This is a fantastic addition to the series of books by this author. I always find books about World War II chilling, such evil should have never happened - however these stories need to be told and this author is amazing. The sisters story, as so many were in this period, were harrowing. I’m glad I got to hear about them and they won’t be forgotten.

I am a big fan of Historical Fiction, and especially gravitate towards women's stories, so this was a natural choice for me to pick up. Sisters under the Rising Sun tells the story of various women captured as POWs by the Japanese during WWII. After the boat intending to carry them to safety from Singapore sinks, the women and children must survive desperate conditions to first find land and then to get through their time in the POW camps. Based on real events, author Heather Morris' aim was to tell the stories of these women whose names and experiences need to be remembered.
The main thing I enjoyed about this book was learning more about this aspect of WWII; the historical events led me on a rabbit hole of research as I was reading (which I associate with Historical Fiction) and the author has included notes at the end which elaborate on the women referred to in the story. However, a danger of writing a story with so many characters was that it would be hard to keep track of exactly what was happening, and this novel did fall into that trap. While the story is centred around two women in particular, and the women connected to them, it felt less like a story and more like a series of events portrayed in novel form.
I enjoyed learning more about the women's story, but doing so effectively was always going to be a struggle unfortunately.

This was my first time reading a book from the author but I am delighted to say I thoroughly enjoyed the story and I look forward to reading more books from the writer in the future

Thanks, NetGalley, the publisher and to the author for offering me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I have to admit that I've read several books about certain' s people's lives during WWII, however, most of them were about events happening in Europe, not knowing exactly what was happening on the other side of the world.

This is the second book of the author (the first one being The Tattooist of Auschwitz, having a few on my TBR list), but I have to say I enjoyed it and I believe she has done a great job expressing all the feelings and emotions that the ladies that survived went through.

Although it's a sad story overall about how the nurses tried to survive the camps they went through (with most of them not even surviving), this is a very emotional and heartbreaking story.

Heather Morris did it again! What a story, and how to find words to describe how much I enjoyed both the story, the choir and the details about the characters’ lives given at the end? Let’s just say that I was captured, emotionally envolved by powerful story telling and throughly enjoyed this narrator. A solid 5/5 from me, there’s nothing I didn’t like, other than the fact that war is devastating.

A 3.5 stars. This is my second Heather Morris book(I loved reading The Tattooist of Auschwitz) and my first audio book from her work. I am glad that I read this book in the audio format because music plays an important role in this book. The experience of listening to the story of the brave women who endured and survived the horrible conditions in the POW camps amidst the jungles, with only music and their songs to give them hope was made even more heartrending.

Nora Chambers is an English musician and along with her sister and husband John they aboard the Vyner Brook ship to escape Singapore. But the ill fated ship was bombed by the Japanese and Nora, her sister Ena and her husband, along with a group of Australian nurses who were on board were ship wrecked and they reach a remote island only to be captured and sent to a POW camp. Then starts the women's struggles to survive in appalling conditions. Even in the most unimaginable living conditions the women don't lose hope and they constantly support each other, sharing their rations when food is scarce or standing up for each other when the Japanese soldier force atrocious punishments on them.

I did feel that in some places the narration was a little disjointed and broken and the numerous characters made it difficult to trace the stories of all the women especially in the start of the novel. But the story depicts the courageous women who faced adversity almost every day and sometimes came up with ingenious ways to rebel and oppose against their captors. Definitely a must read for all lovers of historical fiction.

Meticulously researched and giving voice to the hundreds of women held in Japanese internment camps during WWII, this is another triumph of historical fiction by Heather Morris.

I listened to the audiobook, and it was a grippingly immersive experience, thanks in no small part to the wonderful narration by Laura Carmichael, whose mastery of a variety of accents brought the main protagonists vividly to life, making them readily identifiable. The audio was further enhanced by the inclusion of music, notably a moving rendition of Ravel’s Bolero by the prisoners’ ‘voice orchestra’, which reduced me to tears.

The story revolves around two real historical figures: English musician Nora Chambers and Welsh Australian military nurse, Sister Nesta James, who were both captured by the Japanese when the ship they were escaping Singapore on was bombed and sunk. The narrative follows them and their fellow women prisoners — mostly nurses, nuns and missionaries — through their three years and seven months of hell in a string of internment camps on an Indonesian island.

Morris’ account of the inhumane conditions, Japanese brutality and dreadful suffering is unflinching. It’s horrific, deeply disturbing and at times impossible to grasp. But what kept me listening were the women. Their resilience, resourcefulness and bravery knew no bounds. Their sense of community, of sisterhood, of all for one and one for all was quite extraordinary. A beautiful, beautiful thing.

Of course, not all the women survive. And the deaths we hear about are very distressing. But even in these ghastly conditions, the living find a way to bury their lost sisters with a poignant dignity, love and grace.

We stay with the survivors until their eventual release and reunion with family and friends, all of them throat-choking moments that will stay with me for a very long time.

A remarkable story superbly told.

Unfortunately this archived before I had downloaded but I will be purchasing the audio when I can and will update my review!

I am always nervous to start a Heather Morris book, because I know that I will not want to put it down & that it will leave me both moved & yearning to find out more!
This was no exception.
Set in Singapore and Indonesia during WW2, this fiction-based-on-fact story tells of a group of Australian nurses who were evacuated from Singapore & found themselves stranded in Indonesia following the sinking of their ship the Vyner Brooke.
In Indonesia, they found themselves living with, and caring for, a group of women & children, of mostly British & Dutch descent ina POW camp. The story centres primarily on a nurse, Nesta James, two sisters Norah & Ena and June, the little girl they rescued from the sea, but the book is both a tribute to these women & a testament to the bravery and resilience shown by all the POWs.
As the women adapt to life in captivity, they tend the sick, create a choir to bring moments of joy to their days, produce a newspaper to share stories with their fellow captives and do whatever is needed to survive in the brutal regime as prisoners of the Japanese army. Not all of the women survive and the stories of the losses are heartbreaking yet the way the remaining women dealt with them, digging graves, creating markers, honouring the memories, was poignant.
The writing was sensitive, emotional and like all of Heather’s other books, brings a forgotten story to the wider world.
I both read the book and listened to the audiobook and I would absolutely recommend the audiobook. Laura Carmichael has a way with words that brings the voices of the women alive – she is able to convey the fear, the determination and the heartbreak really well, but the absolute treasure for me was the incorporation of the musical interludes – the captives hymn and the “voice orchestra” brought the story to life in a unique way.
The authors notes & stories of “what happened next” were also very moving.
The book itself is a 5* read, but the audiobook elevates it significantly & this is a book that will stay with me for a long time.

Interesting and informative telling of the women held captive by the Japanese during WW2. Centred around a group of Australian nurses we follow them through first capture following the sinking of the evacuation ship to their subsequent lives a POW"S.
The shocking conditions and the degradation that the actual POW's suffered is shown throughout this book. It is a true testimony on how people can treat each other with such inhumanity just because they have a different nationality and different beliefs.
Heather Morris writes about a time in history that should be remembered and in all its horrors so that we should learn from the past and not repeat it.

Thank you to the publishers and Netgalley of the the free audio version of the is book in exchange for an honest review,

Thank You, NetGalley for the review copy.
Sisters Under the Rising Sun by Heather Morris is the third book by the author that I have listened to. This is the story of Sister Nesta James, a Welsh Australian nurse and an English musician, Norah Chambers, along with their friends and family, who find themselves shipwrecked on an island controlled by the Japanese during the Second World War. It is the story of their struggles, loss and resilience during their years of captivity under hostile conditions. Like most of her books, this too is based on a true story. But another aspect is that it felt pretty linear. However, definitely worth a read.

The book also dealt with some intriguing themes, such as identity, family, and justice. The story was fast-moving and full of surprises, keeping me interested until the end.

3.5 stars. A good read for any historical fiction fans that follows a group of women that become Japanese prisoners of war in 1942 and how they fought to survive physically and mentally. Audio version added to the dimension with singing and a version of the voice orchestra which was excellent. Many thanks to Netgalley and Bonnier UK audio for the ARC

A heart wretching story of war and the loss and sadness that comes with it. But also a story of love and hope. Very well written and one that will stay with you long after you have read it.

I’ve just accidentally read 2 WWII novels in a row, very much in the same vein. But my god this blew me away. A stunning piece of work, adapted and tributed to true stories, real people, real hero’s.

I cried tears of sorrow and tears of joy, but above all I absolutely fell in love with these amazing woman. It’s a horror story of war, but above all it’s a story of love, friendship, female solidarity and stoicism. The audio version includes some beautiful pieces of music and a tribute from the author and some family members of a couple of the woman. If you’re looking for a historic novel, this is it!

Thank you to NetGalley and Bonnier UK Audio for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook in return for an honest review.

3.5*

Singapore is falling as the Japanese make their way to the Southern tip of Malaya and those who can flee are doing so. Norah Chambers ensures her daughter Sally has a chance of safety and sends her off with her aunt on a ship. She soon follows on the HMS Vyner Brooke, which is torpedoed just 2 days after setting sail. On board is Norah, an Australian nurse and the story evolves largely through the experiences of these two women. The novel is based on the actual experiences of women who were interned at that time.

They find themselves in Mentok, where the Japanese have already set up a POW camp. The horrors of incarceration are only just beginning.

The author captures the bravery of the women assembled there and their determination not to be brow beaten and humiliated by their captors. Bonding over music and comradeship, the spirits of the internees are bolstered, despite the deprivations and hardships they must endure.

The TV show TENKO, which aired in UK in the early 1980s set the bar very high for drama set in this period and describes similar circumstances to those in the novel. It portrayed the mistreatment of women in SE Asia, - based on true stories - which until that point had been poorly documented. In the novel, the author has chosen people, who in real life were also held captive by the Japanese and the book is clearly a tribute to the many amazing women who survived the ordeal. Tenko had passion and memorable characters but Sisters Under the Rising Sun is over-populated - no doubt the author had to include great swathes of people - which made it feel a little fractured. I felt almost as though the events were happening inside a goldfish bowl and I couldn't quite grasp the power of emotion and fear, which clearly must have abounded. I felt distanced from their plight. This was further underlined by the narrator of the audiobook, who enunciated very clearly but never really modulated her voice - to such an extent that my mind kept wandering to other things. The delivery felt like a stream of consciousness, there was no power and range in her articulation and when the Vyner Brooke went down, there was no urgency or undulation (she could have been listing items on a shelf, it felt that lacklustre).

So, my task was to try and assess the quality of the writing and storytelling, without succumbing to the soporific rendering of the story by the narrator. It was hard. As a package, it didn't really float my boat (pardon the pun). But all credit to the author for shining a light on a brave set of women who endured much.

So this is not my usual genre but HELL YEH I absolutely adored this. So so sad but great to learn about those times

I really enjoyed this very emotional and raw historical book based on true events. A story of sisters connecting through music in dire times. One of the fun things about the audiobook was the music that was present as well. This was a sad and hard-hitting novel, but I enjoyed it and the relationships within.

A very valuable account of a group of military nurses who get caught up in the falling of Singapore and families who re parted from their children. . A very important and tragic time for all sides, it was relentless and horrific. However and important piece of history to tell, the story describes the accounts of many of the nurses and the other people they befriend and connect with and their courage to get through the bombing of ships and captures by the Japanese. Shortage of food and medicines, basic sanitation and the mistreatment at the hands of their captors shows us just how resilient we can be. Also acts as a reminder that we should never go to war again. I liked the audio version as it had the =sound of the choir and it was very moving, also a summary of what happened after the war ended, where everyone went back to, did they connect with family etc. Made it very real. A well researched and sensitively written book. Thank you #NetGalley for the audiobook to review.

Not my favourite Heather Morris book but it was ok, thank you NetGalley for the audiobook. I do feel like the audiobook definitely made it a better book as I got to hear the music they sang and although it was a lovely story of sisterhood and camaraderie I felt that the individual characters stories was a bit superficial at times and I struggled to connect and care for them