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When We Had Wings
From three bestselling authors comes an interwoven tale of a trio of World War II nurses in the Pacific who wage their own battle for freedom and survival.
The Philippines, 1941. When US Navy nurse Eleanor Lindstrom, US Army nurse Penny Franklin, and Filipina nurse Lita Capel forge a friendship at the Army Navy Club in Manila, they believe they’re living a paradise assignment. All three are seeking a way to escape their pasts, but soon the beauty and promise of their surroundings give way to the heavy mantle of war.
Caught in the crosshairs of a fight between the US military and the Japanese Imperial Army for control of the Philippine islands, the nurses are forced to serve under combat conditions and, ultimately, endure captivity as the first female prisoners of the Second World War. As their resiliency is tested in the face of squalid living arrangements, food shortages, and the enemy’s blatant disregard for the articles of the Geneva Convention, they strive to keep their hope—and their fellow inmates—alive, though not without great cost.
In this sweeping story based on the true experiences of nurses dubbed “the Angels of Bataan,” three women shift in and out of each other’s lives through the darkest days of the war, buoyed by their unwavering friendship and distant dreams of liberation.
The Philippines, 1941. When US Navy nurse Eleanor Lindstrom, US Army nurse Penny Franklin, and Filipina nurse Lita Capel forge a friendship at the Army Navy Club in Manila, they believe they’re living a paradise assignment. All three are seeking a way to escape their pasts, but soon the beauty and promise of their surroundings give way to the heavy mantle of war.
Caught in the crosshairs of a fight between the US military and the Japanese Imperial Army for control of the Philippine islands, the nurses are forced to serve under combat conditions and, ultimately, endure captivity as the first female prisoners of the Second World War. As their resiliency is tested in the face of squalid living arrangements, food shortages, and the enemy’s blatant disregard for the articles of the Geneva Convention, they strive to keep their hope—and their fellow inmates—alive, though not without great cost.
In this sweeping story based on the true experiences of nurses dubbed “the Angels of Bataan,” three women shift in and out of each other’s lives through the darkest days of the war, buoyed by their unwavering friendship and distant dreams of liberation.
416 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 18, 2022
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49378 people want to read
About the author
Ariel Lawhon
11 books12.3k followersAriel Lawhon is the critically acclaimed, New York Times Bestselling author of THE WIFE, THE MAID, AND THE MISTRESS, FLIGHT OF DREAMS, I WAS ANASTASIA, and CODE NAME HELENE. Her books have been translated into numerous languages and have been Library Reads, One Book One County, Indie Next, Costco, and Book of the Month Club selections. She lives in the rolling hills outside Nashville, Tennessee, with her husband, four sons, and black Lab—who is, thankfully, a girl. Ariel splits her time between the grocery store and the baseball field.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,789 reviews
July 8, 2023
***NOW IN PAPAERBACK -- FUN TO GUESS WHICH AUTHOR WROTE WHICH CHARACTER***
This novel is about a war, yes it is, but it is more about friendship and love. Even through the most horrible of times, a touch of friendship or a long held love can carry you through.
We are immersed in the friendship of 3 nurses assigned to Manila in 1941. Penny Franklin is a US Army nurse, Eleanor Windstrom a US Navy nurse and Lita Capel is a Filipina nurse.
The three meet at a welcome meeting upon their arrival in Manila. There is an immediate spark of friendship. Manila was like paradise for the first months on the island until the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. We will follow this trio through the upcoming horrors of the Japanese invasion and occupation of the Philippines.
I have read about this aspect of the war before but never through the eyes of the nurses. This novel reinforces the brutal treatment of Allied forces and civilians by the Japanese soldiers. There was total disregard to the Geneva Convention which I don’t think Japan ever signed. The Japanese were even harder on the Filipina nurses whom they considered traitors!
The three nurses become separated many times, serving at different hospitals, being imprisoned and suffering from the lack of food and medical supplies.
I have read Ms. Meissner and Ms. McMorris’ novels and have enjoyed them.
My only problem with this book was pacing!! I just felt that the entire novel never seemed to pick up pace but rather flowed along. I think the writing worked well but could have had a little more "spark" !
I did enjoy reading this and learning a different aspect of WWII. I would recommend this book to any HF fans. Also of note, this is based on first hand accounts of the Angels of Bataan.
I received an ARC of this novel from the publisher through Edelweiss. It was my pleasure to read and review this novel.
This novel is about a war, yes it is, but it is more about friendship and love. Even through the most horrible of times, a touch of friendship or a long held love can carry you through.
We are immersed in the friendship of 3 nurses assigned to Manila in 1941. Penny Franklin is a US Army nurse, Eleanor Windstrom a US Navy nurse and Lita Capel is a Filipina nurse.
The three meet at a welcome meeting upon their arrival in Manila. There is an immediate spark of friendship. Manila was like paradise for the first months on the island until the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. We will follow this trio through the upcoming horrors of the Japanese invasion and occupation of the Philippines.
I have read about this aspect of the war before but never through the eyes of the nurses. This novel reinforces the brutal treatment of Allied forces and civilians by the Japanese soldiers. There was total disregard to the Geneva Convention which I don’t think Japan ever signed. The Japanese were even harder on the Filipina nurses whom they considered traitors!
The three nurses become separated many times, serving at different hospitals, being imprisoned and suffering from the lack of food and medical supplies.
I have read Ms. Meissner and Ms. McMorris’ novels and have enjoyed them.
My only problem with this book was pacing!! I just felt that the entire novel never seemed to pick up pace but rather flowed along. I think the writing worked well but could have had a little more "spark" !
I did enjoy reading this and learning a different aspect of WWII. I would recommend this book to any HF fans. Also of note, this is based on first hand accounts of the Angels of Bataan.
I received an ARC of this novel from the publisher through Edelweiss. It was my pleasure to read and review this novel.
March 24, 2023
When We Had Wings (narrated by Saskia Maarleveld)
by Ariel Lawhon, Kristina McMorris, and Susan Meissner
Three authors came together to write the story of three World War II nurses stationed in the South Pacific who find themselves among the first female prisoners of the Second World War. These three women first meet on the day Eleanor Windstrom, a US Navy nurse, lands at the base in Manila. Penny Franklin, a US Army nurse and her friend Lita Capel, a Filipina nurse, become fast friends with Eleanor and have a standing date to meet for cake and drinks once a month. After about six months, those plans are literally torpedoed when the Imperial Japanese Army gains control of the Philippine Islands. Each woman is a prisoner now, all the while still doing their jobs under the worst conditions. Mass casualties, limited food, few or no supplies, squalid living quarters, and diseases that affect the living and the healthy, are just a few of the impossible living situations the women endure.
The experiences of these women are taken from the real life travails of the "Angels of Bataan". We don't just see the hardships of the Americans of the area but also of the Filipino people, whose homeland was devastated by all that happened there. Woman, children, and the elderly were not spared, and in fact, were often the first to die, as the Japanese Army flaunted their ability to destroy and dominate. No one was safe and death was often ensured by starvation rations and beatings for the slightest imaginary infraction.
The audiobook is very good with Saskia Maarleveld narrating but I do think I could follow this story better if I had the words in front of me. We are following three women, more often than not in different locations, and the women are moved often. The names and places are unfamiliar to me and there are so many people since each woman's story comes with the people in her daily life. It'd be ideal to listen to the audiobook with the digital or print book at hand. The nurses weren't the only heroes of this time, on a daily basis people of all nationalities were risking their lives to help others during the brutality inflicted on so many by the Imperial Japanese Army.
Published October 1, 2022
by Ariel Lawhon, Kristina McMorris, and Susan Meissner
Three authors came together to write the story of three World War II nurses stationed in the South Pacific who find themselves among the first female prisoners of the Second World War. These three women first meet on the day Eleanor Windstrom, a US Navy nurse, lands at the base in Manila. Penny Franklin, a US Army nurse and her friend Lita Capel, a Filipina nurse, become fast friends with Eleanor and have a standing date to meet for cake and drinks once a month. After about six months, those plans are literally torpedoed when the Imperial Japanese Army gains control of the Philippine Islands. Each woman is a prisoner now, all the while still doing their jobs under the worst conditions. Mass casualties, limited food, few or no supplies, squalid living quarters, and diseases that affect the living and the healthy, are just a few of the impossible living situations the women endure.
The experiences of these women are taken from the real life travails of the "Angels of Bataan". We don't just see the hardships of the Americans of the area but also of the Filipino people, whose homeland was devastated by all that happened there. Woman, children, and the elderly were not spared, and in fact, were often the first to die, as the Japanese Army flaunted their ability to destroy and dominate. No one was safe and death was often ensured by starvation rations and beatings for the slightest imaginary infraction.
The audiobook is very good with Saskia Maarleveld narrating but I do think I could follow this story better if I had the words in front of me. We are following three women, more often than not in different locations, and the women are moved often. The names and places are unfamiliar to me and there are so many people since each woman's story comes with the people in her daily life. It'd be ideal to listen to the audiobook with the digital or print book at hand. The nurses weren't the only heroes of this time, on a daily basis people of all nationalities were risking their lives to help others during the brutality inflicted on so many by the Imperial Japanese Army.
Published October 1, 2022
October 21, 2022
The three authors who have given us this gem of a book have all been favorites of mine. I had high expectations for this new release and I was not disappointed. The story of Eleanor, Penny, and Lita had me feeling a gamut of emotions. There was joy and hope, despair and anger. I was all over the place. Our main characters are all nurses: Eleanor with the Navy, Penny in the Army, and Lita as a native Filipino. They meet in Manila and until Pearl Harbor are enjoying their assignments. The reality of war transforms them from nurses on assignment to nurses in combat and then to POWs. This is not what they expected and while they are separated, each wonders if they will ever be reunited. The three are in different hospitals and prison camps and we are given a front row seat to the conflict on Bataan and the Philippine Islands. Through all the suffering and deprivation, they cling to the hope of seeing each other again and returning to their families. A spectacular story and one of my favorite books this year. If you want to read more about Bataan, try Angels of the Pacific: A Novel of World War II by Elisa Hooper, The Reckoning by John Grisham, or Evidence Not Seen: A Woman's Miraculous Faith in the Jungles of World War II by Darlene Diebler Rose.
A big thank you to Harper Muse and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
A big thank you to Harper Muse and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
October 19, 2022
When We Had Wings was by three of my favorite authors, Ariel Lawhon, Kristina McMorris and Susan Meissner. Their writing meshed so seamlessly well that it was difficult to tell who had written what. Together they were able to tell the story and pay tribute to the brave and courageous army and navy nurses who became the first time ever female inmates in Japanese POW internment camps during World War II. When We Had Wings was a historical fiction novel based on real events. Little had ever been written about these nurses who dedicated their lives to caring for the sick and wounded soldiers stationed in the Pacific while simultaneously being subjected to the atrocities of war the Japanese army inflicted upon them. The combined research that these three masterful authors gathered and included in this book was impeccable. Some of the characters and the places mentioned within the book were real. When We Had Wings was well plotted and included the day to day duties the nurses carried out regardless of their circumstances, the widespread starvation instituted by the Japanese that resulted in widespread malnutrition, the chronic illnesses like malaria and dengue fever that raged rampantly, the cruel and unjust punishment the Japanese army handed out, the formation of long lasting and treasured friendships and even some romances. It was perfectly paced and the characters were well developed.
Three young women had completed their nursing training and found themselves on Manila Bay. They were Penny Franklin who was originally from Texas and was an U.S. Lieutenant Nurse in the Army. Then there was Angelita Capel, better known as Lita, who was a civilian nurse and a product of a Filipina mother and an American missionary father. Last to arrive was Eleanor Lindstrom. Eleanor was from Minnesota where she had lived on a dairy farm. She was now a nurse in the United States Navy. All three of them, Penny, Lita and Eleanor, had signed on for their own personal and varied reasons. The night Eleanor arrived and they all had drinks in Salon B of the Army and Navy club they instantly bonded and became true and trusting friends. They made a pact to see each other as often as they could. They named their designated day to meet HAM day.
In the beginning, Penny’s, Lita’s and Eleanor’s nursing duties on Manila Bay were light. Manila Bay felt like a tropical paradise. The weather was beautiful and they had ample free time. Everything changed drastically though when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7th. Shortly after, the Japanese began to bomb Manila. For the first time, the nurses were in the middle of real combat. They had not been trained to endure combat. The Japanese did not discriminate over where they dropped their bombs. Hospitals were not spared. The nurses were evacuated to different camps located within the jungle where they set up makeshift hospitals. While in the jungles, many soldiers fell victim to malaria and dengue fever. Shortly those camps fell to the Japanese as did the Philippines. For three long years, the nurses were kept prisoners of the Japanese army. They were starved and treated without mercy. They became so desperate for food that they resulted in eating grass and even bugs. The atrocities the Japanese army carried out were cruel and sadistic. Despite the starvation and weakened conditions Penny, Lita and Eleanor experienced, these brave nurses continued to care for their patients. Although, Penny, Lita and Eleanor found themselves separated during the Japanese invasion, they did wind up at the same place as each other even if it was only for a day or two. They constantly worried about each other. Lita became sick with malaria while they were in the jungle and although she recovered from it, the disease left her weakened and affected her limbs and her gait for her whole captivity. Penny, Eleanor and Lita endured three years in Japanese prison camps. They feared for their lives every day and those of the wounded and sick they nursed and all the children in their care as well. Penny. Eleanor and Lita also courageously helped the resistance by smuggling information out of the POW camp in any way they could. Information was also smuggled into the camps to learn about the Allied advancements. Would Penny, Lita and Eleanor survive the war to tell their stories and make the world aware of the way they were treated by the Japanese?
When We Had Wings was a story about committed, brave, resilient and courageous nurses that endured more than their share under the Japanese army during World War II. It was a story about friendship, devotion, bravery, dedication and even love. I really enjoyed the characters in this book and learning about what these heroic nurses endured. I listened to the audiobook of When We Had Wings that was performed very well by Saskia Maarleveld. Without hesitation, I highly recommend this book.
Thank you to Harper Muse for allowing me to listen to this audiobook through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Publication is set for October 18, 2022.
Three young women had completed their nursing training and found themselves on Manila Bay. They were Penny Franklin who was originally from Texas and was an U.S. Lieutenant Nurse in the Army. Then there was Angelita Capel, better known as Lita, who was a civilian nurse and a product of a Filipina mother and an American missionary father. Last to arrive was Eleanor Lindstrom. Eleanor was from Minnesota where she had lived on a dairy farm. She was now a nurse in the United States Navy. All three of them, Penny, Lita and Eleanor, had signed on for their own personal and varied reasons. The night Eleanor arrived and they all had drinks in Salon B of the Army and Navy club they instantly bonded and became true and trusting friends. They made a pact to see each other as often as they could. They named their designated day to meet HAM day.
In the beginning, Penny’s, Lita’s and Eleanor’s nursing duties on Manila Bay were light. Manila Bay felt like a tropical paradise. The weather was beautiful and they had ample free time. Everything changed drastically though when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7th. Shortly after, the Japanese began to bomb Manila. For the first time, the nurses were in the middle of real combat. They had not been trained to endure combat. The Japanese did not discriminate over where they dropped their bombs. Hospitals were not spared. The nurses were evacuated to different camps located within the jungle where they set up makeshift hospitals. While in the jungles, many soldiers fell victim to malaria and dengue fever. Shortly those camps fell to the Japanese as did the Philippines. For three long years, the nurses were kept prisoners of the Japanese army. They were starved and treated without mercy. They became so desperate for food that they resulted in eating grass and even bugs. The atrocities the Japanese army carried out were cruel and sadistic. Despite the starvation and weakened conditions Penny, Lita and Eleanor experienced, these brave nurses continued to care for their patients. Although, Penny, Lita and Eleanor found themselves separated during the Japanese invasion, they did wind up at the same place as each other even if it was only for a day or two. They constantly worried about each other. Lita became sick with malaria while they were in the jungle and although she recovered from it, the disease left her weakened and affected her limbs and her gait for her whole captivity. Penny, Eleanor and Lita endured three years in Japanese prison camps. They feared for their lives every day and those of the wounded and sick they nursed and all the children in their care as well. Penny. Eleanor and Lita also courageously helped the resistance by smuggling information out of the POW camp in any way they could. Information was also smuggled into the camps to learn about the Allied advancements. Would Penny, Lita and Eleanor survive the war to tell their stories and make the world aware of the way they were treated by the Japanese?
When We Had Wings was a story about committed, brave, resilient and courageous nurses that endured more than their share under the Japanese army during World War II. It was a story about friendship, devotion, bravery, dedication and even love. I really enjoyed the characters in this book and learning about what these heroic nurses endured. I listened to the audiobook of When We Had Wings that was performed very well by Saskia Maarleveld. Without hesitation, I highly recommend this book.
Thank you to Harper Muse for allowing me to listen to this audiobook through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Publication is set for October 18, 2022.
October 18, 2022
August 1941: U.S. Navy Nurse Eleanor Lindstrom arrives in the Philippines and she's signed up to serve her country for three years. She’s taken to the Army Navy Club in Manila, here she meets army nurse Penny Franklin and Filipino nurse Angelita Capel. The women all have painful pasts, Eleanor lost her husband in a tragic accident, Penny had her heart broken and Lita’s promised her deceased parents she would be a nurse, her three older sisters have moved to America and left her behind.
Over the following months the women enjoy the delights of living in the South Pacific together and being local Lita knows the best places visit. Their nursing duties are light, they treat patients with minor wounds and suffering from tropical diseases. They have no idea the Japanese forces are getting ready to attack Pearl Harbor, the Philippine Islands will be next, due to their strategic location, perfect for Japanese military bases, communications and supply chains.
The three nurses are soon caught up in the war, the Japanese army attack the Philippines, the outnumbered allied forces retreat and are eventually surrounded, and they have no choice but to surrender.
Eleanor, Penny and Lita are sent to a series of different internment camps, and the Japanese don’t care about the Geneva Convention. Here they endure and witness inconceivable hardship, they treat patients with hardly any medical supplies or equipment. They all suffer terrible physical and mental abuse, tropical diseases and malnourishment. Eleanor, Penny and Lita promise each other they will survive the war, so they can be reunited and liberated. Each has to overcome unimaginable obstacles to get through, they meet others in the same situation as them, form alliances and bonds.
I received a copy of When We Had Wings from Edelweiss and HarperCollins Focus in exchange for an honest review and it’s written by historical fiction’s influential trio, Ariel Lawhon, Kristina McMorris and Susan Meissner. A powerful story about the brave and inspirational women known as the Angels of Bataan and Corregidor. They nursed, helped and supported soldiers, frightened women, children and elderly during one of history’s most horrific and barbaric times. Five stars from me and one of the best wartime books I have read this year.
Over the following months the women enjoy the delights of living in the South Pacific together and being local Lita knows the best places visit. Their nursing duties are light, they treat patients with minor wounds and suffering from tropical diseases. They have no idea the Japanese forces are getting ready to attack Pearl Harbor, the Philippine Islands will be next, due to their strategic location, perfect for Japanese military bases, communications and supply chains.
The three nurses are soon caught up in the war, the Japanese army attack the Philippines, the outnumbered allied forces retreat and are eventually surrounded, and they have no choice but to surrender.
Eleanor, Penny and Lita are sent to a series of different internment camps, and the Japanese don’t care about the Geneva Convention. Here they endure and witness inconceivable hardship, they treat patients with hardly any medical supplies or equipment. They all suffer terrible physical and mental abuse, tropical diseases and malnourishment. Eleanor, Penny and Lita promise each other they will survive the war, so they can be reunited and liberated. Each has to overcome unimaginable obstacles to get through, they meet others in the same situation as them, form alliances and bonds.
I received a copy of When We Had Wings from Edelweiss and HarperCollins Focus in exchange for an honest review and it’s written by historical fiction’s influential trio, Ariel Lawhon, Kristina McMorris and Susan Meissner. A powerful story about the brave and inspirational women known as the Angels of Bataan and Corregidor. They nursed, helped and supported soldiers, frightened women, children and elderly during one of history’s most horrific and barbaric times. Five stars from me and one of the best wartime books I have read this year.
March 14, 2023
I was disappointed in this novel after being so excited to read another novel about the Angels of Bataan (I'd previously read Angels of the Pacific: A Novel of World War II by Elise Hooper which I loved). This novel gets props for being written by three different authors and flowing seamlessly - you wouldn't be able to tell that each character was a different author. It also gets a gold star for highlighting a WWII experience that doesn't get a lot of recognition.
However, the story itself fell flat. Even though this was a long novel, it felt like there wasn't much story - it seemed like it was just their experience as a POW, but there was nothing else going on, no suspense, no conflict (which sounds a bit impossible given that they're in a war zone, but I never really worried that the characters weren't going to make it and I didn't feel like anything was building to some big climax).
At the same time, there were three characters essentially living the same experience but in a different location. Lita was the only one who really felt like she had a unique experience given that she wasn't in an internment camp the whole time. However, Penny and Eleanor felt relatively interchangeable. In that sense, the characters felt underdeveloped. There was hardly any time given to developing the characters and making them unique before Pearl Harbor happened and they were thrown into the war. Honestly, I didn't even realize that one character was Army and the other was Navy. Their friendship and life before the war was not explored or brought to life to really provide a contrast to their life in the camps. Once Pearl Harbor happened, they went from one place to another, and with bouncing between each character, none of the early locations really felt brought to life. I didn't get a clear understanding of the early months of conflict. Also, they came in contact with so many other people, but because there were three stories, it could be hard to connect with anyone.
Ultimately I wanted more from the book (even though I felt like it could have a much shorter novel.) Too much felt underdeveloped leaving the characters and experiences feeling flat and tedious. While I appreciated seeing how the different branches struggled during the war, this book could have benefited from one less character, especially as Penny and Eleanor's stories felt relatively interchangeable.
I wanted to like this book. I was so excited about it, but I did not enjoy listening to it. I couldn't wait for it to end because it dragged. It needed something else besides surviving the war to keep my attention.
However, the story itself fell flat. Even though this was a long novel, it felt like there wasn't much story - it seemed like it was just their experience as a POW, but there was nothing else going on, no suspense, no conflict (which sounds a bit impossible given that they're in a war zone, but I never really worried that the characters weren't going to make it and I didn't feel like anything was building to some big climax).
At the same time, there were three characters essentially living the same experience but in a different location. Lita was the only one who really felt like she had a unique experience given that she wasn't in an internment camp the whole time. However, Penny and Eleanor felt relatively interchangeable. In that sense, the characters felt underdeveloped. There was hardly any time given to developing the characters and making them unique before Pearl Harbor happened and they were thrown into the war. Honestly, I didn't even realize that one character was Army and the other was Navy. Their friendship and life before the war was not explored or brought to life to really provide a contrast to their life in the camps. Once Pearl Harbor happened, they went from one place to another, and with bouncing between each character, none of the early locations really felt brought to life. I didn't get a clear understanding of the early months of conflict. Also, they came in contact with so many other people, but because there were three stories, it could be hard to connect with anyone.
Ultimately I wanted more from the book (even though I felt like it could have a much shorter novel.) Too much felt underdeveloped leaving the characters and experiences feeling flat and tedious. While I appreciated seeing how the different branches struggled during the war, this book could have benefited from one less character, especially as Penny and Eleanor's stories felt relatively interchangeable.
I wanted to like this book. I was so excited about it, but I did not enjoy listening to it. I couldn't wait for it to end because it dragged. It needed something else besides surviving the war to keep my attention.
October 15, 2022
Thanks to NetGalley and HarperMuse for an egalley in exchange for an honest review
It was the three authors collaborating on this book that was enough for me to push the request button. Perhaps the second reason was the WWII setting and storyline of three nurses( Penny, Eleanor, Lita) in the Philippines who become Japanese POWS. We certainly read about the harsh conditions that the nurses endured while trying to take care of each other and hold out hope that soon the allied forces would arrive.
I found that the plot moved slowly and that sometimes I was being "told things" in the same tone of a history textbook. Also, as much as I loved the three characters, I feel like Lita was my favorite. She offered a perspective( as a Filipino nurse that was of mixed race) that I had never encountered anywhere else in fiction and I felt that I always wanted to return to her particular narrative. It would have been great if it was just her but I am guessing three authors and three characters is sort of the equation that works here. Although I don't want to spoil the ending, can I at least state in my review that I appreciated the "realistic "conclusion for each of our characters? Also, thanks to all three authors for keeping the romance to a low vibe and not letting it overshadow the main vein of the plot.
All in all, a good historical fiction that I am going to plant "safely" at a three star rating.
Goodreads Review Published 26/09/22
Expected Publication Date 18/10/22
#WhenWeHadWings #NetGalley
It was the three authors collaborating on this book that was enough for me to push the request button. Perhaps the second reason was the WWII setting and storyline of three nurses( Penny, Eleanor, Lita) in the Philippines who become Japanese POWS. We certainly read about the harsh conditions that the nurses endured while trying to take care of each other and hold out hope that soon the allied forces would arrive.
I found that the plot moved slowly and that sometimes I was being "told things" in the same tone of a history textbook. Also, as much as I loved the three characters, I feel like Lita was my favorite. She offered a perspective( as a Filipino nurse that was of mixed race) that I had never encountered anywhere else in fiction and I felt that I always wanted to return to her particular narrative. It would have been great if it was just her but I am guessing three authors and three characters is sort of the equation that works here. Although I don't want to spoil the ending, can I at least state in my review that I appreciated the "realistic "conclusion for each of our characters? Also, thanks to all three authors for keeping the romance to a low vibe and not letting it overshadow the main vein of the plot.
All in all, a good historical fiction that I am going to plant "safely" at a three star rating.
Goodreads Review Published 26/09/22
Expected Publication Date 18/10/22
#WhenWeHadWings #NetGalley
October 22, 2022
Three authors come together to tell us the story of three women, called the Angels of Bataan. It relates the story of Eleanor Lindstrom, Penny Franklin, and Lita Capel.
Stationed in the Philippines, these nurses felt they had achieved paradise. The met at the Army Navy Club in Manila and formed a friendship. With all of their secrets, they were looking for an escape and the Philippines seemed to offer that.
However, World War 2 intervened and the three women do all they can, after being captured and confined to a POW camp to allay the sufferings of other prisoners and the children.
The brutality of the Japanese, long documented in books such as The Rape of Nanking, was brought forward in this story. However, the bravery of these women, their fight for their captors to follow the rules of the Geneva Conference while the women and all the prisoners suffer through hatred, starvation, deprivation, and cruelty They were all courageous and stalwart. These women saved many lives and gave of themselves without a thought about their personal safety and the losses they were suffering.
Truly a story of women who often seemed to have taken a back seat to the heroes who were men during this tragic time.
Thank you to Ariel Lawhon, Kristina McMorris and Susan Meissner, Harper Muse, and NetGalley for a copy of this heroic story. This book will publish on October 18, 2022
Stationed in the Philippines, these nurses felt they had achieved paradise. The met at the Army Navy Club in Manila and formed a friendship. With all of their secrets, they were looking for an escape and the Philippines seemed to offer that.
However, World War 2 intervened and the three women do all they can, after being captured and confined to a POW camp to allay the sufferings of other prisoners and the children.
The brutality of the Japanese, long documented in books such as The Rape of Nanking, was brought forward in this story. However, the bravery of these women, their fight for their captors to follow the rules of the Geneva Conference while the women and all the prisoners suffer through hatred, starvation, deprivation, and cruelty They were all courageous and stalwart. These women saved many lives and gave of themselves without a thought about their personal safety and the losses they were suffering.
Truly a story of women who often seemed to have taken a back seat to the heroes who were men during this tragic time.
Thank you to Ariel Lawhon, Kristina McMorris and Susan Meissner, Harper Muse, and NetGalley for a copy of this heroic story. This book will publish on October 18, 2022
April 30, 2026
In a Nutshell: A WWII historical fiction focussing on three nurses stationed in the Philippines. Based on the ‘Angels of Bataan’. Okay character development but good variety of perspectives. Steady plot development, but too complicated at times. Fair representation of the experience of nurses during war-time. Great use of the location. Too much telling. Despite the shortcomings, I found this better than Kristin Hannah’s ‘The Women’. Recommended.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Plot Preview:
The first book you think of when you see ‘American nurses during a war’ is the popular ‘The Women’ by Kristin Hannah. I know this is a beloved title with many readers, but to me, it misrepresented several things. I was a bit apprehensive of trying another book aiming to portray what nurses went through during a war. But given that this was published two years prior to Hannah’s book, the three co-authors are established historical fiction writers, and the story was inspired by the experiences of the ‘Angels of Bataan’, I had a feeling this would go better for me. I was right. On many factors, this novel is what I wanted ‘The Women’ to be.
It intrigues me that three established historical fiction writers came together to write this novel. I couldn’t really tell where one author stopped writing and the other took over; the flow felt quite seamless. Then again, I am not aware of the writing styles of these authors. I have read only one novel by Kristina McMorris ('The Ways We Hide'), and none by Ariel Lawhon and Susan Meissner. Perhaps those who are more familiar with their writing might be able to deduce the transitions better.
Bookish Yays:
👩🏻⚕️ The genuine portrayal of nurses and nursing during combat conditions. Way better, more comprehensive, and more accurate than what was in ‘The Women’! The difficulties of practising medicine and offering healing in other ways during an active war come out well.
👩🏻⚕️ Lita’s being of mixed heritage (half American, half Filipino.) Gives us a local voice and also an insight into how those of mixed-race were seen by locals and Westerners.
👩🏻⚕️ The use of Manila as a setting. I love that the book shows the country in a genuine way instead of only looking at its problems. The beauty of the location is also genuinely described. Any criticism is aimed only at perpetrators instead of stereotypical nonsense like blaming the poverty or the monsoon.
👩🏻⚕️ The depiction of WWII from a non-white location. So many people don’t even realise that both the WWs went far beyond Europe and USA, thanks to the colonial rulers who pulled Africa and Asia into a war that wasn’t even theirs.
Bookish Okays:
🏥 The plot structuring. I like that the action begins almost right away instead of starting with an extensive sob story about the three nurses’ earlier life. We get their backstory bit by bit and only to the extent required. However, the shift between the three nurses’ POVs is too frequent.
🏥 The character development of the three nurses. It helps that they have diverse personalities and backgrounds, so we see them grow in various ways during the course of the story and we also get to see the events of the war from multiple angles. But there is no individuality to their voices, and two of their war-time experiences (those of Eleanor and Penny) are similar, making it tough to remember their individual arcs..
🏥 The brutalities of war. Mentioned extensively but never sensationalised. This creates a strange dichotomy while reading: we can see the intensity of the events but cannot feel them due to the toned-down writing.
🏥 The romance tracks. It is customary to include romances in almost every story these days, so I was relieved to see that the love tracks for all three nurses never get a priority over the war experiences. However, one of the stories has an abrupt enemies-to-lovers track, and another has an out-of-the-blue HEA. Then again, there are no illogical character resurrections in this book, which is a plus. (Those who’ve read ‘The Women’ know what I am talking about.)
🏥 The historical details about the strategic significance of the Philippines, the political repercussions of its participation, and the consequences of the clash between the Americans and the Japanese Imperial Army. I learnt so many facts! However, at times, because of the constant trivia, the writing goes too much into telling. It is tough to keep track of the individual arcs when we are learning so many things about multiple unfamiliar locations at once.
Bookish Nays:
💉 The combination of army and navy nurses for the storyline sounded intriguing to me, but I honestly didn’t see any difference between their experiences. The difference in service background felt just like a token mention.
💉 The friendship across the three characters isn't developed well. Though they keep referring to each other as best friends and each constantly has the other two in their minds, we don’t get to see how exactly their bond developed. Even the start of the friendship is almost instantaneous without any clue of the reason.
Overall, I am not sure if I liked this book better because it was a good book or simply because it avoided many of the mistakes committed by ‘The Women’. Unlike the popular title,
👉🏻 This actually contains multiple women’s perspectives;
👉🏻 None of the women is from a highly privileged background;
👉🏻 It includes a local perspective as well;
👉🏻 It respects the Asian setting instead of treating it like a clichéd backward location;
👉🏻 It never offers higher priority to the romantic developments;
👉🏻 None of the characters randomly return from death;
👉🏻 The nurses do far more than conduct tracheostomies; and
👉🏻 It is never a one-nurse show as all the nurses (the three main characters and the supporting characters) are shown handling their medical duties.
The only point on which ‘The Women’ scores better is in its depiction of PTSD, which this novel merely mentions in brief.
I think the main reason this book didn’t get the same level of acclaim is that it is set during WWII, a time period that is done to death in historical fiction. Plus, there have already been other novels on the Angels of Bataan. But if you enjoyed ‘The Women’, you must try this book as well.
Recommended to historical fiction fans. Though this story is set in the same old WWII, the setting and the nurses’ POV make it different.
3.75 stars.
My thanks to Harper Muse for providing the DRC of “When We Had Wings” via NetGalley. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I follow the Goodreads rating policy:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Lifelong favourite!
⭐⭐⭐�� - I loved the book.
⭐⭐⭐ - I liked the book.
⭐⭐ - I found the book average.
⭐ - I hated the book.
The decimals indicate the degree of the in-between feelings.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Connect with me through:
My Blog || The StoryGraph || Instagram || Facebook ||
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Plot Preview:
1941. Manila, Philippines. Eleanor Lindstrom (23, US navy nurse), Penny Franklin (26, US Army nurse), and Lita Capel (22, Filipina nurse) forge a friendship when they first meet at the Army Navy Club in Manila. Each has their secret reasons for enlisting with the military, but as the Philippines is just a stopover point and the war is mainly in Europe, they don’t think they will have trouble. Things change when Japan attacks Pearl Harbor. Now the US military and the Japanese Imperial Army both aim to control the Philippine islands for their strategic location in the Pacific, and the nurses find themselves facing active war conditions. Due to their different nationalities and military roles, each experiences a different struggle. But each also hopes to make it through the dark days alive, hoping to see her friends again.
The story comes to us in the third-person perspective of the three nurses, spanning from 1941 till a little beyond the war.
The first book you think of when you see ‘American nurses during a war’ is the popular ‘The Women’ by Kristin Hannah. I know this is a beloved title with many readers, but to me, it misrepresented several things. I was a bit apprehensive of trying another book aiming to portray what nurses went through during a war. But given that this was published two years prior to Hannah’s book, the three co-authors are established historical fiction writers, and the story was inspired by the experiences of the ‘Angels of Bataan’, I had a feeling this would go better for me. I was right. On many factors, this novel is what I wanted ‘The Women’ to be.
It intrigues me that three established historical fiction writers came together to write this novel. I couldn’t really tell where one author stopped writing and the other took over; the flow felt quite seamless. Then again, I am not aware of the writing styles of these authors. I have read only one novel by Kristina McMorris ('The Ways We Hide'), and none by Ariel Lawhon and Susan Meissner. Perhaps those who are more familiar with their writing might be able to deduce the transitions better.
Bookish Yays:
👩🏻⚕️ The genuine portrayal of nurses and nursing during combat conditions. Way better, more comprehensive, and more accurate than what was in ‘The Women’! The difficulties of practising medicine and offering healing in other ways during an active war come out well.
👩🏻⚕️ Lita’s being of mixed heritage (half American, half Filipino.) Gives us a local voice and also an insight into how those of mixed-race were seen by locals and Westerners.
👩🏻⚕️ The use of Manila as a setting. I love that the book shows the country in a genuine way instead of only looking at its problems. The beauty of the location is also genuinely described. Any criticism is aimed only at perpetrators instead of stereotypical nonsense like blaming the poverty or the monsoon.
👩🏻⚕️ The depiction of WWII from a non-white location. So many people don’t even realise that both the WWs went far beyond Europe and USA, thanks to the colonial rulers who pulled Africa and Asia into a war that wasn’t even theirs.
Bookish Okays:
🏥 The plot structuring. I like that the action begins almost right away instead of starting with an extensive sob story about the three nurses’ earlier life. We get their backstory bit by bit and only to the extent required. However, the shift between the three nurses’ POVs is too frequent.
🏥 The character development of the three nurses. It helps that they have diverse personalities and backgrounds, so we see them grow in various ways during the course of the story and we also get to see the events of the war from multiple angles. But there is no individuality to their voices, and two of their war-time experiences (those of Eleanor and Penny) are similar, making it tough to remember their individual arcs..
🏥 The brutalities of war. Mentioned extensively but never sensationalised. This creates a strange dichotomy while reading: we can see the intensity of the events but cannot feel them due to the toned-down writing.
🏥 The romance tracks. It is customary to include romances in almost every story these days, so I was relieved to see that the love tracks for all three nurses never get a priority over the war experiences. However, one of the stories has an abrupt enemies-to-lovers track, and another has an out-of-the-blue HEA. Then again, there are no illogical character resurrections in this book, which is a plus. (Those who’ve read ‘The Women’ know what I am talking about.)
🏥 The historical details about the strategic significance of the Philippines, the political repercussions of its participation, and the consequences of the clash between the Americans and the Japanese Imperial Army. I learnt so many facts! However, at times, because of the constant trivia, the writing goes too much into telling. It is tough to keep track of the individual arcs when we are learning so many things about multiple unfamiliar locations at once.
Bookish Nays:
💉 The combination of army and navy nurses for the storyline sounded intriguing to me, but I honestly didn’t see any difference between their experiences. The difference in service background felt just like a token mention.
💉 The friendship across the three characters isn't developed well. Though they keep referring to each other as best friends and each constantly has the other two in their minds, we don’t get to see how exactly their bond developed. Even the start of the friendship is almost instantaneous without any clue of the reason.
Overall, I am not sure if I liked this book better because it was a good book or simply because it avoided many of the mistakes committed by ‘The Women’. Unlike the popular title,
👉🏻 This actually contains multiple women’s perspectives;
👉🏻 None of the women is from a highly privileged background;
👉🏻 It includes a local perspective as well;
👉🏻 It respects the Asian setting instead of treating it like a clichéd backward location;
👉🏻 It never offers higher priority to the romantic developments;
👉🏻 None of the characters randomly return from death;
👉🏻 The nurses do far more than conduct tracheostomies; and
👉🏻 It is never a one-nurse show as all the nurses (the three main characters and the supporting characters) are shown handling their medical duties.
The only point on which ‘The Women’ scores better is in its depiction of PTSD, which this novel merely mentions in brief.
I think the main reason this book didn’t get the same level of acclaim is that it is set during WWII, a time period that is done to death in historical fiction. Plus, there have already been other novels on the Angels of Bataan. But if you enjoyed ‘The Women’, you must try this book as well.
Recommended to historical fiction fans. Though this story is set in the same old WWII, the setting and the nurses’ POV make it different.
3.75 stars.
My thanks to Harper Muse for providing the DRC of “When We Had Wings” via NetGalley. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I follow the Goodreads rating policy:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Lifelong favourite!
⭐⭐⭐�� - I loved the book.
⭐⭐⭐ - I liked the book.
⭐⭐ - I found the book average.
⭐ - I hated the book.
The decimals indicate the degree of the in-between feelings.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Connect with me through:
My Blog || The StoryGraph || Instagram || Facebook ||
October 18, 2022
This is an entertaining, well-written, fast paced, WWII historical fiction novel which is based on true events. It has likable, strong and courageous female protagonists, and the quotations interspersed within the novel are inspiring. The vivid descriptions of the tragedy, brutality, deprivation, heart-break, and horrors of war are tempered by the friendship, love, resilience and hope of the characters and the joyfulness of the children.
I listened to the audio version of this book, and the narrator, Ms. Saskia Maarleveld, has a captivating voice and does an outstanding job depicting the characters and their personalities.
Harper Muse, the authors, and NetGalley kindly provided me with an ARC of this novel, and this is my honest opinion.
I listened to the audio version of this book, and the narrator, Ms. Saskia Maarleveld, has a captivating voice and does an outstanding job depicting the characters and their personalities.
Harper Muse, the authors, and NetGalley kindly provided me with an ARC of this novel, and this is my honest opinion.
October 20, 2022
I’m a huge fan of Historical Fiction and was so excited when I saw that three powerhouse authors were collaborating on a new book. I’ve read books from all three authors and have always enjoyed them!! If you are a Historical Fiction fan or if you love strong female characters, this is a great story and one I highly recommend!!
A story of three nurses stationed in the South Pacific during WWII and taken as the first female prisoners during the battle against the US military and the Imperial Japanese Army during the invasion of the Philippine Islands in 1942.
These nurses would later be dubbed “the Angels of Battan” in our history books, although their story has been left untold, until now.
Although I learned about The Battle of Battan in school, these true experiences told through the eyes of these three nurses, Eleanor Linstrom, Penny Franklin and Lita Capel, really brought the brutality of war and the inhumane acts of the Japanese soldiers against our nurses, Filipinos and civilians to life. Something that the history books didn't' do for me.
Although the story takes place during wartime, it is so much more than that! It is about the intense friendship/bond between the nurses, their will to survive and the courage and love they had for each other and the patients they cared for in the camps.
The remarkable, inspiring, yet sad at times story was seamlessly told by the three authors and it kept me engrossed until the last page. I didn’t want the story to end!
A story of three nurses stationed in the South Pacific during WWII and taken as the first female prisoners during the battle against the US military and the Imperial Japanese Army during the invasion of the Philippine Islands in 1942.
These nurses would later be dubbed “the Angels of Battan” in our history books, although their story has been left untold, until now.
Although I learned about The Battle of Battan in school, these true experiences told through the eyes of these three nurses, Eleanor Linstrom, Penny Franklin and Lita Capel, really brought the brutality of war and the inhumane acts of the Japanese soldiers against our nurses, Filipinos and civilians to life. Something that the history books didn't' do for me.
Although the story takes place during wartime, it is so much more than that! It is about the intense friendship/bond between the nurses, their will to survive and the courage and love they had for each other and the patients they cared for in the camps.
The remarkable, inspiring, yet sad at times story was seamlessly told by the three authors and it kept me engrossed until the last page. I didn’t want the story to end!
June 21, 2025
EXCERPT: A sultry and sweetly fragrant breeze swept across Manila Bay as Eleanor Lindstrom walked carefully down the gangplank of the just-docked naval transport ship, mindful that her land legs might be slow in returning. A band was playing a cheerful Benny Goodman tune as she and other disembarking servicemen and women stepped onto solid ground. Filipino nationals on the other side of a rope held up by stanchions were waving hello and hawking maps of the islands or taxi rides or paper bags of sweets or bouquets of aromatic frangipani blossoms. The late afternoon air was thick with their excitement but also with humidity that rivalled anything Eleanor had felt back home on a Minnesota midsummer's day.
The mood all around her was festive, despite the stifling heat, and she wanted to linger, to take it all in, and let the buoyant atmosphere energize her. Fortify her. Calm her. Crossing the Pacific, especially for a twenty-three-year-old Midwesterner who had never even seen the ocean before, had been challenging, yes, but it wasn't just the fatigue of travel that made her want to stop and fully embrace the novelty of her new surroundings. It was far more than that.
It was deciding on a whim to apply to the Navy and getting accepted so quickly. Leaving for training barely three weeks after signing on the dotted line. Saying goodbye to civilian life. Leaving her friends and fellow nurses at Abbott Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis. Hugging her parents and sister farewell and knowing a three-year overseas assignment meant it would likely be several years before she saw them or the family dairy barns again.
And all this change because she'd fallen in love with a man who loved another.
ABOUT 'WHEN WE HAD WINGS': The Philippines, 1941. When U.S. Navy nurse Eleanor Lindstrom, U.S. Army nurse Penny Franklin, and Filipina nurse Lita Capel forge a friendship at the Army Navy Club in Manila, they believe they’re living a paradise assignment. All three are seeking a way to escape their pasts, but soon the beauty and promise of their surroundings give way to the heavy mantle of war.
Caught in the crosshairs of a fight between the U.S. military and the Imperial Japanese Army for control of the Philippine Islands, the nurses are forced to serve under combat conditions and, ultimately, endure captivity as the first female prisoners of the Second World War. As their resiliency is tested in the face of squalid living arrangements, food shortages, and the enemy’s blatant disregard for the articles of the Geneva Convention, the women strive to keep their hope—and fellow inmates—alive, though not without great cost.
In this sweeping story based on the true experiences of nurses dubbed the “Angels of Bataan,” three women shift in and out of each other’s lives through the darkest days of the war, buoyed by their unwavering friendship and distant dreams of liberation.
MY THOUGHTS: When We Had Wings is more a story of friendship and romance set against the backdrop of WWII than it is about surviving the war. It is not as darkly descriptive as I expected, and I don't know if I am disappointed or relieved by that, particularly as it is based on first-hand accounts provided by the Angels of Bataan.
I have previously read and enjoyed works by all three of the authors who collaborated on When We Had Wings and I find it impossible to tell who wrote what. They have captured the resilience of human spirit and used it to great effect as these three women face imprisonment, fear, violence, barbaric treatment and an uncertain future. And yet they kept going, day after day, doing their jobs in unimaginable conditions and putting their own lives at risk to save the lives of others, provide medical supplies and keep everyone fed.
Most nurses are dedicated and resilient, but we can add loyal, brave and determined (and occasionally foolhardy), to the list of qualities for Eleanor, Penny and Lita. Although they were often separated, they never gave up on one another. The themes of friendship and hope run strongly throughout When We Had Wings with a side dish of romance as an antidote to the horrors of prison camp life which, I am sure, in real life was a lot more brutal than what is described here.
⭐⭐⭐.7
#WhenWeHadWings #NetGalley
MEET THE AUTHORS: All three are critically acclaimed, New York Times Bestselling authors.
ARIEL LAWHON lives in the rolling hills outside Nashville, Tennessee, with her husband, four sons, and black Lab—who is, thankfully, a girl. Ariel splits her time between the grocery store and the baseball field.
KRISTINA MCMORRIS previously hosted weekly TV shows for Warner Bros. and an ABC affiliate, beginning at age nine with an Emmy Award-winning program, and owned a wedding-and-event-planning company until she had far surpassed her limit of "Y.M.C.A." and chicken dances. Kristina splits her time between San Diego and Portland, Oregon, where she’s the proud mom of two teenage boys who recently stripped her of her longstanding boast of being “tall for an Asian.”
SUSAN MEISSNER attended Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego and is a former managing editor of a weekly newspaper. Susan’s expertise as a storyteller and her thoroughly researched topics make her a favorite author of book clubs everywhere. Her engaging and warm speaking style appeal to all manner of women’s groups, literary organizations, libraries and learning institutions, and service clubs.
When she is not working on a new novel, she enjoys teaching workshops on writing, spending time with her family, music, reading great books, and traveling.
DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Harper Muse for providing both an e-ARC and an audio ARC of When We Had Wings by Ariel Lawhon, Kristina McMorris and Susan Meissner for review. The audiobook is superbly narrated by Saskia Maarleveld. I enjoyed both formats.
All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.
The mood all around her was festive, despite the stifling heat, and she wanted to linger, to take it all in, and let the buoyant atmosphere energize her. Fortify her. Calm her. Crossing the Pacific, especially for a twenty-three-year-old Midwesterner who had never even seen the ocean before, had been challenging, yes, but it wasn't just the fatigue of travel that made her want to stop and fully embrace the novelty of her new surroundings. It was far more than that.
It was deciding on a whim to apply to the Navy and getting accepted so quickly. Leaving for training barely three weeks after signing on the dotted line. Saying goodbye to civilian life. Leaving her friends and fellow nurses at Abbott Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis. Hugging her parents and sister farewell and knowing a three-year overseas assignment meant it would likely be several years before she saw them or the family dairy barns again.
And all this change because she'd fallen in love with a man who loved another.
ABOUT 'WHEN WE HAD WINGS': The Philippines, 1941. When U.S. Navy nurse Eleanor Lindstrom, U.S. Army nurse Penny Franklin, and Filipina nurse Lita Capel forge a friendship at the Army Navy Club in Manila, they believe they’re living a paradise assignment. All three are seeking a way to escape their pasts, but soon the beauty and promise of their surroundings give way to the heavy mantle of war.
Caught in the crosshairs of a fight between the U.S. military and the Imperial Japanese Army for control of the Philippine Islands, the nurses are forced to serve under combat conditions and, ultimately, endure captivity as the first female prisoners of the Second World War. As their resiliency is tested in the face of squalid living arrangements, food shortages, and the enemy’s blatant disregard for the articles of the Geneva Convention, the women strive to keep their hope—and fellow inmates—alive, though not without great cost.
In this sweeping story based on the true experiences of nurses dubbed the “Angels of Bataan,” three women shift in and out of each other’s lives through the darkest days of the war, buoyed by their unwavering friendship and distant dreams of liberation.
MY THOUGHTS: When We Had Wings is more a story of friendship and romance set against the backdrop of WWII than it is about surviving the war. It is not as darkly descriptive as I expected, and I don't know if I am disappointed or relieved by that, particularly as it is based on first-hand accounts provided by the Angels of Bataan.
I have previously read and enjoyed works by all three of the authors who collaborated on When We Had Wings and I find it impossible to tell who wrote what. They have captured the resilience of human spirit and used it to great effect as these three women face imprisonment, fear, violence, barbaric treatment and an uncertain future. And yet they kept going, day after day, doing their jobs in unimaginable conditions and putting their own lives at risk to save the lives of others, provide medical supplies and keep everyone fed.
Most nurses are dedicated and resilient, but we can add loyal, brave and determined (and occasionally foolhardy), to the list of qualities for Eleanor, Penny and Lita. Although they were often separated, they never gave up on one another. The themes of friendship and hope run strongly throughout When We Had Wings with a side dish of romance as an antidote to the horrors of prison camp life which, I am sure, in real life was a lot more brutal than what is described here.
⭐⭐⭐.7
#WhenWeHadWings #NetGalley
MEET THE AUTHORS: All three are critically acclaimed, New York Times Bestselling authors.
ARIEL LAWHON lives in the rolling hills outside Nashville, Tennessee, with her husband, four sons, and black Lab—who is, thankfully, a girl. Ariel splits her time between the grocery store and the baseball field.
KRISTINA MCMORRIS previously hosted weekly TV shows for Warner Bros. and an ABC affiliate, beginning at age nine with an Emmy Award-winning program, and owned a wedding-and-event-planning company until she had far surpassed her limit of "Y.M.C.A." and chicken dances. Kristina splits her time between San Diego and Portland, Oregon, where she’s the proud mom of two teenage boys who recently stripped her of her longstanding boast of being “tall for an Asian.”
SUSAN MEISSNER attended Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego and is a former managing editor of a weekly newspaper. Susan’s expertise as a storyteller and her thoroughly researched topics make her a favorite author of book clubs everywhere. Her engaging and warm speaking style appeal to all manner of women’s groups, literary organizations, libraries and learning institutions, and service clubs.
When she is not working on a new novel, she enjoys teaching workshops on writing, spending time with her family, music, reading great books, and traveling.
DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Harper Muse for providing both an e-ARC and an audio ARC of When We Had Wings by Ariel Lawhon, Kristina McMorris and Susan Meissner for review. The audiobook is superbly narrated by Saskia Maarleveld. I enjoyed both formats.
All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.
October 27, 2022
A tragic yet beautiful tale of friendship between Military nurses while they struggle to survive during WWII.
This book was such a heartfelt read. Yes, it was also heartbreaking, but even with the raging war, torture, death, and struggle for survival, it was full of hope, love and most of all, friendship of the truest kind. Two American military nurses and one Filipina nurse start an unconditional friendship in the first few days of their assignment in the Philippines in 1941. What they expected to be a relaxing assignment turns into a nightmare when they are taken captive by the Japanese Imperial Army and become the first female POW. As they struggle for survival against the Japanese Army’s torture, their newfound friendship and love would be their pillars of support and keep them hopeful for life beyond war.
This story is based on the actual account of the Angels of Bataan, a group of 66 United States Army Nurse Corps and 11 United States Navy Nurse Corps stationed in the Philippines at the outset of the Pacific War and served during the Battle of the Philippines (1941–1942). When Bataan and Corregidor fell, they were captured and imprisoned in and around Manila. They continued to serve as a nursing unit while being prisoners of war. After years of hardship, they were finally liberated in February 1945. (Source: Wiki).
The extent to which the Japanese Army ignored the Geneva Convention and brutally treated the POW is sure to make the reader uncomfortable, and if you’re weak like me, you might also shed a tear or two. The nurses not just fought against imprisonment, they were both physically and mentally abused and deliberately starved. We are also given a sneak peek into the nurses’ past lives, making them more relatable with their share of insecurities and vulnerabilities. There’s also a good share of low-key romance which is pretty realistic considering the length of their confinement and other conditions. Forming relationships is natural when you’re cut off from the world and unsure of the future.
What I didn’t like: The book has a monotonous tone. Even though chilling events happen now and then, the content is delivered in a sluggish way that makes the reading experience underwhelming at times. I initially thought this was due to the audiobook’s slow narration, but with time, I realised the plot itself was moving slowly, making me zone out.
Lastly, I recommend the audio over the physical copy owing to the slow pace of the story.
Overall, a heartbreaking, yet satisfying tale of hope, love and friendship in times of war.
Thanks to Harper Muse and Netgalley for the ARC.
When We Had Wings is now available for purchase.
4.5/5🌟(umm, sorry, but I am rounding this down).
TW: War, Imprisonment, POW, Physical Abuse, Mental Abuse, Torture, Starvation, and Death.
This book was such a heartfelt read. Yes, it was also heartbreaking, but even with the raging war, torture, death, and struggle for survival, it was full of hope, love and most of all, friendship of the truest kind. Two American military nurses and one Filipina nurse start an unconditional friendship in the first few days of their assignment in the Philippines in 1941. What they expected to be a relaxing assignment turns into a nightmare when they are taken captive by the Japanese Imperial Army and become the first female POW. As they struggle for survival against the Japanese Army’s torture, their newfound friendship and love would be their pillars of support and keep them hopeful for life beyond war.
This story is based on the actual account of the Angels of Bataan, a group of 66 United States Army Nurse Corps and 11 United States Navy Nurse Corps stationed in the Philippines at the outset of the Pacific War and served during the Battle of the Philippines (1941–1942). When Bataan and Corregidor fell, they were captured and imprisoned in and around Manila. They continued to serve as a nursing unit while being prisoners of war. After years of hardship, they were finally liberated in February 1945. (Source: Wiki).
The extent to which the Japanese Army ignored the Geneva Convention and brutally treated the POW is sure to make the reader uncomfortable, and if you’re weak like me, you might also shed a tear or two. The nurses not just fought against imprisonment, they were both physically and mentally abused and deliberately starved. We are also given a sneak peek into the nurses’ past lives, making them more relatable with their share of insecurities and vulnerabilities. There’s also a good share of low-key romance which is pretty realistic considering the length of their confinement and other conditions. Forming relationships is natural when you’re cut off from the world and unsure of the future.
What I didn’t like: The book has a monotonous tone. Even though chilling events happen now and then, the content is delivered in a sluggish way that makes the reading experience underwhelming at times. I initially thought this was due to the audiobook’s slow narration, but with time, I realised the plot itself was moving slowly, making me zone out.
Lastly, I recommend the audio over the physical copy owing to the slow pace of the story.
Overall, a heartbreaking, yet satisfying tale of hope, love and friendship in times of war.
Thanks to Harper Muse and Netgalley for the ARC.
When We Had Wings is now available for purchase.
4.5/5🌟(umm, sorry, but I am rounding this down).
TW: War, Imprisonment, POW, Physical Abuse, Mental Abuse, Torture, Starvation, and Death.
October 27, 2022
This is Historical Fiction. I've read 2 other books by this author and she lands between 2 and 3 stars for me.
Overall this one was just okay. I liked the time frame and the details attached to that. What I struggled with were the wide sweeping generalizations and the predictable stereotypes when it came to POVs. Every character stuck to its assigned stereotype and did NOT stray. The audio narration is one other thing that was distracting. Her voice was pleasant but it came across as overacted. All the gasps and raised voices...caused some eye rolling. All thing considered, this fell flat for me. So 2 stars.
Overall this one was just okay. I liked the time frame and the details attached to that. What I struggled with were the wide sweeping generalizations and the predictable stereotypes when it came to POVs. Every character stuck to its assigned stereotype and did NOT stray. The audio narration is one other thing that was distracting. Her voice was pleasant but it came across as overacted. All the gasps and raised voices...caused some eye rolling. All thing considered, this fell flat for me. So 2 stars.
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November 16, 2022If you’ve been looking for a different kind of World War II story, this collaboration between three best-selling historical fiction authors might be worth a try. It's set in the Philippines in 1941 and follows two American nurses and one Filipina nurse who meet at the Army and Navy Club in Manila and then get flung out to various parts of the Philippines during the war. These nurses were the first female POWs and came to be known as the Angels of Bataan. I recommended it to Barbara and Adrienne in What Should I Read Next episode 350.
June 11, 2023
I can’t believe I haven’t read When We Had Wings by Ariel Lawhon, Kristina McMorris before now. This book place during WW2 in the South Pacific. I knew little about this part of the war before now. The book focuses on 3 women who become some of the first female POWs during WW2. Lovely book about war, romance, friendship, prison camps, strong women and defeat of the Japanese.
December 22, 2022
Well-researched & riveting! . . . One of my all-time favorite books is the memoir, We Band of Angels: The Untold Story of American Nurses Trapped on Bataan by Elizabeth M. Norman. I'm always interested in reading stories based on the lives of these brave nurses.
April 25, 2022
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions in this review are my own.
With three powerhouse authors, I knew that When We Had Wings would be a great read, and it was. Based on actual events, the novel explores the lives of two of the 77 Army and Navy nurses and one Filipina nurse who became POWs after the Japanese occupied the Philippines in May 1942, until their liberation in February 1945.
Based on extensive research, the authors have used first-hand accounts from survivors to craft the characters of Navy nurse Eleanor Lindstrom, Army nurse Penny Franklin and civilian Filipina nurse Lita Capel. Other characters are real people, such as Chief Army Nurse Maud Davison. And while this book is heavy on history, it reads like the first rate novel that it is with finely crafted character development and gut-wrenching story lines.
As a nurse for nearly 50 years, my heart broke for my sister nurses who endured so much and despite near starvation, brutality and torture, managed to keep doing their jobs, caring for other POWs as best they could with little to no equipment or medicine. At the same time, I felt such pride to be a part of a profession that has consistently performed in the most adverse of circumstances.
I cannot recommend this book highly enough. Too little is known about these Angels of Bataan and Corregidor, all 77 of whom survived. Their story deserves to be told to a new generation of women seeking role models.
5 stars and 2 thumbs up!
With three powerhouse authors, I knew that When We Had Wings would be a great read, and it was. Based on actual events, the novel explores the lives of two of the 77 Army and Navy nurses and one Filipina nurse who became POWs after the Japanese occupied the Philippines in May 1942, until their liberation in February 1945.
Based on extensive research, the authors have used first-hand accounts from survivors to craft the characters of Navy nurse Eleanor Lindstrom, Army nurse Penny Franklin and civilian Filipina nurse Lita Capel. Other characters are real people, such as Chief Army Nurse Maud Davison. And while this book is heavy on history, it reads like the first rate novel that it is with finely crafted character development and gut-wrenching story lines.
As a nurse for nearly 50 years, my heart broke for my sister nurses who endured so much and despite near starvation, brutality and torture, managed to keep doing their jobs, caring for other POWs as best they could with little to no equipment or medicine. At the same time, I felt such pride to be a part of a profession that has consistently performed in the most adverse of circumstances.
I cannot recommend this book highly enough. Too little is known about these Angels of Bataan and Corregidor, all 77 of whom survived. Their story deserves to be told to a new generation of women seeking role models.
5 stars and 2 thumbs up!
May 25, 2023
I love that this WWII novel was set in the Philippines and follows 3 nurses who come from very different backgrounds but form the best friendship. There were times when this was a bit slow and I would have loved for each of the 3 main characters to have been built out a bit more. Overall - an amazing historical fiction.
December 10, 2022
DNF for me. When I'm avoiding reading I know the book is not for me. I love historical fiction but for whatever reason this one did not hold my attention. I struggled to connect with the characters.
September 18, 2022
There’s something special about the way these three established authors have illuminated a piece of history for readers ~ How the bombing of Pearl Harbour affected those serving in the Philippines.
They invite us to empathize with their characters’ journeys while subtly teaching us something new on every page! I heard an author reveal recently that it irked her to see people comment that she’d ‘obviously done a lot of research for her novel’ because she felt that it shouldn’t be obvious. I didn’t understand her comment…until I read this book. I get it!!!! These authors have made sure that the focus is on the story, not the facts. There’s no information dumping. It’s woven into the plot. It’s amazing, really.
I was excited to read about a setting I knew very little about and, knowing about the authors, was expecting a great story. However, I wasn’t prepared for a fantastic story which immersed me into the setting immediately. The world-building completely drew me in; mentions of food such as pan de sal, Filipino egg rolls, carabao milk and lumpia, the exotic fragrances of jasmine, and Tagalog expressions such as ‘mestiza’. As I kept reading, I transcended into the setting even more and I wanted to keep reading about this unfamiliar place and time instead of returning to reality.
For anyone who’s read wartime fiction, we know all about what the men are doing, but we rarely read about what it was REALLY like for the nurses who served overseas. I’d never thought of the mosquitos, dysentery, beriberi or malaria, of fingernails stained daily with blood, and of the constant moaning and cries “from an endless assembly line of patients shredded by war.” I’d never considered what it would feel like to experience a bomb going off beside me, how electricity would go out making it difficult for instruments to be sterilized, nor have no elevators to transport/evacuate patients, or what would go through my mind when I thought I was dying, of what it would be like to be a nurse in an internment camp or a prison, nor about what they’d have to resort to in order to stay alive. I was mesmerized.
The balance of internal and external conflict was perfectly balanced and added to the story both in plot and character development.
'When We Had Wings' is a gateway novel; I’m thrilled about delving into more novels set in the Pacific theatre and reading more by these amazing authors! I'd like to see them collaborate on more historical fiction.
You need to add this book about the ‘Angels of Bataan’ to the top of your reading list!
Thank you to Harper Muse and NetGalley for this advance copy. I was under no obligation to provide a review.
They invite us to empathize with their characters’ journeys while subtly teaching us something new on every page! I heard an author reveal recently that it irked her to see people comment that she’d ‘obviously done a lot of research for her novel’ because she felt that it shouldn’t be obvious. I didn’t understand her comment…until I read this book. I get it!!!! These authors have made sure that the focus is on the story, not the facts. There’s no information dumping. It’s woven into the plot. It’s amazing, really.
I was excited to read about a setting I knew very little about and, knowing about the authors, was expecting a great story. However, I wasn’t prepared for a fantastic story which immersed me into the setting immediately. The world-building completely drew me in; mentions of food such as pan de sal, Filipino egg rolls, carabao milk and lumpia, the exotic fragrances of jasmine, and Tagalog expressions such as ‘mestiza’. As I kept reading, I transcended into the setting even more and I wanted to keep reading about this unfamiliar place and time instead of returning to reality.
For anyone who’s read wartime fiction, we know all about what the men are doing, but we rarely read about what it was REALLY like for the nurses who served overseas. I’d never thought of the mosquitos, dysentery, beriberi or malaria, of fingernails stained daily with blood, and of the constant moaning and cries “from an endless assembly line of patients shredded by war.” I’d never considered what it would feel like to experience a bomb going off beside me, how electricity would go out making it difficult for instruments to be sterilized, nor have no elevators to transport/evacuate patients, or what would go through my mind when I thought I was dying, of what it would be like to be a nurse in an internment camp or a prison, nor about what they’d have to resort to in order to stay alive. I was mesmerized.
The balance of internal and external conflict was perfectly balanced and added to the story both in plot and character development.
'When We Had Wings' is a gateway novel; I’m thrilled about delving into more novels set in the Pacific theatre and reading more by these amazing authors! I'd like to see them collaborate on more historical fiction.
You need to add this book about the ‘Angels of Bataan’ to the top of your reading list!
Thank you to Harper Muse and NetGalley for this advance copy. I was under no obligation to provide a review.
September 23, 2022
When We Had Wings
By: Kristina McMorris, Susan Meissner, Ariel Lawhon
5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I am always amazed how multiple authors can write a book together and these three did such a fabulous job.
This novel is about the friendship of three women during war.
August 1941- U.S Navy nurse Eleanor Lindstrom goes to the Philippines. She meets two other women who strike up a friendship when they meet at the Army Navy Club.
They bond and each have had a difficult past. Eleanor meets Penny and Lila. Bonding over the loss of a husband, lost love and promises, yet their future remains unclear.
At first the are enjoying life in the South Pacific and dealing with light nursing duties, but then Pearl Harbor is bombed. Next the Philippines is attacked and the three are sent to different internment camps.
This novel tackles so many topics and things that happened during that time in history. I enjoyed that the novel follows up with the ladies after the war.
Thank you @netgaley, @harpermuse @kristinamcmorris @susanmeissner @ariellawhon for this advanced copy.
Due out October 18, 2022
#whenwehadwings, #harpermuse, #netgalley, #booksconnectus, #bookstagram, #bookreview, #stamperlady50, #krisitinamcmorris, #susanmeissner, #ariellawhon
By: Kristina McMorris, Susan Meissner, Ariel Lawhon
5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I am always amazed how multiple authors can write a book together and these three did such a fabulous job.
This novel is about the friendship of three women during war.
August 1941- U.S Navy nurse Eleanor Lindstrom goes to the Philippines. She meets two other women who strike up a friendship when they meet at the Army Navy Club.
They bond and each have had a difficult past. Eleanor meets Penny and Lila. Bonding over the loss of a husband, lost love and promises, yet their future remains unclear.
At first the are enjoying life in the South Pacific and dealing with light nursing duties, but then Pearl Harbor is bombed. Next the Philippines is attacked and the three are sent to different internment camps.
This novel tackles so many topics and things that happened during that time in history. I enjoyed that the novel follows up with the ladies after the war.
Thank you @netgaley, @harpermuse @kristinamcmorris @susanmeissner @ariellawhon for this advanced copy.
Due out October 18, 2022
#whenwehadwings, #harpermuse, #netgalley, #booksconnectus, #bookstagram, #bookreview, #stamperlady50, #krisitinamcmorris, #susanmeissner, #ariellawhon
August 30, 2025
Always Enjoy learning about new events. I had no idea this occurred in the Philippines and taking Women as Prisoners of War. We do such atrocious things to each other. Still, these women are brave and help even under terrible conditions. Always love books that bring out Women’s Stories that are little known and Made Such a Difference.
The book examines the lives of three nurses who become close friends. Then during the war, their lives are terribly altered. The book still has an element of hope and friendship which is powerful. This is based on real nurses and I love that I learned of this situation and enjoyed the story. The narration was done well. Recommend.
Thank you NetGalley and Harper Muse for a copy of this Audiobook. I always leave feedback for books I read.
The book examines the lives of three nurses who become close friends. Then during the war, their lives are terribly altered. The book still has an element of hope and friendship which is powerful. This is based on real nurses and I love that I learned of this situation and enjoyed the story. The narration was done well. Recommend.
Thank you NetGalley and Harper Muse for a copy of this Audiobook. I always leave feedback for books I read.
August 13, 2023
Incredible!
This could be my favorite book of the year! He touched all of my feelings. Notably, anger, joy, frustration, and even hate.
He delivers everything you would expect from three amazing writers. I was touched by all the characters, especially, Eleanor, Lita, and Penny's stories.
The pace of the book was very fast for me. In fact, I asked my daughter to drive so I could read when we were going out in New Orleans.
I don’t usually do summaries, but for this one, I will tell you that this is about the Angels of Bataan and Corregidor — the first USA women ever in concentration camps. It covers their journey throughout, and even goes beyond to close out the story.
I absolutely loved it. So, if there is one book that you should read this year it is this one.
"A stop what you’re reading and get a copy" recommendation.
This could be my favorite book of the year! He touched all of my feelings. Notably, anger, joy, frustration, and even hate.
He delivers everything you would expect from three amazing writers. I was touched by all the characters, especially, Eleanor, Lita, and Penny's stories.
The pace of the book was very fast for me. In fact, I asked my daughter to drive so I could read when we were going out in New Orleans.
I don’t usually do summaries, but for this one, I will tell you that this is about the Angels of Bataan and Corregidor — the first USA women ever in concentration camps. It covers their journey throughout, and even goes beyond to close out the story.
I absolutely loved it. So, if there is one book that you should read this year it is this one.
"A stop what you’re reading and get a copy" recommendation.
November 27, 2024
Audiobook (13 hours) narrated by Saskia Maarleveld
The narrator is award winning, and awesome as always. It's a pleasure to have Saskia Maarleveld narrate.
The audio is good.
There isn't anything wrong with this book. It is a historical fiction based on real individuals. I am just not feeling it.
The narrator is award winning, and awesome as always. It's a pleasure to have Saskia Maarleveld narrate.
The audio is good.
There isn't anything wrong with this book. It is a historical fiction based on real individuals. I am just not feeling it.
October 20, 2022
Thank you NetGalley and Harper Muse for accepting my request to audibly read and review When We Had Wings.
Authors: Ariel Lawhon, Kristina McMorris and Susan Meissner
Published: 10/18/22
Narrator: Saskia Maarleveld
Genre: Historical Fiction -- Women's Fiction
The world vowed never to forget the atrocities that led to and occurred during World War II. During my lifetime, I have read innumerable nonfiction and historical fiction accounts of this period. Is it possible that I have read too much, are authors simply repeating what has already been written, and when is it time to move on and not forget? I have read this story before. There was nothing new. I really wanted my time back.
This has three authors, one of which I was familiar with, Meissner. After searching I found I had read The Shape of Mercy which was a 3 star forgettable read.
The three nurses that the book draws attention to have different ethnicities, backgrounds and experiences. Everything is minimalized as if the audience was teen to young adult. I appreciated being spared rape scenes. I appreciated that the physical abuse was minimal throughout the story. I appreciated that the cruel acts of starvation were not stretched out.
If the story is to reflect a time in history we are not to forget or repeat, I do not think the authors explained themselves well. Most notably, the reason for the internment camps was not explained. I had a difficult time keeping up with the personal/romantic interpersonal relationships of the three nurses and the respective men. At one point, I thought there was an insinuation one of the nurses was not eyeing a man. But, at this point I wanted the story to end.
My disappointments were many, however, the biggest being three authors and sketchy character development in a story already told.
Authors: Ariel Lawhon, Kristina McMorris and Susan Meissner
Published: 10/18/22
Narrator: Saskia Maarleveld
Genre: Historical Fiction -- Women's Fiction
The world vowed never to forget the atrocities that led to and occurred during World War II. During my lifetime, I have read innumerable nonfiction and historical fiction accounts of this period. Is it possible that I have read too much, are authors simply repeating what has already been written, and when is it time to move on and not forget? I have read this story before. There was nothing new. I really wanted my time back.
This has three authors, one of which I was familiar with, Meissner. After searching I found I had read The Shape of Mercy which was a 3 star forgettable read.
The three nurses that the book draws attention to have different ethnicities, backgrounds and experiences. Everything is minimalized as if the audience was teen to young adult. I appreciated being spared rape scenes. I appreciated that the physical abuse was minimal throughout the story. I appreciated that the cruel acts of starvation were not stretched out.
If the story is to reflect a time in history we are not to forget or repeat, I do not think the authors explained themselves well. Most notably, the reason for the internment camps was not explained. I had a difficult time keeping up with the personal/romantic interpersonal relationships of the three nurses and the respective men. At one point, I thought there was an insinuation one of the nurses was not eyeing a man. But, at this point I wanted the story to end.
My disappointments were many, however, the biggest being three authors and sketchy character development in a story already told.
October 5, 2022
‘When We Had Wings’ follows three nurses stationed in the Philippines at the outset of WWII. After a short, idyllic time they became caught up in the Battle of the Philippines and subsequently POWs. Based on the real life ‘Angels of Bataan’, these women were a part of the largest group of American women to be taken captive during WWII.
Penny (US Army nurse), Eleanor (US Navy nurse), and Lita a local Filipino nurse, quickly become a tight trio despite working in different hospitals in Manila. However, once Japan attacked Pearl Harbour and aggressively fought for more of the Pacific, the Philippines quickly fell into Japanese hands and the nurses found themselves ‘in a strange hybrid world in which they are both captive and caregiver’. A world in which they remained until liberated in early 1945.
When We Had Wings’ is authored by three writers who do well to manage the flow, continuity and tone across the three nurses’ experiences. The book captures both the monotony of imprisonment, juxtaposed with uncertainty, fear and violence. The despair the nurses must have felt, being rendered helpless by circumstances is palpable to the reader. Despite this Penny, Eleanor and Lita never gave up hope and kept fighting to live another day. ‘They’ll say we’ve been rescued instead of acknowledging that we’ve been doing a fine job rescuing ourselves over the last four years’. This book is a great WWII, strong women, historical romance which highlights the war for the Pacific- as an alternate to the more frequently written war for Europe.
Thank you NetGalley and Harper Muse for the opportunity to read and review this book.
Penny (US Army nurse), Eleanor (US Navy nurse), and Lita a local Filipino nurse, quickly become a tight trio despite working in different hospitals in Manila. However, once Japan attacked Pearl Harbour and aggressively fought for more of the Pacific, the Philippines quickly fell into Japanese hands and the nurses found themselves ‘in a strange hybrid world in which they are both captive and caregiver’. A world in which they remained until liberated in early 1945.
When We Had Wings’ is authored by three writers who do well to manage the flow, continuity and tone across the three nurses’ experiences. The book captures both the monotony of imprisonment, juxtaposed with uncertainty, fear and violence. The despair the nurses must have felt, being rendered helpless by circumstances is palpable to the reader. Despite this Penny, Eleanor and Lita never gave up hope and kept fighting to live another day. ‘They’ll say we’ve been rescued instead of acknowledging that we’ve been doing a fine job rescuing ourselves over the last four years’. This book is a great WWII, strong women, historical romance which highlights the war for the Pacific- as an alternate to the more frequently written war for Europe.
Thank you NetGalley and Harper Muse for the opportunity to read and review this book.
October 18, 2022
Happy publication day!!!!
A World War II story unlike any other I’ve read. Told from three different nurses perspectives, two who are in the military and one local Filipina about their service, triumphs, trials and struggles being a prisoner of war. They find love, heartache, death, and a very deep friendship that helps them survive the war. I did struggle with the beginning and keeping perspectives straight but glad I stuck with it!!
Thanks to Netgalley for my electronic advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.
A World War II story unlike any other I’ve read. Told from three different nurses perspectives, two who are in the military and one local Filipina about their service, triumphs, trials and struggles being a prisoner of war. They find love, heartache, death, and a very deep friendship that helps them survive the war. I did struggle with the beginning and keeping perspectives straight but glad I stuck with it!!
Thanks to Netgalley for my electronic advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.
June 2, 2025
When We Had Wings completely drew me in from the very first chapter. I’ll admit—I didn’t know much about this part of World War II history, especially the experiences of military nurses in the Philippines. This book opened my eyes and brought a deeply human side to a part of the war that’s not often talked about. As someone in the military myself, I felt a strong connection to the story and an even deeper respect for the real-life women who inspired it.
One of my favorite things was the structure. The chapters are written from multiple points of view and always note the date and location, which helped anchor me in the timeline and gave such a strong sense of place. The switching perspectives between the three women kept things engaging and made their individual struggles and growth feel personal.
The bond between these three women was the true heart of the novel. The friendship, strength, and loyalty they showed—especially under such brutal circumstances—was powerful and emotional. There was a touch of romance, but it never overshadowed the core theme of female friendship and survival, which I appreciated.
Beautifully written, well-researched, and emotionally resonant—this is historical fiction done right. Highly recommend for anyone who loves stories of courage, connection, and the untold sides of war. I actually had to stop the audiobook so that I could purchase a physical copy and follow along - I felt like I needed to have my own copy of the book.
One of my favorite things was the structure. The chapters are written from multiple points of view and always note the date and location, which helped anchor me in the timeline and gave such a strong sense of place. The switching perspectives between the three women kept things engaging and made their individual struggles and growth feel personal.
The bond between these three women was the true heart of the novel. The friendship, strength, and loyalty they showed—especially under such brutal circumstances—was powerful and emotional. There was a touch of romance, but it never overshadowed the core theme of female friendship and survival, which I appreciated.
Beautifully written, well-researched, and emotionally resonant—this is historical fiction done right. Highly recommend for anyone who loves stories of courage, connection, and the untold sides of war. I actually had to stop the audiobook so that I could purchase a physical copy and follow along - I felt like I needed to have my own copy of the book.
May 2, 2023
3 1/2 stars. Very mixed feelings on this one. Historically it was very interesting. I did not have much knowledge of the POW in the Philippines during WWII and this story is told from the perspective of three nurses and their experiences as POWs. The problem for me is I did not enjoy the characters as much as I thought I would and the book felt too long. From the historical perspective this is 5 stars because I learned something new. But the story was just ok for me
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