Book Description:
Irene and Rand come from very different walks of life. Will they find common ground in their fight to survive?
Irene has grown up in the jungle as a missionary with her Aunt Anita, but now she and countless others are imprisoned by Japanese soldiers at the Santo Tomas Internment Camp in the Philippines. Irene and her aunt are safe there, and she keeps busy with her duty of delivering censored messages to the camp’s prisoners, but like everyone else, she prays for the war to end and for her freedom. Rand is a wealthy, womanizing American, whose attempted escape from the internment camp has put himself and others in danger. When Rand and Irene’s Aunt Anita meet one another in the hospital, Irene learns more of his story and her heart is determined to save his family. But the danger outside the walls of the hospital worsens every day, and life in this exotic place is anything but luxurious. Can Irene find Rand’s family before they disappear forever? And can a humble missionary woman and an arrogant man find common ground in the face of their biggest fears?
My Thoughts:
Remember The Lilies is the third book in Liz Tolsma's series Women of Courage and it is a great read. This book tells the story of World War II in The Philippines in Santo Tomas Internment Camp. As a HUGE Historical Fiction fan I am always interested in learning more, on top of that I have had the pleasure of reading the two previous books that Liz Tolsma wrote in this series, so I was doubly intrigued. Irene has been raised by her Aunt Anita since she was eight years old in the jungle as missionaries. They and many others are now in Santo Tomas Interment Camp in The Philippines waiting for the U.S. Troops to come and liberate the camp. Irene works as part of the message center that sensors and delivers correspondence into and out of the camp, in doing so she keeps her and her Aunt safe. Rand is a wealthy man who is also in Santo Tomas. Irene intercepts correspondence for Rand and realizes the importance of it and sneaks it out to give to him, but she is too late, he is already in the middle of an escape attempt. Unfortunately it failed, Rand was caught, and tortured. Aunt Anita falls very ill and she ends up in transport with a beaten, broken Rand to the hospital outside of the camp walls. Irene works very hard to get a pass to be with her Aunt and as her Aunt Anita recuperates Irene learns more about Rand and his escape attempt. Irene is taken with this handsome man but they are so different that Irene tries to keep her distance. After hearing his story, Irene tries to get medicine and food the Rand's family to help save them. Irene tries to help Rand where ever she can even though the risk to her is great.
Remember The Lilies is the a wonderful book. It is the third book in Liz Tolsma's series, Women of Courage. As a HUGE Christian Historical Fiction fan this book and this series were high on my must read list. I have had the privilege to read and review all three of them thus far. All of these books are about World War II and how it looked in different parts of the world. I have learned so much about this war and the effects it had on our entire world. I had not heard of Santo Tomas Internment Camp or really anything about the effects World War II had in The Philippines. This interment camp held over 4,000 men, women, and children who were mostly Americans. Liz Tolsma writes with authority on World War II, the military strategies of the different countries involved at that time, medicine, living conditions in Santo Tomas, and The Philippines during wartime. Remember The Lilies is a work of fiction but it has a perfect blend of fact and fiction that really gets the readers interest piqued. Since I wasn't aware of this part of World War II, I found myself looking things up online and reading things to expand on the wealth of knowledge Liz Tolsma gives her readers. As I read this book I felt like I was there as the events unfolded, found myself get angry at the treatment of these prisoners, sad at the senseless violence, and smile at the way they all helped one another, shared their faith to those who had lost theirs, and despite it all enjoyed things where they could. I enjoyed the characters in this book but my favorite would have to be Aunt Anita. A strong woman who lived her life serving God and being faithful to her beliefs. Anita became blind later in life but she still continued being a missionary and when Irene's Dad disappeared she raised her as her own, doing and sacrificing as a mother would. I had a hard time putting this book down from the start. This book is a fast paced, action filled and keeps you guessing until the end. Many surprise throughout this book. Even though this is the third book in this series, Remember the Lilies and the others are stand alone books, they do not need to be read in order, it is not that kind of series. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Christian Historical Fiction, especially during World War II, I promise you will learn a lot and will enjoy it. I look forward to reading more from Liz Tolsma! I give this book 5 STARS
This gripping new tale from Liz Tolsma, Remember the Lilies, is a must-read for fans of WWII-era fiction. When Irene is attacked by a sinister Japanese guard and their secrets are exposed, she and Rand must learn the true meaning of forgiveness—if they can stave off starvation until the American troops bring freedom.
Help Liz celebrate the release of Remember the Lilies with a Kindle Fire giveaway!
One grand prize winner will receive:
- A Kindle Fire
- One copy of Remember the Lilies
Enter today by clicking the icon below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on 2/19. Winner will be announced at Liz's Remember the Lilies Facebook author chat party. RSVP for a chance to connect with Liz and WWII fiction fans, as well as for a chance to win some great prizes!
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