reading Liz Tolsma's Daisies are Forever, I had very high expectations for this book, The author really isn't afraid to delve into the horrors of war and the devastation it brings, I was excited to read what life was like in the Philippines at the time after having read so many WWII novels set in the European theater.
In regards to this story, I had a hard time connecting with the characters, At first I thought Irene was brave for bringing Rand the censored part of his message in order to save his life as a fellow internee, but as the story moved on, I felt some of her actions came across as immature, including her gullibility, lack of compassion for Mercedes and stubbornness regarding Rand's commitment to her at the end.
Rand's character undergoes a huge transformation and it was a good one at that, He was perhaps my favorite character, I didn't care for the blackmailing that came from Mr, Covey, at times it didn't seem believable that a wealthy, independent man like Rand would allow himself to be backed into a corner time and time again.
Nor why Irene would allow the man to blackmail her either, My last disconnection was how long Rand and Irene would go without seeing other, knowing full well in a gated community only so big, that they had plenty of opportunity to see each other or connect.
I finished the book feeling just a little let down, I'm not saying this story wasn't good in it's own right, it was, but I just felt it could have been better.
Overall, depictions of life in the camp were real and believable, and harsh, My heart broke for those who truly went through those years in Santo Tomas, I found myself Googling photos of the camp and the internees who lived there, Throughout, there's enough change to keep pulling you into the story and wanting to see how it turns out, Overall, I give the story three and recommend it for historical purposes and education, if nothing else, Title: Remember the Lilies
Author: Liz Tolsma
Pages:
Year:
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
This is a novel set during WWII in the Philippine Islands, specifically in Manila.
In, the island has fallen to the Japanese and all the residents of the city have been confined on a former universitys small campus.
The campus is now a prison camp, The two main characters are Rand Sterling and Irene Reynolds, and this is their fictional tale of a time of survival during captivity.
Rand Sterling lived a carefree life before the war, He was the owner of two successful nightclubs, and he came from a wealthy family, He drove a red convertible and enjoyed flirting with a different woman every evening at his nightclub, Now that war has arrived, he is no longer in a position to control his life the Japanese soldiers do that for him.
He wants nothing more than for the war to be over so he can get back to managing his nightclubs and has plans to expand his business by opening more nightclubs.
Then, he meets Irene and begins to seek her out as she is a calming influence on him, He doesnt share her faith, but over the course of time wants to share the rest of his life with her.
He longs to escape captivity and hates the Japanese soldiers and how they treat the captives, Rand is given the opportunity to experience forgiveness, but can he extend the same to others
Irene Reynolds was orphaned at the age of thirteen and went to live with her missionary aunt.
Her Aunt Anita became both mother and father to her, teaching Irene about God, They also experience the cruelty of their Japanese captors, but Aunt Anita shows her faith in God by finding some thing or some way that God has blessed her even in captivity.
Irene struggles with forgiveness toward her parents, who both abandoned her although at a different age in her life, There will be other people in the story who seek Irenes forgiveness, but will she be able to give it
I have read this authors prior two novels and enjoyed them, but this one just didnt fill the bill for me.
I found Rand rhymes to be annoying rather than silly or funny, and one of Irenes British friends kept saying, “Bangers and mash” way too much.
I did really like the character of Aunt Anita and her example of living her faith every day was a great testimony.
She was an excellent teacher of faith to Irene and to all those with whom she came in contact, I also liked Irenes generous heart toward orphan children, I plan to read the authors next book when available and hope I can connect with it better,
My rating isstars,
Note: I received a complimentary copy for an honest review of this book, The opinions shared in this review are solely my responsibility, Other reviews can be read at sitelink blogspo . Also follow me on Twitter lcjohnson, FaceBook at sitelink facebook. com/lisa. johnson
I don't know if I liked it or if it was just useful for what I was looking for while I'm writing my current project.
I fell in love with Liz Tolsmas first book, Snow on the Tulips, and have also reviewed Daisies are Forever.
Remember the Lilies is her third book and again her characters are memorable and realistic, her plot is exciting, and her settings are difficult to forget.
However, what I value most are the simple but profound Christian themes that run through the books authentically rather than as cliches.
For example, “Ever since her father had deserted her, she had been looking for someone to be there for her.
To watch over her. To provide for her. She looked to everyone but God, All the while, when she had been longing for a Father the most, she already had one, How foolish for her to have spent her life thinking otherwise, ”
You can read my complete review of this fastpaced, moving book on Tea Time with Annie Kate: sitelink co Liz Tolzmas book, Remember the Lilies, follows suit with her other novels: colorful characters, good research, vivid imagination surrounded by believable circumstances for historical fiction.
Tolzma shed light on a little known internment camp in the Philippines and captured my emotions with her tale of romance, suspense, and important themes of love, forgiveness, and redemption.
The story of the inhumane Japanese internment camp takes priority, as the characters struggle simply to stay alive.
But underneath lies the unlikely, budding romance between a missionarys daughter, Irene Reynolds, who works for the Japanese authorities, and a worldly, wealthy womanizer, Rand Sterling, who ends up in the torture chambers of Santo Thomas Internment Camp.
I am a fan of World War II fiction if it seems to accurately portray what happened with strong details and everyday characters caught in the throes of conflict.
Liz portrayed that well in this book as she did in her other novels,
Liz successfully weaves in teachable moments that everyone can relate to: spiritual truth in the midst of personal dilemma and conflictlike the words from her Aunt Anitas mouth when she identified the unspoken struggle going on in Irenes heart: “A good heart does not a believer make.
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Congratulations to Liz on another wellwritten World War II novel, I look forward to her next one,
I received this complimentary book from
the publishers and was glad to write a review, The powerful story thus book COULD have been was marred by the way the character Irene was written and the lack of Christian truth or morals within the book.
There was little to convince me that Irene was a true Christ follower even Rand had to tell her why we must forgive others.
I just couldnt feel much about the plight of the people because of how the storyline was, Should not be listed as Christian fiction IMO, Remember the Lilies is a war story about survival, hope, and love, Set in the Philippines during WWII, this is the story of two people who lived very different lives, but endured many trials and suffering during a horrific time that eventually brings them together.
A young missionary woman and a man whose life revolved around money and clubs wouldnt have very much in common and perhaps never would have even met had it not been for their captivity.
Their friendship starts slowly and as time goes on both begin to fall for one another,
I fell in love with this book, I tried to read similar books before and they failed to really capture me, Remember the Lilies is one of those haunting, tragically beautiful books about not just the facts of war, but the heart and the courage of people.
No matter how weak human bodies become, the spirit stays strong, Its ultimately what keeps hope and the desire for freedom alive no matter how far away it may be,
I adored both Irene and her aunt Anita, There were some moments between them that had me very close to tears, Irene and Rands relationship, as I said before, started off slowly, They became friends and then the feelings of love began to grow as they learned and discovered secrets they both were keeping.
And the more it seemed unlikely of survival, the more they relied on each other and kept going despite the hunger, illness, and mistreatment everyone had to deal with at the hands of the enemy soldiers.
Im happy with the ending of this book, I can only wonder what happened afterwards with Irene and Rand, and with the friends they both had made during their years of captivity in the Santo Tomas Internment Camp.
Will return to, For whatever reason, the setting just didn't interest me, Liz Tolsma is still a new voice in Christian fiction, but she has worked her way into the World War II historical romance fiction genre pretty well.
Remember the Lilies is Tolsmas third book with Daisies are Forever and Snow on the Tulips being her first two novels.
While the first two books take place in Nazi occupied lands of World War II, Remember the Lilies actually takes part in Philipines in Manila, which is where two of my grandfathers fought.
The covers for these three books and the genre Tolsma writes in is what drew me to her writing,
The writing was right on the money, I could see the hurting of the characters and understand from their perspective what it was like to actually starve.
Starve enough that their knees and joints were aching from all the malnutrition, I felt really bad for the characters of Irene, Mercedes, Tessa, and Rand, Tolsma does a good job at staying in the one characters head without head hopping, Nothing ruins a good story like jumping around from one point of view to the next without alerting your reader that you are.
As for the historical romantic tension in the story, Tolsma grabs her readers by the first chapter and doesnt let go.
Tolsma places her characters in the middle of a Japanese shanty and allows them to roam around, wanting to leave while they obey the Japanese soldiers in order to not die or worse, be tortured for hours or days on end.
Tolsmas research into the horrors of the Japanese prisons during World War II was evident in how realistic the story felt.
As for the romantic tension between Irene and Rand, it was unique, They both come from different backgrounds and wanted different things after the war ended, But as the story progressed, Rand started to see the love of God from Irene and decided to follow him.
Rand pursued Irene, even after he learned the secret Irene had kept from him,
The beginning scene where Rand gets tortured and has his fingers broken could be kind of hard for younger audiences to take, but it was a quick part of the book that the mature audiences could read it and not feel grimace in pain.
I think the chapter adds to the horror of the Japanese and should stay in the book,
Liz Tolsma creates a realistic portrayal of the Japanese shanties during World War II with realistic dilemmas, a harrowing hero, a meek heroine, and a shade of romance to lighten the harden subject.
I received a ebook copy of Remember the Lilies by Liz Tolsma from Thomas Nelson Publishers in the way of Netgalley and all the above opinions are my own.
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Start Reading Remember The Lilies (Women Of Courage #3) Originated By Liz Tolsma Formatted As Bound Copy
Liz Tolsma