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Beside a Burning Sea
From the author of Beneath a Marble Sky comes an inspiring new novel of a man and a woman from different worlds whose love is put to the ultimate test as they struggle to survive an extraordinary set of circumstances.
View our feature on John Shors' Beside a Burning Sea.
One moment, the World War II hospital ship Benevolence is patrolling the South Pacific on a mission of mercy—to save wounded American soldiers. The next, Benevolence is split in two by a torpedo, killing almost everyone on board. A small band of survivors, including an injured Japanese soldier and a young American nurse whom he saves from drowning, makes it to the deserted shore of a nearby island.
Akira has suffered five years of bloodshed and horror fighting for the Japanese empire. Now, surrounded by enemies he is supposed to hate, he instead finds solace in their company—and rediscovers his love of poetry. While sharing the mystery and beauty of this passion with Annie, the captivating but tormented woman he rescued, Akira grapples with the pain of his past while helping Annie uncover the promise of her future. Meanwhile, the remaining castaways endure a world not of their making—a world as barbaric as it is beautiful, as hateful as it is loving.
With the blend of epic storytelling and emotional intensity that distinguishes him as a unique talent, John Shors reveals a powerful story of redemption focusing on unlikely lovers, heroes and villains, and war-torn countries—all, in their own ways, fighting to survive.
View our feature on John Shors' Beside a Burning Sea.
One moment, the World War II hospital ship Benevolence is patrolling the South Pacific on a mission of mercy—to save wounded American soldiers. The next, Benevolence is split in two by a torpedo, killing almost everyone on board. A small band of survivors, including an injured Japanese soldier and a young American nurse whom he saves from drowning, makes it to the deserted shore of a nearby island.
Akira has suffered five years of bloodshed and horror fighting for the Japanese empire. Now, surrounded by enemies he is supposed to hate, he instead finds solace in their company—and rediscovers his love of poetry. While sharing the mystery and beauty of this passion with Annie, the captivating but tormented woman he rescued, Akira grapples with the pain of his past while helping Annie uncover the promise of her future. Meanwhile, the remaining castaways endure a world not of their making—a world as barbaric as it is beautiful, as hateful as it is loving.
With the blend of epic storytelling and emotional intensity that distinguishes him as a unique talent, John Shors reveals a powerful story of redemption focusing on unlikely lovers, heroes and villains, and war-torn countries—all, in their own ways, fighting to survive.
419 pages, Paperback
First published September 2, 2008
46 people are currently reading
1935 people want to read
About the author
John Shors
15 books646 followersHi, everyone. I hope this message finds people well.
I'm the bestselling author of The Demon Seekers trilogy, My Midnight Sun, Unbound, Beneath a Marble Sky, Temple of a Thousand Faces, Cross Currents, Beside a Burning Sea, Dragon House, and The Wishing Trees. My novels have won multiple awards and have been translated into twenty six languages. I have also spoken (via speakerphone) with more than 3,000 book clubs around the world.
For more information on my work, please visit www.johnshors.com or friend me on Facebook or Instagram.
Thank you for your support!
- John
I'm the bestselling author of The Demon Seekers trilogy, My Midnight Sun, Unbound, Beneath a Marble Sky, Temple of a Thousand Faces, Cross Currents, Beside a Burning Sea, Dragon House, and The Wishing Trees. My novels have won multiple awards and have been translated into twenty six languages. I have also spoken (via speakerphone) with more than 3,000 book clubs around the world.
For more information on my work, please visit www.johnshors.com or friend me on Facebook or Instagram.
Thank you for your support!
- John
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 413 reviews
September 19, 2023
A compelling example of heroic wartime storytelling
As would be expected, the World War II hospital ship “Benevolence held nearly five hundred hospital beds, which were filled with soldiers who suffered everything from chest wounds to lost appendages to malaria and psychiatric maladies”. What the captain was unaware of was its illicit and entirely proscribed cargo of fuel, ammunition and weapons destined to aid the US war effort against the Japanese in the Solomon Islands. When a torpedo slammed into the ship and sent it to the bottom, the spy who called in the torpedo strike and eight other survivors including the captain and his wife, two nurses, a black American enlisted sailor, a young stowaway, a US naval officer and an injured Japanese naval officer find themselves marooned on the quintessential south Pacific tropical island.
BESIDE A BURNING SEA is a magnificent story of love lost and love found, redemption, courage and heroism, race relations and racism, beauty and ugliness. While the climax pushes the drama well into the realm of overwrought melodrama, I doubt that any reader would turn the final page feeling that it was ever less than gripping and absolutely entertaining from front to back.
A haiku of my own composition might be appropriate to convey the warmhearted closing mood of Shors’ story:
Birdsong heralds day
Ere first light sees eastern sky.
Unopened eyes smile.
Paul Weiss
As would be expected, the World War II hospital ship “Benevolence held nearly five hundred hospital beds, which were filled with soldiers who suffered everything from chest wounds to lost appendages to malaria and psychiatric maladies”. What the captain was unaware of was its illicit and entirely proscribed cargo of fuel, ammunition and weapons destined to aid the US war effort against the Japanese in the Solomon Islands. When a torpedo slammed into the ship and sent it to the bottom, the spy who called in the torpedo strike and eight other survivors including the captain and his wife, two nurses, a black American enlisted sailor, a young stowaway, a US naval officer and an injured Japanese naval officer find themselves marooned on the quintessential south Pacific tropical island.
BESIDE A BURNING SEA is a magnificent story of love lost and love found, redemption, courage and heroism, race relations and racism, beauty and ugliness. While the climax pushes the drama well into the realm of overwrought melodrama, I doubt that any reader would turn the final page feeling that it was ever less than gripping and absolutely entertaining from front to back.
A haiku of my own composition might be appropriate to convey the warmhearted closing mood of Shors’ story:
Birdsong heralds day
Ere first light sees eastern sky.
Unopened eyes smile.
Paul Weiss
January 11, 2011
From Hilary Hatton at Booklist:
It’s the fall of 1942, and the U.S. hospital ship Benevolence is cruising the waters of the South Pacific when it is torpedoed by the Japanese. Only nine people survive, and they eventually wash up on an island: the captain Joshua, and his wife, Isabelle, a nurse; Isabelle’s sister Annie and a woman named Scarlet, both nurses; Ratu, a teenage Fijian stowaway; Jake, a black engineer; Nathan and Roger, two officers; and Akira, a wounded Japanese soldier.
Okay, first of all, let’s look at the survivors of this accident. One: the captain of the ship. The captain. Don’t they go down with their ships anymore? Two: three nurses. One just happens to be the captain’s wife. The captain’s wife, even though they were not together on the ship at the time of the torpedoing. What are the odds?
The next nurse just happens to be Annie, the captain’s wife’s sister. The captain’s wife’s s….you get the idea. )The third nurse is a “throwaway”: the character that can be killed off by the danger that stalks them all.)
While it is only a matter of time before Japanese naval forces reach the island, the more immediate danger is Roger, who is a ship’s officer, but also a spy for the Japanese. It’s Roger who tipped the Japanese that, unbeknownst to the captain, the hospital ship was carrying ammunition and other supplies of war.
Roger is drawn as a mentally unstable, sadistic, misogynistic, and overly proud man. No explanation is needed: after all, he’s the traitor.
The captain Joshua, the engineer Jake (the token black, who just happens to be the one who had befriended the ship’s stowaway – who also survived) and the other officer Nathan are, of course, kind, helpful, chivalrous, co-operative and generally nice guys. No explanation is needed: after all, they’re Americans.
Then there’s Akira, a wounded Japanese soldier who was on the ship because the rules of war were that hospitals treat all wounded, regardless of nationality. Because Akira’s Japanese, the author spends the entire book explaining and justifying how it is possible that he might be human; a decent and kind human who is in love with Annie. (And how Annie could possibly love him.)
The Japanese who land on the island are all wicked, wicked. The Americans who come and bomb and kill the Japanese are heroes. Are we twelve years old?
Beside a Burning Sea is a romance and, really, I shouldn’t have been venturing into this territory. I have no patience with such juvenile characterization and plot coincidences. The roster of survivors reminded me of a (quite bad) story that I wrote for a seventh grade English composition.
If that’s romance literature and you enjoy it, then have yourself a read. But this is nowhere near being literature. I know I sound like a book snob when I say that, but I find that as I get older and realize that my time to read is running out, I want to read solid fiction (and my snackies of cozy murder mysteries). If I’m going to read romance, at least let it be disguised in a half-decently written story (such as The Diplomat’s Wife.)
It’s the fall of 1942, and the U.S. hospital ship Benevolence is cruising the waters of the South Pacific when it is torpedoed by the Japanese. Only nine people survive, and they eventually wash up on an island: the captain Joshua, and his wife, Isabelle, a nurse; Isabelle’s sister Annie and a woman named Scarlet, both nurses; Ratu, a teenage Fijian stowaway; Jake, a black engineer; Nathan and Roger, two officers; and Akira, a wounded Japanese soldier.
Okay, first of all, let’s look at the survivors of this accident. One: the captain of the ship. The captain. Don’t they go down with their ships anymore? Two: three nurses. One just happens to be the captain’s wife. The captain’s wife, even though they were not together on the ship at the time of the torpedoing. What are the odds?
The next nurse just happens to be Annie, the captain’s wife’s sister. The captain’s wife’s s….you get the idea. )The third nurse is a “throwaway”: the character that can be killed off by the danger that stalks them all.)
While it is only a matter of time before Japanese naval forces reach the island, the more immediate danger is Roger, who is a ship’s officer, but also a spy for the Japanese. It’s Roger who tipped the Japanese that, unbeknownst to the captain, the hospital ship was carrying ammunition and other supplies of war.
Roger is drawn as a mentally unstable, sadistic, misogynistic, and overly proud man. No explanation is needed: after all, he’s the traitor.
The captain Joshua, the engineer Jake (the token black, who just happens to be the one who had befriended the ship’s stowaway – who also survived) and the other officer Nathan are, of course, kind, helpful, chivalrous, co-operative and generally nice guys. No explanation is needed: after all, they’re Americans.
Then there’s Akira, a wounded Japanese soldier who was on the ship because the rules of war were that hospitals treat all wounded, regardless of nationality. Because Akira’s Japanese, the author spends the entire book explaining and justifying how it is possible that he might be human; a decent and kind human who is in love with Annie. (And how Annie could possibly love him.)
The Japanese who land on the island are all wicked, wicked. The Americans who come and bomb and kill the Japanese are heroes. Are we twelve years old?
Beside a Burning Sea is a romance and, really, I shouldn’t have been venturing into this territory. I have no patience with such juvenile characterization and plot coincidences. The roster of survivors reminded me of a (quite bad) story that I wrote for a seventh grade English composition.
If that’s romance literature and you enjoy it, then have yourself a read. But this is nowhere near being literature. I know I sound like a book snob when I say that, but I find that as I get older and realize that my time to read is running out, I want to read solid fiction (and my snackies of cozy murder mysteries). If I’m going to read romance, at least let it be disguised in a half-decently written story (such as The Diplomat’s Wife.)
December 8, 2008
I really enjoyed this book. John Shors is the perfect writer for me, because his books (so far) are based in Asia and have strong female protagonists (which both appeal to me very much!).
I would give Beside a Burning Sea four-and-a-half stars, but that's not possible on goodreads. I didn't love it quite as much as Beneath a Marble Sky--mostly because in that book I learned so much about Indian history and the building of the Taj Mahal. But I couldn't put this book down and was desperate to discover whether everyone would make it off the island alive.
The story begins on the hospital ship Benevolence in the middle of World War II. Benevolence gets shot down by a torpedo, and nine survivors make it to an uninhabited nearby island. Seven Americans, one Fijian boy, and one Japanese soldier...and one traitor and villain among them.
I had two very minor criticisms of the book. 1. The main Japanese character, Akira, spoke near-perfect English (he was an English professor before he became a soldier). After teaching English to Japanese adults who had been studying the language for years, I found his conversational skills a bit too perfect for reality. 2. The traitor/villain could speak Japanese because he grew up in Japan, but the U.S. military never learned that about him? But neither of these issues affected my overall enjoyment of the story.
Here are some things I loved about the book:
--The haikus that began each chapter (divided into days), which reflected what was going on at that stage of the book
--Shors' writing of Akira's appreciation of beauty, particular natural beauty, which was reminiscent of the Japanese aesthetic and appreciation for the natural world
--The interracial romances and deep, abiding friendships developed during the story
--The wide diversity of characters developed
--The strong female characters
--The rapid pace of the story and the tensions created between the characters
Overall, I would give it two thumbs up! I look forward to Shors' next novel, which will take place in modern-day Saigon.
One final note about Shors: I have been very impressed upon reading about Shors' creative methods for getting his books better known. After Beneath a Marble Sky was published, he included his e-mail address at the end of the book and encouraged book groups to contact him. He talked (via phone or in person) to over 1,000 book groups! I'm sure that really helped a great deal to get the word out...and no doubt helped to get Amy Tan's endorsement on the front of this new novel!
I would give Beside a Burning Sea four-and-a-half stars, but that's not possible on goodreads. I didn't love it quite as much as Beneath a Marble Sky--mostly because in that book I learned so much about Indian history and the building of the Taj Mahal. But I couldn't put this book down and was desperate to discover whether everyone would make it off the island alive.
The story begins on the hospital ship Benevolence in the middle of World War II. Benevolence gets shot down by a torpedo, and nine survivors make it to an uninhabited nearby island. Seven Americans, one Fijian boy, and one Japanese soldier...and one traitor and villain among them.
I had two very minor criticisms of the book. 1. The main Japanese character, Akira, spoke near-perfect English (he was an English professor before he became a soldier). After teaching English to Japanese adults who had been studying the language for years, I found his conversational skills a bit too perfect for reality. 2. The traitor/villain could speak Japanese because he grew up in Japan, but the U.S. military never learned that about him? But neither of these issues affected my overall enjoyment of the story.
Here are some things I loved about the book:
--The haikus that began each chapter (divided into days), which reflected what was going on at that stage of the book
--Shors' writing of Akira's appreciation of beauty, particular natural beauty, which was reminiscent of the Japanese aesthetic and appreciation for the natural world
--The interracial romances and deep, abiding friendships developed during the story
--The wide diversity of characters developed
--The strong female characters
--The rapid pace of the story and the tensions created between the characters
Overall, I would give it two thumbs up! I look forward to Shors' next novel, which will take place in modern-day Saigon.
One final note about Shors: I have been very impressed upon reading about Shors' creative methods for getting his books better known. After Beneath a Marble Sky was published, he included his e-mail address at the end of the book and encouraged book groups to contact him. He talked (via phone or in person) to over 1,000 book groups! I'm sure that really helped a great deal to get the word out...and no doubt helped to get Amy Tan's endorsement on the front of this new novel!
April 12, 2013
I loved, loved, loved this book! When their hospital ship is torpedoed, nine escape including one Japanese POW and take refuge on a lovely island. Unfortunately one of the nine is a traitor who enjoys tormenting and killing. While with the group he tries to act civilized but he is soon suspected especially by the Japanese Akira. A child, Ratu is also with the group. He had stowed away in search of his father. While the traitor communicates with the Japanese bringing them to the island, the survivors thrive to survived. In the meantime, one nurse and Akira fall in love.
Akira had once been a teacher and had never gone to war. Annie feels lost in the shadow of her older sister.
This is a beautiful romance with Ratu adding a great deal of comedy. Even in the middle of war, danger, a blood thirsty traitor, that two on opposite sides can fall in love and set aside their differences was to me amazing.
Now I have to read the other books written by this writer!!!!
Akira had once been a teacher and had never gone to war. Annie feels lost in the shadow of her older sister.
This is a beautiful romance with Ratu adding a great deal of comedy. Even in the middle of war, danger, a blood thirsty traitor, that two on opposite sides can fall in love and set aside their differences was to me amazing.
Now I have to read the other books written by this writer!!!!
January 6, 2022
I loved this book. Beside a Burning Sea is so well written, and just such a big story- one I will not soon forget. This book follows a group of survivors after a hospital ship is sunk in the Pacific off the coast of the Soloman Islands in WWII. The characters manage to swim ashore a deserted island and the astounding trials they face throughout this book will keep you on your toes. All of the characters have their own traits/problems/personalities but my favorite characters were Big Jake and Ratu, I really enjoyed the development of their relationship as father/son. This is a book of survival, love, family, and heartbreak. So far I've read three books by John Shows and I've loved them all so far. I highly recommend Beside a Burning Sea and look forward to reading more of John Shors' books in the future.
October 11, 2014
In the end I found myself wishing the Japanese would storm the beach, kill everybody and put me out of my misery.
The plot could have been so interesting had it been written by somebody that can actually write. It was much too wordy with inane dialogue between all of these cast-aways. The characters weren't particularly likable, and there were too many stereotypes, coincidences and contrivances. I found myself skipping big chunks of it just to get the story to move along. The captain, Joshua drove me crazy with his angsty second guessing of everything he did.
We read this for our book club and for once I wasn't the only one who couldn't wait to be finished with this book.
The plot could have been so interesting had it been written by somebody that can actually write. It was much too wordy with inane dialogue between all of these cast-aways. The characters weren't particularly likable, and there were too many stereotypes, coincidences and contrivances. I found myself skipping big chunks of it just to get the story to move along. The captain, Joshua drove me crazy with his angsty second guessing of everything he did.
We read this for our book club and for once I wasn't the only one who couldn't wait to be finished with this book.
October 12, 2015
LOVED this book!! This is my first foray into John Shors' novels, but it definitely will not be my last!!
On the face of it, this one is a pretty predictable story of a small group of survivors from a bombed WW2 US hospital ship, who find their way to an island and await rescue by the American military, or discovery by the Japanese.
However, it's the richness with which the author draws his characters, and their relationships with one another, that ultimately makes this novel a real shining star! I really felt like I knew - and was invested in the wellbeing of - each character, and how and why they related to each other in the way they did.
Among the group is a sole haiku-composing Japanese patient/prisoner-of-war who saved 2 of the ship's nurses from the bombing - one being the wife of the ship's captain (who also survives) ..the other being her sister, who the patient falls in love with. The group also includes an American playing both sides of the war (as a spy for the Japanese), a young Fijian stowaway, and an American officer who bonds with him. As you can probably tell, things get complicated very quickly..and the suspense (will they be rescued, and by which side?) is held throughout the novel, until the very end.
Along the way, the reader is treated to a luscious, sumptuous escape on a South Pacific island!
One thing I did not like was the attention paid to the spy...it was definitely crucial to the story to do so - a story like this needs a bad guy - but I just despised the man entirely, found him really creepy, and felt his presence distracted from an otherwise wonderful time spent reading this book!
On the face of it, this one is a pretty predictable story of a small group of survivors from a bombed WW2 US hospital ship, who find their way to an island and await rescue by the American military, or discovery by the Japanese.
However, it's the richness with which the author draws his characters, and their relationships with one another, that ultimately makes this novel a real shining star! I really felt like I knew - and was invested in the wellbeing of - each character, and how and why they related to each other in the way they did.
Among the group is a sole haiku-composing Japanese patient/prisoner-of-war who saved 2 of the ship's nurses from the bombing - one being the wife of the ship's captain (who also survives) ..the other being her sister, who the patient falls in love with. The group also includes an American playing both sides of the war (as a spy for the Japanese), a young Fijian stowaway, and an American officer who bonds with him. As you can probably tell, things get complicated very quickly..and the suspense (will they be rescued, and by which side?) is held throughout the novel, until the very end.
Along the way, the reader is treated to a luscious, sumptuous escape on a South Pacific island!
One thing I did not like was the attention paid to the spy...it was definitely crucial to the story to do so - a story like this needs a bad guy - but I just despised the man entirely, found him really creepy, and felt his presence distracted from an otherwise wonderful time spent reading this book!
May 28, 2019
This novel takes place during World War II in the Pacific. When the hospital ship Benevolence is torpedoed by the Japanese near the Solomon Islands, only nine people survive by swimming to a nearby uninhabited island. The captain of the ship, Joshua, is devastated over the loss of so many. Isabelle is married to the captain and she and her sister, Annie, also survive. Annie is recovering from a bout of malaria and is saved and brought to shore by Akira, a Japanese prisoner. Akira is haunted by his failure to prevent a young girl from being raped and killed by Japanese soldiers earlier in the war. Over the next few days, he and Annie are drawn to each other and begin to fall in love. The story takes place over an 18 day period where they are waiting to be rescued.
The book focuses on three main relationships: the changing marital dynamics of Isabelle and Joshua, the growing relationship between Annie and Akira, and the friendship between Big Jake and Ratu, an African American engineer and a young Fijian stowaway. There's secondary drama with the three remaining characters as well. One of the nine will turn out to be a traitor who intends to kill everyone once the Japanese land on the island.
This book seems to get diverse reviews but I really liked it. Many of the conversations were boring and there was a lack of character development but I couldn't wait to find out what as going to happen. One of my favorite parts of the book was that each chapter begins with a beautiful haiku written by Akira. I plan to read John Shors debut novel, Beneath a Marble Sky, very soon.
The book focuses on three main relationships: the changing marital dynamics of Isabelle and Joshua, the growing relationship between Annie and Akira, and the friendship between Big Jake and Ratu, an African American engineer and a young Fijian stowaway. There's secondary drama with the three remaining characters as well. One of the nine will turn out to be a traitor who intends to kill everyone once the Japanese land on the island.
This book seems to get diverse reviews but I really liked it. Many of the conversations were boring and there was a lack of character development but I couldn't wait to find out what as going to happen. One of my favorite parts of the book was that each chapter begins with a beautiful haiku written by Akira. I plan to read John Shors debut novel, Beneath a Marble Sky, very soon.
July 6, 2010
Interesting book. My mother worked as a code breaker during WWII and always talked about discovering a Japanese Hospital Ship carrying ammunition. I couldn't help reading this book because of the concept of a Hospital ship carrying war supplies. The book is a fun, light, summer read.
November 22, 2010
This is such a beatifully told story. The characters are all so fully realized, I can't believe the book is not longer. You really come to care about the folks stuck on this island.
It's a great read for history buffs, but also for anyone who likes a good adventure tale. Very suspensful, but so poetically done.
I'm sorry I'm not better at writing reviews...I really enjoyed Shors' previous book about the Taj mahal, and this one confirmed that he's an author to keep reading. I can't wait for his next book! Hope I win one here, but I've pre-ordered it anyway. :P
It's a great read for history buffs, but also for anyone who likes a good adventure tale. Very suspensful, but so poetically done.
I'm sorry I'm not better at writing reviews...I really enjoyed Shors' previous book about the Taj mahal, and this one confirmed that he's an author to keep reading. I can't wait for his next book! Hope I win one here, but I've pre-ordered it anyway. :P
September 30, 2008
John Shors has done it again! His novel, Beneath a Marble Sky was a wonderful, historical read. Beneath a Burning Sea is much the same. Once I began reading, I don't want to put it down. It follows 9 people marooned on an island in the South Pacific after their ship has been bombed in World War II. The characters are well developed and the story is intriguing!
October 19, 2008
I loved Beneath a Marble Sky, so I was really looking forward to reading this and was sorely disappointed. Repetition and head-hopping jerked me out of the story at far too many points. It seems as if this is a second or third draft of what would have been an excellent tale, had it been edited properly.
June 11, 2017
Wonderful. Engaging. Timeless. Surprising. Thought provoking. Beautifully written, the right amount of everything make this book a must read. It was a pleasure to read and enjoy. Just a wonderful story and characters-except Roger.
January 21, 2022
Four and a half stars: Beside A Burning Sea, is a masterpiece set in the Pacific front of World War 2. Shot down by a Japanese torpedo, the shipwrecked medical vassal Benevolence leaves the survivors stranded on a deserted island. One of the passengers is the introspective Akira, a Japanese soldier. Is he to be trusted? Or is he a foe? Another notable character is Roger- a Japanese spy. Roger is engulfed by hatred and anger for all living things. Understandably, these mysterious figures cause much upheaval and controversy in the group of survivors. Despite the hallowing experience and the unusual pairing, love blossoms between Akira and the American nurse Annie. Indeed, Love rekindles the worn marriage of Isabella and Joshua. Nathen, a seasoned sailor, finds moral strength to survive by reminding himself of the love he has for his family. Finally, brotherly love forms with the witty Machinist Jake and the lively Ratu.This book teaches us that even in the most terrifying and horrific experiences one can experience… there is still hope. Love is the highest virtue which connects us with the best of humanity.
June 15, 2022
This book is so different from your typical book set during WWII. It reads more like a thriller. It's a survivalist story at its core and will for sure keep you on your toes. And while there are some plotlines I feel we could have done without, the father/son relationship between Big Jake and Ratu will capture your heart. Definitely a page-turner. If you are looking for an adventure story, this is it.
August 16, 2019
Excellent storyline and beautifully written! Definitely wanna have tissues handy
June 24, 2018
I didn’t like this book at all. I felt none of the lines in this story were original as though I’ve read these lines before under different title.
December 25, 2021
3,5* agak membosankan di beberapa bagian. Terlalu banyak adegan dan percakapan yang repetitif
Karakternya juga kurang loveable, terlalu "hitam putih" menurutku.. Karakter antagonis di buat jahat sejahat jahatnya, sementara protagonis nya terlalu lurus bahkan terkesan naif (sinetron banget😁😁)
Yang menarik bagiku karakter Akira dengan haiku-haiku nya yang indah..
Karakternya juga kurang loveable, terlalu "hitam putih" menurutku.. Karakter antagonis di buat jahat sejahat jahatnya, sementara protagonis nya terlalu lurus bahkan terkesan naif (sinetron banget😁😁)
Yang menarik bagiku karakter Akira dengan haiku-haiku nya yang indah..
July 4, 2021
Good story, but terrible dialogue. Is there a reason for so much use of "...". Very distracting when every other sentence from a character has "...".
January 29, 2011
The novel opens in September of 1942 in the Solomon Islands where the ship Benevolence, a U.S. hospital ship of five-stories high is cruising through the South Pacific at a speed of twelve knots per hour.
The ship held five-hundred beds which were full of soldiers who suffered injuries and psychiatric disorders. There were several dozen navy doctors’ and nurses’ caring for them. The smell was unbearable from the unclean bodies, disinfectants, bleach and burnt flesh. In total, there were five-hundred and sixteen people on board.
Two of the nurses’ who attended to these wounded were Annie and her older sister, Isabelle who is married to the ship’s captain, Joshua Collins. Suddenly the ship is hit with a Japanese torpedo, splits in half and those who didn’t go down with the ship or were already drowned were forced to swim to shore. Luckily both Annie and Isabelle made it, thanks to a soldier named Akira, (who was a Japanese soldier and their prisoner) who swam with Annie on his back when she became too tired and weak to continue on. She was still recovering from a bout with malaria. Only nine survivors made it to the island, including Isabelle’s husband, the Captain Joshua Collins.
Akira was severely injured and his stitches had come loose during the arduous swim and the amount of blood he lost almost killed him. Isabelle and Annie had torn apart shirts and wrapped the wound saving Akira’s life. The Captain then began distributing orders to rescue items that may of use that dotted the shoreline of the island and quickly began to make shelters.
Throughout the rest of the story they learn to catch fish to cook for meals along with the many mangos and bananas that the jungle behind the shore held. Not far into the story two very unlikely people fall in love, one among the survivor’s is a traitor who is communicating with the Japanese, one is young boy named Ratu who was a stow-away on the ship and he becomes fast friends with another of the survivors. As the days pass by they are ever vigilant in looking out to sea with binoculars looking for Japanese war-ships or Americans to save them. If they were to see Japanese war ships it would make their current environment very dangerous which led the Captain to begin scouting the island for an alternate shelter.
In the 400 pages I was literally bawling my eyes out. This story goes from excellent to outstanding to brilliant!! John Shors has once again penned an incredible novel whose characters will stay with you for a long time to come. I know for me, Ratu and Big Jake will forever remain in my memory and everything Japanese will remind me of Haiku.
The ship held five-hundred beds which were full of soldiers who suffered injuries and psychiatric disorders. There were several dozen navy doctors’ and nurses’ caring for them. The smell was unbearable from the unclean bodies, disinfectants, bleach and burnt flesh. In total, there were five-hundred and sixteen people on board.
Two of the nurses’ who attended to these wounded were Annie and her older sister, Isabelle who is married to the ship’s captain, Joshua Collins. Suddenly the ship is hit with a Japanese torpedo, splits in half and those who didn’t go down with the ship or were already drowned were forced to swim to shore. Luckily both Annie and Isabelle made it, thanks to a soldier named Akira, (who was a Japanese soldier and their prisoner) who swam with Annie on his back when she became too tired and weak to continue on. She was still recovering from a bout with malaria. Only nine survivors made it to the island, including Isabelle’s husband, the Captain Joshua Collins.
Akira was severely injured and his stitches had come loose during the arduous swim and the amount of blood he lost almost killed him. Isabelle and Annie had torn apart shirts and wrapped the wound saving Akira’s life. The Captain then began distributing orders to rescue items that may of use that dotted the shoreline of the island and quickly began to make shelters.
Throughout the rest of the story they learn to catch fish to cook for meals along with the many mangos and bananas that the jungle behind the shore held. Not far into the story two very unlikely people fall in love, one among the survivor’s is a traitor who is communicating with the Japanese, one is young boy named Ratu who was a stow-away on the ship and he becomes fast friends with another of the survivors. As the days pass by they are ever vigilant in looking out to sea with binoculars looking for Japanese war-ships or Americans to save them. If they were to see Japanese war ships it would make their current environment very dangerous which led the Captain to begin scouting the island for an alternate shelter.
In the 400 pages I was literally bawling my eyes out. This story goes from excellent to outstanding to brilliant!! John Shors has once again penned an incredible novel whose characters will stay with you for a long time to come. I know for me, Ratu and Big Jake will forever remain in my memory and everything Japanese will remind me of Haiku.
January 21, 2011
I loved Shors's debut novel Beneath a Marble Sky and though I can't say I fell for his second endeavor, Beside a Burning Sea, quite as hard, I did enjoy it.
A historical, set during the most strategic time of WW2 in the pacific theater, BABS is a gripping story of a group of mostly strangers stranded on an obscure island in the pacific after the hospital ship Benevolence is attacked and sunk to the bottom of the ocean.
In the heat of battle, two sisters stationed as nurses on the Benevolence are led to safety by a Japanese soldier who had been under their care during the time of the attack. Stalwart Isabelle is sure her husband, the captain of the Benevolence, is lost with all the hundreds of others who didn't make it off the ship in time, but she has her sister to think of and it's that which drives her through the cruel sea.
Annie never had the strength of her sister and almost doesn't survive the arduous swim to safety, but the mysterious man who some would call their enemy aids her even though weak and wounded himself.
When they reach the island, they are relieved to find they are not the only survivors of the wreckage and Isabelle's husband is among them. The captain knows he must keep the survivors safe even though he's sure they've landed on a key island to both the Japanese and American fronts, but his guilt over the fate of his ship gnaws at his soul. Suddenly, in the midst of all the turmoil, bittersweet hope arises when Isabelle reveals she's pregnant and Annie and the noble Akira, the man who saved her, fall in love against all odds.
But unbeknowst to all, there is a betrayer among them and his treacherous ways takes on a psychotic edge as he menaces the rag tag group throughout their time on the island. Will they survive the harrowing days til rescuers arrive or will the evil of one man overtake them all?
The theme of this story is as old as The Tempest by William Shakespeare, which it bears a resemblance too, and feels a bit done before. But Shors does a fine job of adding perilous tension and poignant moments of humanity to keep the pages turning.
Although I don't consider it a stellar second outing by John Shors, it is a good enough read to get a 3.5 out of 5 from me.
A historical, set during the most strategic time of WW2 in the pacific theater, BABS is a gripping story of a group of mostly strangers stranded on an obscure island in the pacific after the hospital ship Benevolence is attacked and sunk to the bottom of the ocean.
In the heat of battle, two sisters stationed as nurses on the Benevolence are led to safety by a Japanese soldier who had been under their care during the time of the attack. Stalwart Isabelle is sure her husband, the captain of the Benevolence, is lost with all the hundreds of others who didn't make it off the ship in time, but she has her sister to think of and it's that which drives her through the cruel sea.
Annie never had the strength of her sister and almost doesn't survive the arduous swim to safety, but the mysterious man who some would call their enemy aids her even though weak and wounded himself.
When they reach the island, they are relieved to find they are not the only survivors of the wreckage and Isabelle's husband is among them. The captain knows he must keep the survivors safe even though he's sure they've landed on a key island to both the Japanese and American fronts, but his guilt over the fate of his ship gnaws at his soul. Suddenly, in the midst of all the turmoil, bittersweet hope arises when Isabelle reveals she's pregnant and Annie and the noble Akira, the man who saved her, fall in love against all odds.
But unbeknowst to all, there is a betrayer among them and his treacherous ways takes on a psychotic edge as he menaces the rag tag group throughout their time on the island. Will they survive the harrowing days til rescuers arrive or will the evil of one man overtake them all?
The theme of this story is as old as The Tempest by William Shakespeare, which it bears a resemblance too, and feels a bit done before. But Shors does a fine job of adding perilous tension and poignant moments of humanity to keep the pages turning.
Although I don't consider it a stellar second outing by John Shors, it is a good enough read to get a 3.5 out of 5 from me.
March 6, 2013
Beside a Burning Sea chronicles the fate of nine survivors of the sunken World War II hospital ship Benevolence. The survivors wash up on one of the deserted Soloman Islands and each chapter represents one of the eighteen days on the island.
The novel opens aboard the ship, where nurses and sisters Isabelle and Annie are dressing the wounds of Japanese soldier Akira. They are discussing Isabelles husband Joshua, the ships captain, when the explosion occurs. Unbeknownst to the nurses, Akira can speak English and acts quicky to save the womens lives.
We also meet Roger, a key character and the catalyst of the story. Some of the best moments of the book come when we gain an insight into his difficult past and his motivation for his devastating actions.
There is romance courtesy of Annie and Akira embarking on their seemingly doomed love affair, and Isabelle and Joshua rekindling their dwindling romance. But by far the most touching and affecting relationship in my opinion was between Jake, a kind and gentle man, and Ratu, a young stowaway who boarded the ship when it docked in his homeland Fiji. "Big Jake" takes the young boy under his wing and provides him with emotional support as he worries about his father in battle. Jake is Ratu's protector and feels as strongly for him as he would for his own boy, taking on him on an emotional journey he never expected to experience.
The impending sense of doom hanging over the characters seems to compel them to open up and face their true feelings and desires in light of their possible untimely death.
Akira, in my opinion, is the most interesting and well written character. The writer gives us an insight into his past, which still haunts him and causes him to reconsider his loyalties and values. So much so that he resigns himself to having to lay down his life to protect Annie.
It is clear the writer isn't concerned with the politics of war, but rather the effect of those caught up in it. The book could have been set on any island and during any conflict and the message would remain. The human spirit remains.
The novel opens aboard the ship, where nurses and sisters Isabelle and Annie are dressing the wounds of Japanese soldier Akira. They are discussing Isabelles husband Joshua, the ships captain, when the explosion occurs. Unbeknownst to the nurses, Akira can speak English and acts quicky to save the womens lives.
We also meet Roger, a key character and the catalyst of the story. Some of the best moments of the book come when we gain an insight into his difficult past and his motivation for his devastating actions.
There is romance courtesy of Annie and Akira embarking on their seemingly doomed love affair, and Isabelle and Joshua rekindling their dwindling romance. But by far the most touching and affecting relationship in my opinion was between Jake, a kind and gentle man, and Ratu, a young stowaway who boarded the ship when it docked in his homeland Fiji. "Big Jake" takes the young boy under his wing and provides him with emotional support as he worries about his father in battle. Jake is Ratu's protector and feels as strongly for him as he would for his own boy, taking on him on an emotional journey he never expected to experience.
The impending sense of doom hanging over the characters seems to compel them to open up and face their true feelings and desires in light of their possible untimely death.
Akira, in my opinion, is the most interesting and well written character. The writer gives us an insight into his past, which still haunts him and causes him to reconsider his loyalties and values. So much so that he resigns himself to having to lay down his life to protect Annie.
It is clear the writer isn't concerned with the politics of war, but rather the effect of those caught up in it. The book could have been set on any island and during any conflict and the message would remain. The human spirit remains.
July 7, 2011
I enjoyed reading this historical novel, Beside a Burning Sea. I learned a bit more about WWII history but I really enjoyed the interaction and love development between the survivors of the medical hospital ship, the Benevolence, which was attacked and sunk by the Japanese. There were three relationships well-deveoped by the author, One was between Ratu, a young Philipino stow-away who was in search of his father (who was away at war aiding the Americans) and an black American soldier who took Ratu under his wing. The second was a budding love affair between an insecure American nurse named Annie and a captured Japanese soldier, Akira, who had been in the care of the hospital ship. The third was between the captain of the ship, who was burdened with guilt that so many of his men died in the sinking of his ship and hsi wife who was a nurse consumed with her duties in caring for the American and Japanese patients.
My husband has always enjoyed Haiku so I was intrigued by the Haiku that Akira taught Annie and which started each new chapter of the book...a very nice touch!
This book also reminded me that the men fighting any war are not so different from their enemies. Some have families that they have been torn from. Some have no desire to be fighting a war. Some are angry and happy to strikeout at most anyone. But most are soldiers doing their jobs.
My husband has always enjoyed Haiku so I was intrigued by the Haiku that Akira taught Annie and which started each new chapter of the book...a very nice touch!
This book also reminded me that the men fighting any war are not so different from their enemies. Some have families that they have been torn from. Some have no desire to be fighting a war. Some are angry and happy to strikeout at most anyone. But most are soldiers doing their jobs.
July 20, 2014
While I liked this book very much, I am glad I did not read it right after reading Beneath a Marble Sky. This is a very good read. I like stories centered around WWII but this story didn't feel like a war story. I also liked the South Pacific setting bc so many stories about the war are set in Europe. Most people don't even realize or they forget that a war was going on in Asia. Shors has a great talent for being a gifted storyteller. He is able to describe places so beautifully you really can see them. It was like watching a movie in my mind. There was suspense, love, revenge. I did find it a little unbelievable who the survivors were-the captain & his wife & her sister (who happen to be both be nurses), another nurse, an engineer, 2 officers, a stowaway & a prisoner of war'. How convenient! But this didn't stop me from enjoying the story. I liked the unlikely love story & the friendship between the young stowaway & big Jake. The ending was a bit of a stretch for me too. I've read enough non fiction to know there are survivors of war through the most unlikely circumstances (Unbroken for one) but Annie jumping out of the lifeboat to go back for Akira was corny. And then the remaining survivors going back to get Annie....they weren't trained soldiers so I had a hard time with that one! Overall, still a good read & I am a fan of Shors.
February 26, 2011
After I read the wonderful novel The Wishing Trees, I knew that I had to read John Shors’ earlier works. Beside a Burning Sea is the enduring story of how love and forgiveness can overcome all things. Set in the South Pacific, during World War II a US hospital ship named the Benevolence is afloat with hundreds of men, women, and the injured. Unknown to its occupants, a traitorous American officer is aboard, a man who has sold out to the enemy and who knows that within minutes the ship will be bombed and sunk to the bottom of the ocean floor. Only nine survive the horrible explosion, including the betrayer, the captain of the ship, two nurses, an injured Japanese soldier and a child. Managing to barely swim to a lovely island, not yet destroyed by fighting, they do not yet know that the Japanese fleet is headed their way. Amidst the guilt, revenge, and horrible, tragic memories, love and a hope for the future survive.
December 15, 2011
I wish there were negative stars to rate the books, that's how much I disliked this book. Truly awful writing. I do not understand the heaps of praise given to this book on the cover, etc. Do they not use editors anymore? This book could have used one, or two. The dialogue was atrocious to the point of being (unintentionally) hilarious. I also think that an author should know the difference between "affect" and "effect"; apparently this one does not. I only finished this book because I wanted to make my goal for 2011; otherwise, I would have abandoned it after the 2nd chapter. He had a good idea, and in the hands of a more skilled author this book could have been so much better (aside from the utterly implausible love story).
June 28, 2013
This is the second book of John Shors that I've read. If there is one thing that I can say about them, it is that they were written with the intention to show that goodness abounds.
Beside the Burning Sea tells of the struggles of survivors from a fallen hospital ship during World War II. Nothing fanciful, nothing extreme, but endearing, and heartwarming, and emotional, and suspenseful all the same. It's a fictional account of people during a very important historic event, and so the familiarity, the almost natural tendency to get attached to the story.
For its simplicity, and even more for its message, this book is in my list of good reads.
Beside the Burning Sea tells of the struggles of survivors from a fallen hospital ship during World War II. Nothing fanciful, nothing extreme, but endearing, and heartwarming, and emotional, and suspenseful all the same. It's a fictional account of people during a very important historic event, and so the familiarity, the almost natural tendency to get attached to the story.
For its simplicity, and even more for its message, this book is in my list of good reads.
January 26, 2013
I believe this book would best appeal to readers preferring more action, less detail, especially regarding characterization. Some critics have classified it as "Young Adult" and our book club agreed... This story was educational and informative, with several interesting sub-plots: mystery, betrayal, and love... It just wasn't one of my favorite reads of all time, but at the age of 10 or 11 it probably would have been! :) I am rather anxious to read his debut novel (I believe), Beneath the Marble Sky.
November 25, 2008
Incredibly average. For me no surprises or anything to make me really think. The dialogue did not seem realistic and apparently the author has never watched an episode of Survivor since his castaways were faring extremely well. Not bad enough to give it one star though, I made it through 260 pages or so before I just lost interest and skipped ahead to read the last 15 pages or so (something I NEVER do anymore).
October 2, 2008
I really liked this book. I enjoyed the charactors. The villian was villiany in all the right spots and the lovers were lovey in all the right spots (if not a little too sugary sweet). This story of the castaways in WWII was a good easy read. I do have to say that this authors first book, Beneath a Marble Sky, captivated me more though.
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