This is the first novel I've read by Heather Morris.

As Singapore is falling to the Japanese army in 1942, women and children were among thos desperate to get out. Norah Chambers, an English musician, gets her young daughter onto a ship leaving and prays that will keep her safe. As panic rises and the island burns Norah, along with Australian nurse Nesta James, manages to get aboard another ship only for it to be sunk two days later. As they reach the shores of Indonesia they find themselves prisoners of the Japanese; along with many others they are moved to camps and subjected to a cruel and punishing regime.

This is a well-written tale about a harrowing time in history, and is a true testament to the amazing strong will and resilience of many prisoners of war. I have read other accounts but this is the first time I've come across the story of the Australian Nurses and it is not an easy read. There has obviously been an immense amount of research and the author is to be congratulated for writing a book full of compassion. I know that the Japanese people are ashamed of what happened during the war - my son-in-law is Japanese, but this is a story which needs to be told. An excellent - but not an easy - read. 4.5* and my recommendation.

My thanks to the publisher for my copy via NetGalley; this is - as always - my honest, original and unbiased review.

I am truly in awe of these women, their strength, compassion and courage. Heather Morris tells the story of Nesta and Norah and other incredible woman and child who endured Japanese war camps in world war 2. Thank you Netgalley and Heather Morris for sharing a truly inspiring story of how strong woman are

Sisters under the Rising Sun is an amazing book about what love, unity, determination and friendship can do when all these characteristics come together. I loved reading about WWII from the other side of the world and how Japan started to take over some countries and how the people that lived there tried to survive this difficult moment of their life. It is a sad book but in the same time it's full of hope and love.

Having read all of Heather Morris' previous books, I was of course excited and intrigued to pick this up.
This is a story of survival and courage.
Seeing the survivors families wanting the world to know women suffered the same horrific abuse as men but doing so with children as well was incredibly moving - they were determined to survive.
As you may expect, there are many upsetting and sad moments and outcomes but the subject matter is handled sensitively, as Heather Morris always does.
This is another story that will really stick with me.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A brilliant novel about resilience and survival.
Norah Chambers, an English musician, puts her daughter on a ship leaving Singapore knowing she may never see her child again. And Sister Nesta Jones, Australian nurse who enlisted to help allied troops. They both board the Vyner Brooke with family and friends unbeknown two days later the ship is bombarded and sunk. They survive 24hrs in the sea only to be captured by the Japanese and taken to POW camps. Norah and Nesta fight side by side helping whoever they can for three long years.
A story about women in war, sisterhood, bravery and friendship in the most unimaginable of circumstances. It’s an heartbreaking, beautifully written and inspiring story, all based on true events.
Definitely recommend this one.
Thanks to #NetGallery @bonnierbooksuk @heathermorris for an arc of #SistersUnderTheRisingSun in exchange for a honest review. All opinions are my own.
Book publishes 28th September 2023.

I loved the Tattooist of Auschwitz and I really wanted to love this one too but unfortunately I was quite disappointed with the writing and the overall story . I think the author could have used the real life stories of these women as an inspiration and wrote something with a bit more depth .

Years ago I read a novel - Guests Of The Emperor - about the interment of women in Japanese camps during WWII which has stayed with me to this day ( I need to find a copy and re-read it) so I was really excited to get an #arc for Sisters In The Sun . But the book is unfortunately disappointing . The story is very basic - I couldn’t connect to any of the characters , the dialogue is meh ; and I’m not sure by characters are constantly referred to by their first and last name 🤷🏼‍♀️ there’s also a lot of telling instead of showing … what’s more disappointing is that this is based on real life stories - the only good thing about finishing the book was that there was information on the real life people featured in the book .

Absolutely beautiful, heartbreaking story, so moving.

My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publishers. Not sure whether I liked this book or not, in places I did and in others just dragged on. I shall leave it to others to decide.

4.5 stars
I feel pretty ashamed to say that I’d never given much thought to the WW2 prisoner of war camps run by the Japanese or who might be living in them.

In this novel, Heather Morris gives voice to the Australian, British, Dutch and American women who lived in the Japanese camps. Their story is astounding and the verification at the end that the characters were, in fact, real people and not created by Morris is humbling.

I don’t want to paint this as a tragic read; it is, but the prevailing theme is one of hope in the most hopeless of places and the resilience of women. A beautiful novel.

Thank you Netgalley and Bonnier Nooks for my eArc.

Sisters Under The Rising Sun by Heather Morris
I give this book 4.5 stars.

1942. Singapore is falling to the Japanese Army. As the island burns, Australian nurse Nesta James joins English musician Norah Chambers and the terrified cargo of people, crammed aboard the HMS Vyner Brooke. After only two days at sea, the ship is bombarded and sunk.
Nesta and Norah reach the beaches of Indonesia only to be captured and held in a Japanese POW camp.The friendships they build with the dozens of other women in the camps will give them the hope, strength and camaraderie they need in order to stay alive.

“Know now of them. Remember them.”
A deeply moving account based on real people and events this novel had me totally absorbed while reading.A powerful insight into the horrifying atrocities and the resilience and bravery of the innocent women,children,nurses caught up in it. A story told by the narrative of two women, detailing the indurance,survival and friendships,make this a heart wrenching book that will stay with me.Especially after reading the authors note which includes names,details and afterwords from family members.With thanks to Netgalley,Heather Morris and Bonnier Books UK, Zaffre for my chance to read and review this book.

Sisters Under The Rising Sun is the stories of British civilians and Australian nurses who after surviving the sinking of their evacuation ship were interred in Japanese POW camps.
These are harrowing accounts of brave, resilient and determined women suffering cruelty, starvation and tropical diseases through blazing sun, monsoons and storms. Bleak and heart wrenching, the friendships of the women are what got those that survived through this shocking period of history as this is based on real accounts.
Despite the sheer horror people can be treated as such, this is a novel of hope within humankind.

I enjoyed reading this book although I did find myself constantly picturing the television programme Tenko. I was intrigued to learn that the story was based on real people and their experiences.

A poignant account of women held as prisoners by the Japanese in the Second World War after trying to flee from Singapore. It charts two specific groups - Australian nurses and a pair of musical sisters.

This book is not an easy read for several reasons. The story is based on facts and the real-life events which took part during World War II in the Japanese Prisoner of War camps. Heather Morris throws the reader straight into the fall of Singapore and the capture of residents. What these women have to endure at the hands of their captors is horrific and their ability to keep fighting to stay alive despite all the horrors forced up on them was amazing.

The characters in the story are all real and their history is well documented. The story is told by Nesta James, an Australian nurse and Norah Chambers a British mother and musician. These are all amazing women, they are resilient, determined and resourceful and I couldn't help but admire them. Unfortunately, the writing style stopped me from really connecting with them. I felt like I was an onlooker rather than being part of their story which was a shame. These characters should have been easy to empathise with, what they suffered is unbelievable and should never be forgotten.

The historical facts are fascinating and I did further research after reading the book. However, for me, the writing was not emotional, the short paragraphs made the story choppy and it didn't fully engage me. It is a story that should have made me emotional but it didn't till the end, when they were being rescued.

Overall, this is a fascinating story and one which should be read, but it didn't have the same feel as the author's previous books.

What a book! Thank you to Heather Morris who tells us about an important part of history, but tells us in such a readable way.
It’s inspiring, emotional and uplifting. How these women managed to survive captivity in the jungle for 3 years and 7 months is a testament to how they worked as a team, as a family and how they supported and encouraged one another.
Thank you Netgalley, I appreciate being able to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a harrowing story about two women, alongside many others who were captured and held as prisoners by the Japanese through the war. Torn away from their families, friends and colleagues, expected to survive in squalor.

Despite the rancid conditions the women were kept in they maintained compassion, love, generosity and above all else hope. They became resilient and lifted others even when they barely had the energy to get through the day. I took away from the story that even when the going gets tough we should still get up show up and give life our all.

Considering it was horrific reading about the circumstances these people went through the book was absolutely beautiful albeit heartbreaking all at the same time. Heather Morris has done an amazing job at putting the true facts into this story. I highly recommend to everyone.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

Gorgeous, emotional, powerful. I have loved every single one of Heather’s previous books and this one is no different! Such a beautiful story and told really well.

This is such a moving book, I was in tears when reading about the treatment of the women and children, the conditions they endured and how resilient they were. I’ve read quite a lot of books about WWII but this is the first one that was about what happened when families were trying to leave Singapore and were captured by the Japanese. Obviously well researched, I hadn’t realised it was based on real people’s experiences. Highly recommended.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

The basis of this book is a true account of a harrowing experience. However I just found it to be a bit disconnected in places and hard to follow.