Sisters under the Rising Sun

A moving and beautifully written story, set in Singapore and Indonesia, about the bravery and resilience of women during WWII.

The characters captured my heart, especially sisters, Norah and Nesta, and June, the little girl they rescued from the sea. All of the women did everything they could to survive and supported each other, under hellish and brutal conditions as prisoners of the Japanese army.

The descriptions and emotions were written sensitively and highlighted the small moments of joy that were to be found amongst the horror, especially the music, which was incredible and a great reason to choose the audiobook version of this book.

Of course, not all of the women survived and the way some of them died was shocking and heartbreaking. It’s really hard to accept that events such as this occurred less than 100 years ago and I believe that stories such as this are important to ensure that we never forget.

Laura Carmichael’s narration was excellent, I especially loved her Dutch accent.

5 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, Heather Morris and Bonnier for an ARC in return for an honest review.

An emotional and heart-rending WW11 narrative written and narrated with such tenderness and sensitivity. When war encroaches on Singapore, musician Nora places her only child Sally on board a ship, hopefully to safety as she stays behind to tend to her ill husband. Soon, she finds herself on board a ship, which is bombed from above. After a perilous 24hrs at sea, she and fellow shipwreckees find themselves 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. The audiobook brings the voices of the women alive, spoken with heartache, horror, strength, and determination. It's one of my favourite listens of 2023. #sistersundertherisingsun #heathermorris #netgalley #audiobook #historicalfiction