Wow, what a story.
Those of us who remember Tenko (I was young, it left an impression) know that it wasn't just British men and soldiers who were imprisoned by the Japanese across south east Asia during the Second World War, they took women and children too, placing them into camps in appalling conditions. The story of the Australian nurses and British women captured after attempting to escape from Singapore, is a tale that simply has to be told - their courage, their resilience, their audacity, and their eventual fates should be remembered and celebrated.
I had no idea that the same fate landed on the Dutch men and women of Indonesia, too - but of course it did, that whole region was colonialised at that time, and not just by the British. It's a reminder we need to be less presumptuous in our beliefs.
The only reason I am not giving this a full five stars is that I struggle with the writing style of the author, and the words she places in the mouths of her characters. While everything that happened really did happen, the dialogue has a falsity to it I can't get past; a little too Hallmark movie, for me.

This tells the story of the women in the Japanese Prisoner of War Camps during WWII. The women suffered the most appalling living conditions and treatment, but found the strength to cope with whatever was thrown at them. I enjoyed reading the story, and learning more about what those women had to endure, but for me, The Tattooist of Auschwitz was a better read. I just felt that this story, although really important, didn't have a much depth. But worth recommending.

A powerful, gripping tale told by women who suffered through the horrors of WW2. Although Sisters Under the Rising Sun was a harrowing read at times, it serves as an important reminder of endurance, hope and defiance even in the bleakest of times.

Whilst most stories about World War 2 are centered in Europe, this story of women’s survival and resilience in a Japanese prison camp gave an accurate portrayal of their time in captivity and how important community is in times of hardship. Few stories describe the pain of Singaporean women refugees during the war and through Sisters under the rising Sun, Heather Morris shone a light on a part of history that is often forgotten. This book is a hard read but takes readers on a emotional journey during the protagonists’ 3 and a half years in captivity.

Raw, emotional and thoroughly gripping. As well as a great read, this is a real reminder of what women also suffered in WW2 and also how the human spirit can endure. So incredibly well written, I am now planning on reading more by this wonderful author

Wow - another brilliant novel by Heather Morris. It is heartbreaking & uplifting in equal measure. It is all the more poignant because it is in essence a true story - a story of the horrors for women in internment in Malaya during the 2nd World War. The suffering and pain is real as is the strength of the women involved and the ‘sisterhood’ that helped them (sadly not all) survive. A must read book.

I have read all of the Heather Morris books and have thoroughly been drawn into and loved them all.. Her writing style is exquisite and she really helps you to live in the moment and understand the true traumas of what individuals went through during World War 2. I especially enjoyed Sisters Under the Rising Sun & felt very connected to Norah & Nesta. This book made me cry several times as you relive their reality and by the of the book I was sobbing. Well done on another masterfully written encounter Heather. Its so important that we remember what others went through to enable us to live the lives we do today. My own Nana was in a Concentration Camp during the War and her family lost so much. My Nana is sadly no longer with us and passed just before her 100th Birthday after not being able to see her family for 2 years because of Covid. I wish I had the skills to keep her story alive too in the written form.

A harrowing and heartbreaking WW2 narrative written with tenderness and sensitivity. As the sexond world war encroaches on Singapore, musician Nora sends her only child Sally away on a ship, hopefully to safety as she stays behind to tend to her ill husband. Their own ship suffers an air bombing and they are shipwrecked. After a perilous 24hrs at sea, she and fellow shipwreckees are rounded up by Japanese soldiers and marched to a POW camp. Nora, a nurse called Nesta, her sister Ena, and a band of stoical and determined women form a support for each other amongst the atrocities suffered at the hands of the soldiers. They form a troupe of nurses to tend to the sick, they create a choir to bring moments of relief and beautiful anthems that form a balm for the soul against their harrowing experiences, even if it is only temporary, and they create a newspaper to share birthdays and key information with their fellow captives. This is a story of sheer strength and will tonsurvive even in the darkest of times. One ofmy favourite reads of 2023 #sistersundertherisingsun #heathermorris #netgalley #historicalfiction

A fantastic read which fans of Heather Morris will love! Although weary to go into this because I enjoyed the Tattooist of Auschwitz so much, Morris proved her master storytelling blended with fact in this great historical fiction novel which is a refreshing look at the genre

This is an amazing book. Set in the Japanese prisoner of war camps in the second world war, it elicits all the emotions as you follow their battle to survive. I was continually amazed at the generosity and resilience of the women in appalling circumstances. Definitely recommended.

This is a gruelling read at times, but testament to the horrors of war, which we all must learn from.

I have to admit it took me some time to really get absorbed in the book and it’s not in my opinion as good as the Tattooist of Auschwitz, but never the less, it’s a very enlightening, if dark, read. I knew very little about WW1 in Indonesia and both setting and female POW perspectives made for an interesting and rather eye opening read. Heather Morris blends fact and fiction in a way that only exceptional writers can.

Impossible to read this without bringing tears to the eyes, but there are moments of joy in this too.

3.75 stars

Sisters under the Rising Sun is another engaging slice of historical fiction from Heather Morris, focussing on the pacific theatre during World War II and specifically Singapore's internment of westerners by the Japanese.

The book focusses primarily on groups of women - a group of Australian nurses, some Dutch Nuns and a pair of sisters fleeing Singapore. These bands of 'sisters' create a community to survive both the horrors that they have seen and the horrors that they endure.

Morris explores a less trodden narrative of WW2 historical fiction, illuminating the tribulations of this diverse group, treated as prisoners of war, with her usual captivating style. If you enjoyed her other books you will certainly enjoy this one, ultimately celebrating the enduring of the human spirit.

I’ve been a fan of Heather Morris’ writing since The Tattooist of Auschwitz, and this book certainly disappoint in terms of her ability to write a heartbreaking yet inspiring story. Her trademark blend of fact and fiction is truly perfect and an excellent way for readers to connect with characters. I did feel that there were perhaps too many characters and I know everyone deserves to have their story told, but in this case less may have been more. There were times when I wanted to know more about their lives in the camps and that it was a bit rushed. Overall an interesting read about a part of history I knew nothing about! I rounded my review to 3.75 as I’m very undecided on what to rate it.

It's hard to say when a subject matter is so dark, but I enjoyed reading this book and learning about this part of WWII history that I was unaware of. It was very interesting to hear about prisoner of war stories from a female perspevtive and to learn at the end of the book that the women were real was even more fascinating.

I did find that there were so many womens names that I got a little lost from time to time, especially June and Jean, but I would recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in history and the roles women played during this part of the war.

Women are tough and adaptable and this was shown in abundance here. The characters within the book were well written and the descriptions allowed for a vivid picture of their hardships. My one negative would be the lack of tension within the group, there would of been some disagreements amongst such strong women.

A powerful and moving story. It took me a little while to get into it but I was gripped by the end and fascinated to read the short biographies of the main characters at the end. Difficult to read in parts but brought to focus some of the unimaginable atrocities suffered by these prisoners of war.

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this amazing jaw dropping book

all based on a truly remarkable and awful time during the second world war

think tenko...and you might get some idea of what these prisoners of war had to endure

oh my goodness me i wept tears whilst reading this book.... the characters are not just fictional they actually lived and breathed through all this

every experience they had whilst struggling to survive against the harsh condition and the treatment that was dished out by the japanese guards, it is truly harrowing

but there were lighter moments of joy with the singing

this book will stay with me for quite a while

Thank you to Heather Morris, Netgalley and Bonnier Books for the ARC of Sisters Under the Rising Sun.

I have read most of Heather Morris’ books and this latest novel feels very much in keeping with her previous work.
The story throws spotlight onto important topics that I was personally very ignorant to and so whilst sometimes the detailed descriptions and information weigh the reader down, it’s important that the reader fully understands the experiences of the war.
Another very strong historical fiction novel by Heather Morris.

As a UK citizen, there is a lot I was taught about World War II, none of which includes Japanese POW camps. This book is inspired by the Vyner Brook Tragedy, and it's the first time I've heard of it. The Vyner Brook was a ship that was bombed. Many aboard died during the bombing and after in the water, while the 'lucky', if you could consider them that, reached shore, were captured by the army and taken to POW camps. The men were separated from the women and children, and this book follows the women and children.

This book showed such bravery and determination, and I loved how they created a choir of voices to build morale. They formed strong bonds, gave each other strength and stuck together as a team irrelevant of potential consequences. They faced many battles including sickness, the sun, lack of food and physical beatings.

Unfortunately, although The Tattooist of Auschwitz is one of my favourite books, this one fell short for me. An incredibly important read, but the scenes often jump, feel unfinished and start and finish randomly.

I love that the ending of this book gives details of the incredible real women used as characters within. I received a copy of Sisters Under the Rising Sun by Heather Morris from Echo Publishing and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Firstly a big thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance readers copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Set on a POW camp in Indonesia during World War 2. Sisters Under the Rising Sun tells the story of the woman and particularly a group of Australian nurses time as internees.

This a story of survival, the struggle, the suffering and the unimaginable lengths they went to to protect themselves and each other. This is not just a story of the horrors of the POW camp but also the humanity of the survivors. In true Heather Morris fashion this a story of hope in so much darkness. By the end of this book I was in tears.

If you have enjoyed the author’s previous books then this is a must read. 5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️