While it's an intense story about women prisoners of war in WWII, it didn’t fully work for me. Morris uses Australian/NZ phrasing that, for me, didn’t feel authentic to the historical setting, and I’m still on the fence about her fictional approach to real, sensitive events she’s not directly connected to. The focus on resilience and friendship is moving, though, and it might resonate with readers looking for an emotional WWII story, even if some aspects feel a bit detached from the period.

‘Sisters Under the Rising Sun’ by Heather Morris tells the story of a group of women imprisoned in a Japanese camp in Indonesia during World War Two. Morris is a new author for me. I chose the book because of the subject matter and my memory of ‘Tenko’ on television in the Eighties, which made a big impression on me. Only later did I discover the same author wrote ‘The Tattooist of Auschwitz.’
As the Japanese army invades Singapore in 1942, families and nurses flee on ships only to be attacked, shipwrecked and washed up on a remote Indonesian island. There are two main groups of women, Sister Nesta and her group of Australian nurses, and English sisters Norah and Ena and other civilian women and children. All arrive at the camp traumatised, weak, dehydrated, under-nourished and terrified. Loved ones missing or drowned or shot, isolation from everything familiar, fearing death at any moment. This is a traumatic tale and I stuck with it early on as the subject is interesting despite, emotionally, feeling a step away from what was happening. The third-person viewpoint is distant, wandering from Nesta to Norah and quickly back again when I really wanted to know their inner thoughts, the things they weren’t saying out loud.
The women are separated from the men and Norah’s sick husband John is taken to a different camp. Their daughter Sally was evacuated earlier from Singapore and Norah can only hope Sally is safe with her aunt. This is a story of female support, friendship, bravery and determination in the face of despair, cruelty, deprivation, filth and disease. The women get settled into a camp, organise, clean, work out systems to survive and to support each other, but no sooner are they settled than without warning they are moved again to another rat-infested filthy camp. The story is linear which, given we know the outcome and timeline of the war, is natural, but there was little suspense about the outcome of key characters. I particularly enjoyed the musical sections about Norah’s voice orchestra and would have appreciated more of this, particularly from individual singers.
I’ve read many novels now that are ‘based on a true story’ which have left me feeling vaguely disappointed. Does true history in some way shackle the writer’s imagination? This only seems to happen with novels based on relatively recent true history, as if there is a sub-conscious duty to tell the truth at the sacrifice of fiction. It doesn’t seem to happen with historical fiction that is based centuries ago.
A fascinating subject, the true story of these women really was horrendous.
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I expected more from a multimillion-copy bestselling author. The book is based on a true story. The author has obviously sat down and interviewed relatives of the original prisoners and based the narrative around that. Which would be fine, but it shows. Parts of it read like transcriptions. There's a flashback in the first part where one of the nurses is telling her history and the reasons she got into nursing and it reads exactly like an interview, not a natural narrative at all!

I wanted to read this book because I wanted more insight into this part of the war. Most of my education was on Germany and the UK with a little look into France. So it was interesting to see a different perspective on it. It was really enlightening on the conditions of prison camps under Japanese occupation.

I think I would have enjoyed it a lot more if the writing had been better though. It also felt really emotionless. The only emotion I got was from the contents of the story, there were no writing techniques used to add suspense or convey emotion. There was also not a lot of plot structure. It read like a series of reminiscences.

I honestly think that the author was more concerned with facts and not enough with making it a good story.

I have read many books based on WW2 but was unaware of the atrocities carried out by the Japanese. This was a very harrowing but good read, made all the more so by the fact that its based on real people

Wow, thank you to the publishers and to Netgalley. I'm so thankful that I have been given the opportunity to read this one. I don't know if I would have purchased it myself, but I absolutely loved it and then realising it is based on a true story - my jaw hit the floor!

The authors notes were fantastic too, I don't normally read those either, but I am so glad I did.

What a story, what phenomenal women.

Thank you Heather Morris for telling this story.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my copy of this e-arc!

Heather Morris never disappoints this story is one that I’ll think about for a long time. I really enjoyed every part it of. It was so emotional and thought provoking!

Solid 4 stars!

I actually found this book more absorbing and heartfelt that the authors previous works. I was rooting for the characters throughout and I loved the descriptions of their musical efforts. It focused on part of history that I knew very little about and I found it fascinating. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for my copy of this book.

A lovely, emotional story set in WWII. The setting alone sets the scene for some traumatic moments. Well developed and authentic characters help to create this fabulous story.

One thing that gets to me when I read a Heather Morris book is how realistic they are. I love the fact that they are based on real people and situations and that I learn so much from them.


Her book, The Tattooist of Auschwitz is my absolute favorite historical fiction book of all time. It’s just an incredible book.
Sisters Under The rising Sun is an unputdownable book. It’s heartbreaking, yet full of courageous moments and actions.

The women displayed such bravery in the face of adversity time after time. This was a very well researched book, and I enjoyed the author’s notes in the back of the book. We learn more about the characters and their life after the events at the end of the book.


Brave women are struggling to survive in Japanese POW camps in WWII. Their lives were a living hell, faced with starvation, abuse, deprivation of the most basic needs. A novel of sisterhood, bound together by chance and the need to survive the dark circumstances that their life has become. Let us remember these women and the many sacrifices they have given.

I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

Sisters Under The Rising Sun by Heather Morris is a powerful true story of survival in the Far East during World War II.
The novel starts in 1942 as the Japanese are invading Singapore. The fear and terror at the docks has been captured by the author. Some, make it home. However, the main characters are captured and spend the war in several Japanese P.O.W. camps. This is their story.
The women show much bravery and resilience. They develop a camaraderie, determined to keep going. Comfort is found in the setting up of an orchestra – which is just the women’s voices. They raise morale giving concerts which even the Japanese guards enjoy.
For the women, their war is one of death and disease in the tropical heat, as well as fear, starvation and cruelty. We witness man’s inhumanity to man.
Heather Morris has created a heartbreaking, and also inspiring, novel. We hear much about the war in Europe but less about the war in the Far East. This book offers a glimpse into a very different war.
I liked the inclusion of photographs at the end of the book, enabling the reader to put faces to names.
The war was brutal but the women were hope-filled and had strength of character. This book needs to be read in memory of those who perished and of those who survived.
I received a free copy. A favourable review was not required. All opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed Heather Morris' earlier novels and was looking forward to learning more about a time in history that I knew little about. In this instalment, we follow passengers fleeing Singapore in the midst of WWII to escape the Japanese invasion. A few days into the voyage, the ship is bombed and the survivors seek refuge on a remote Indonesian island. There they are captured and held in various POW camps for years, fighting the weather, illness, starvation, and brutality.

I listened to the audiobook for this one and I think that heavily impacted my overall thoughts and feelings. The narrator was good but I struggled to distinguish the different voices and she had a habit of not leaving line breaks between paragraphs which meant I often had to stop and work out what was happening as the story had moved in a different direction.

The coverage of the event itself was well-researched and documented, however, it felt a lot more like 'this happened and then this' unlike The Tattooist of Auschwitz for example, which had a much better flow. It read more like a memoir than historical fiction. I hate to say it, and I imagine this is because we're fairly desensitized to war with the myriad of books and films that now saturate the market, but I was quite bored a lot of the time. That's not to say that what these women went through was easy; quite the polar opposite. I just didn't feel a connection to any of the characters and wasn't as engaged with the story as I have been with others in the past.

I did love the parts about the voice choir which was also the best part about the audio as it actually played a recording of the hymn and Bolero which gave me goosebumps. And of course, I shed many a tear at the end.

I definitely learned a lot and for that I am grateful to Heather Morris for bringing another true story to life. It just wasn't written in a way that I could fully engage with.

I loved this book and have recommended it to my friends.
Based on a real life story of Australian nurses trapped in Hong Kong during the Second World War and then deported to Japanese Prisoner of War camps. Joined by civilians who were in the wrong place at the wrong time, the story tells of the courage and determination of those who were imprisoned.
Heartbreaking read but so interesting.

3 stars.

An informative read sharing an important part of history.

WWII. Families are fleeing Singapore to get away from Japanese army invasion. A ship carrying fleeing civilians and nurses is attacked leaving the evacuees lost at sea and eventually washed up on a remote island in Indonesia where they are captured by the Japanese army and held in prisoner-of-war (POW) camps.

This novel follows perspectives from the evacuee families and the nurses who fled with them, eventually ending up together in the POW camps. The narratives are blended together throughout chapters switching by paragraphs which I found confusing at times. I would have preferred clearer cut perspectives — by chapter or subtitle.

I connected more strongly with the nurses and enjoyed following their journey more so than the families they were alongside. There is a musical element to this storyline which I found endearing overall, but also struggled in believing the extreme cheeriness the author wrote these scenes with.

Friendship and sisterhood is a main theme and one that was critical for daily survival in the camps. The relationships were well fleshed out but at times, too cheery and because of this I failed to fully connect with the characters. I liked them and learned from them, but wasn’t invested in them.

The overall tone of the book wasn’t as heavy as I expected. The characters had a “cuteness” to them that felt unfitting during these horrific times. The characters dialogue and behaviour during their imprisonment wasn’t believable but it did make for a quick and easy read. The writing lacked the grit and heaviness I expect in historical fiction novels. The writing flowed well other than my preference for having the perspectives more clear cut. The atmosphere was vivid but my lack of connection to the characters kept me at a distance from the story.

Overall, this wasn’t a winner for me, but I appreciate learning about this time in our history. I recommend this to readers looking for a lighter but informative historical fiction experience.

Thank you to the publisher for my review copy!

Absolutely wonderful book, I loved every moment spent in the world of the characters. Dilemmas and joys all expertly crafted thank you!

This is the third book by this author that I have read. Whilst I did enjoy this book, there was something that missed the mark for me, and I can’t quite put my finger on it!
I think I may have read it in too close a proximity to another book that is quite similar which probably didn’t help, as I often found myself comparing them and the authors writing style.
Something about this book felt quite ‘simplistic’ in its construction and description.
That being said, I really enjoyed (if that’s the right word) learning all about the women who were captured and held POW by the Japanese in WW2! What a formidable group of women they were and what they must have had to endure for 3.5 years doesn’t bear thinking about.
I’ll be interested to see what the next instalment from this author is.

This story of brave women, mothers, nurses and religious sisters fighting together to survive the terrible experiences in a Japanese P.O.W camp in WWII did not move me emotionally as I thought it would. The characters felt two dimensional and I found it difficult to relate to them as there were so many of them to keep track of.
Reading the author’s notes at the end of the novel about the biographies of the main protagonists finally made that emotional link that for me was missing from the novel

Sisters Under the Rising Sun by Heather Morris
Having read The Tattooist of Auschwitz and Cilka’s Journey by the same author I was interested to know how the author would present the lives of the women who were held in Japanese POW camps during World War II. She focussed on certain women who actually existed and made excellent use of their personal stories to involve the reader in their trials. Sisters Nora and Ena feature prominently in the story as do Margaret Dryburgh, Mrs Gertrude Hinch and Sister Nesta James. Nesta James and a number of other Australian nurses boarded a ship called the Vyner Brook hoping to find safety. Aboard this same boat were Nora and Ena. They travelled with John, Nora’s husband but they have only just begun their voyage when their ship is hit by enemy fire and they sink. They survive in the sea and eventually find a remote beach but from here they are found by the Japanese and incarcerated in a Japanese POW camp.
They find themselves accompanied by the nurses and the women demonstrate amazing resilience as they cope with everything which the Japanese do to weaken and debilitate them. Their fortitude and bravery in the face of inhumane treatment is amazing and Heather Morris captures wonderfully the powerful bonds which develop between these strong women.
The book is well constructed and depicts their stories with power and humanity. It is also fascinating to read of their lives after their release. The book does not wallow in the horror of their situation but you feel incredibly moved by their story. I found their story gripping and would definitely recommend it to those for whom this period in history is perhaps not as well-known as others during World War II. Many thanks to the author, the publishers and Net Galley for the opportunity to read the book in return for an honest review.

Standing ovation for Heather Morris!

Another beautiful,, heart wrenching story done by Heather.

A good author does her research, and you can tell Heather is one of those. There is no other way could she capture this heart warming story so well.

Heather Morris always takes heavy stories and writes them so poignantly - she has a true gift. It’s fascinating to read these stories that are told so respectfully.

If you’ve read any of Heather Morris’ previous books, you’ll know she is an author like no other. Bringing to light the war stories of individuals, we hear of the true horrors of WW2, but also the sheer determination and incredible sense of hope from the protagonists and those around them.

In contrast to Heather’s other stories, this one is not set in Germany in the concentration camps, but in a Japanese POW camp in Indonesia.

This story opened my eyes to the sheer brutality of the war in the eastern countries - how it impacted Australians, for example. I knew little about the Japanese’s part in WW2 so I’m thankful that I got to learn that bit more through Norah & Nesta’s stories.

As with all of Heather’s books, the main characters, all real people, show incredible resilience and strength in the most merciless of places with the women of Sisters Under the Rising Sun bonding over music in a bid to keep spirits up. Something so simple yet ultimately lifesaving.

It really is one of those stories that will stay with you.