded the Vyner Brooke as Singapore fell to the Japanese. Also on board was Norah Chambers, an English musician and mother. Two days into their voyage, their ship was hit and sank. Nesta, Norah and others survived in the sea for 24 hours and once they found a remote beach, were taken prisoner by the Japanese and put into a POW camp. There they met other prisoners of war and formed strong bonds and friendships.

Their plight is a hard one and many did not survive. What shines was their bonds, their determination, their bravery, their singing, and their sacrifices. I enjoyed how the women used their voices to form an orchestra which lifted their spirits and entertained others.

This book, like Heather Morris's other books, is well written, well thought out, and depicts a horrific time in history. I appreciate that she based this book on the real life Nesta James and Norah Chambers, along with 500 hundred other women who were kept in POW camps in the jungle. Parts of this book may be difficult for some to read but know that the scenes are not graphic.

I found this book to be impactful, moving and gripping. Knowing that this is based on real people and events in history, makes it even more powerful.

Well written, moving and depicting deep female bonds.

My thoughts- Being a nurse, I loved that there was a nurse dedication at the beginning of the book. I have read many of Heather Morris’ books, and they have all been gut-wrenching. This one stayed on par with all of her other books. It was a little slow at times, but I was very invested with every single one of the characters. Heather Morris finds a way to suck you into the time period she's writing about. This book was no different. Though I didn't feel as connected to these characters as I have in her previous works, it does not negate the fact that they are strong women. I love reading books like this because they make me think about parts of history that I wouldn't normally think about, such as these camps.

I would give this book a 4 out of 5, just because it was a little too slow for me.

Received as a free ARC from NetGalley.

Heather Morris has done it again. She tells us a story based on true facts and then adds her magic. The book takes readers to Asia. She tells the suffering, dreams, and hopes of Australian nurses taken as Japanese POWs. I fell in love with the characters who although strangers eventually became more than friends, but sisters. I love the narrator of the book and the cherry on top is the music added that the nurses sang/played/heard and the author's note. The author's note explains the true story the book inspired Heather Morris to write.

http://Goodreads link:https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/199149720-sisters-under-the-rising-sun

hanks to the generosity of Net Galley, I received an audiobook version of Sisters Under the Rising Sun for my honest opinion.

This is a remarkable story (based on a true account) of sisterhood, fear, loss, love, sadness, etc.

Norah Chambers places her 8-year-old daughter on a shop from Singapore with her older sister and her sons, hoping Sally will be safe. Norah stays behind to care for her husband and parents. Shortly afterward, they are evacuated on the Vyner Brooke which was ultimately sunk by the Japanese. Many of the passengers did not survive, but Norah did. When they finally got to land, they were taken prisioner by the Japanese and sent to POW camps. During their time at the camps they were starved, beaten and asked to "service" officers. Norah was very helpful throughout the book, even putting together an orchestra to raise the spirits of the other women in their camp.

Nesta James, a Nurse for the Australian Nursing Services was also aboard the Vyner Brook along with many of her co-workers who worked tirelessly to make sure the all the prisoners were taken care of. The Nurses were compassionate and volunteered for many despicable jobs.

I had tears in my eyes many times while reading of the atrocities bestowed on these resilient women and was sick over a lot of the things they had to endure. But this did not detract but enhance the book and mad you feel compassion for the women.

I absolutely loved this book and the music that was interspersed within the audio book was such a great lighthearted beat that even though you knew how bad things were, you felt uplifted.

100% this book is worthy of 5 STARS! *****

I listened to the audiobook and also read the ebook. I wish history in high school were taught through novels. I would've learned so much more! I find that Heather Morris does so much research and listens so well that she tells the story that the people involved feel heard and respected. The story of Norah and Nesta and the nurses and women with whom they were imprisoned is both heartbreaking and empowering. This book tells how kindness, courage, and determination can affect lives for generations.

I have been deep in a romance mode and was a little nervous to start a historical fiction that I knew would hurt my heart. From page one, Morris tells a tough story. This is her gift. She finds real humans and shares their stories so that we know them. She should be proud. This is the story of women in a Japanese internment camp in WW2. A band of nurses and a pair of sisters and the friends/family they make over their time interred by the Japanese is heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time. This is history that I did not know and I am so thankful that she shared it with the world. Morris's research is flawless and her ability to create a story from her interviews is top notch. She will always get my reading minutes.

The audio is amazing. The narrator flawlessly executes accents and tells the story with heart and emotion. But the best part of the audio version is the singing. Listen just for the music.

This book is loosely based off of an Australian nurse, Sister Nesta James and an English musician, Norah Chambers. A group of mainly Australian nurses were captured and held in a Japanese camp during WW2 in 1942. The women were held in the Indonesian jungle for four years under deplorable conditions.

Heather Morris does a great job developing the characters and giving each of them their own spotlight. Even when hope seemed lost the characters relied on each other to make it through praying see the end of the war. The characters show incredible resilience and strength during a time where hope was nonexistent.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my digital ARC to read in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I received a complimentary copy of this book "Sisters Under the Rising Sun" and all opinions expressed are my own. I listened to the audio book. The book was a lot. There were so many characters I just really could not follow them. So, I struggled with this book and getting into the story. Overall I think the story was interesting but it was a tough read, trying to follow along with what was going on. I really liked the Tattooist of Auschwitz by this author, which I scored 5 stars, but Sisters Under the Rising Sun is just 1 star for me.

This book was such a perfect blend of suffering and hope. Readers are transported headfirst into the lives of those who were on board the Vyner Brooke. As the women navigate life as prisoners of war, we are given the opportunity to watch this community of brave women come together to create something beautiful amidst the tragedy.

The narrator of the audiobook was excellent and I loved getting to hear the small excerpts of the choir singing. It made it feel like I was really there watching everything unfold.

If you liked The Tattooist of Auschwitz or Three Sisters, then you should definitely give this a shot. Heather Morris does an amazing job of bringing the most difficult stories to light.

This review comes courtesy of an early release copy from NetGalley.

Wow ! What an emotional ride — I learned so many things and was looking up many of the people mentioned in the book and the real life situations. I spent a lot of time crying while reading this book and had to listen to it in small sections so it took me a while to get through it — as it was full of difficult situations — I also felt deep shame towards the Japanese choices and behaviours and though there are no excuses for the actions of the Japanese in these situations — it is important to remember that this book is showing a narrative only from the Westerners perspective or point of view about the situations, incidents— and it would have been more balance story if there was prospective from all sides involved as well —there are a lot of things at play that we are unaware —This book is well written and over time listening to the audiobook — I got more used to the narrators style as we went through the story— and found the whole book very moving and has spurred me to want to know more about the situations from both perspectives.

Thank-you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for this ARC. This is my honest review .

I’d like to thank at @netgalley @macmillan.audio and @heathermorrisauthor for giving me this audiobook review copy of Sisters Under The Rising Sun. This book is about women who form a sisterhood through some of the most trying circumstances. They were lost at sea until they were found and captured by the Japanese during held World War II in a POW camp for over three years. I struggled reading this book because it was sad all the way through. The way these women and children were treated is absolutely deplorable. And this was all based on factual events. there is cases of physical abuse, sexual abuse, starvation, and all other forms of mistreatment. It’s gut wrenching, and to know that it actually happened is even harder to stomach. However, that’s why it’s important that these books find their ways into the hands of readers. If we do not know history, even the hard to read about topics, we are bound to repeat it. So I applaud Heather Morris for diligently, writing this novel and bringing the stories of these women to life.
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

The audiobook was narrated by Laura Carmichael and I feel she did a beautiful job.

This book was such a roller coaster of emotions. My heart broke for these women and men taken as prisoners of war.

This was a story I was not familiar with in WWII.

It made me think how did these people go on to live life after war. Today we have psychologists and people to talk to about what happened and support them. I’m not sure that was the case years ago. But maybe they relied on each other from the bond they had from what they went thru. Sometimes life seems heavy on your shoulders, but then you read a story like this and think wow my struggles are minute compared to what these people have gone thru.

If you plan to read this book I suggest the audio as there are some songs at the end that are important in the book and was interesting to hear them. The narration was great and will def be looking for other books that Laura has narrated.

Thank you Netgalley for the advance audiobook in exchange for an honest review. I loved the Tattooist of Auschwitz written by this author. This audiobook however, I had to re-listen to the first few chapters. I was expecting only two Female perspectives. There were a number of characters and perspectives that it took awhile to get used to them. And even with that their still was mentioned many other characters. The author did really grip what it could have been like for females in a POW camp through the different stories the females told to the others though. It was very insightful and sad read with a large number of characters. I'd recommend but keep a note of characters that aren't in every chapter.

I’m not sure if it was my heart wasn’t in it or the story. This did not grab me like the author’s previous books. It was a good story but not the level of great I am used to.

I found the story line hard to follow. I did enjoy it overall.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for allowing me to read and review this book. All opinions are my own.

What a wonderful audiobook! This story of musicians and nurses that survive WWII using all of their skills was enlightening and wonderful as an audiobook. I would highly recommend and already have!