Official Review: The Unsurrendered by Joyce Shaughnessy

[Nikolas Farmakis]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Unsurrendered" by Joyce Shaughnessy.]

---

3 out of 4 stars

---

Share This Review

---

The Unsurrendered by Joyce Shaughnessy is a historical fiction novel about the Filipino-American guerilla warriors during the Japanese occupation of the Philippines during World War II. The tone in the text is casual, simple, and informal, while there are also some historical accounts in this book. The author presents actual historical events in an interesting manner, using multiple sources in her research, thereby making this historical fiction novel accurate.

The writer begins this novel by describing a young boy named Amando, a young teenage boy. His village is attacked by Japanese soldiers, who massacre everyone in his village, while he alone is spared. The author also describes the life of a Filipino young woman, by the name of Carla, who came to Japan to study its culture. She narrowly escapes being captured by the Japanese police, as she flees to the American Embassy, which arranges for her arrival to the Philippines. The writer also introduces a man named Jacob, who works for the US Military Intelligence Agency, working as a spy in Japan, getting valuable information, and passing it to the Americans. What is the connection between Amando, Carla, and Jacob? Will Jacob be caught?

I thoroughly enjoy historical fiction, and this novel matched my expectations. Firstly, it was coherently and logically structured, allowing the reader to understand the development of the events of the story. Also, this book had plenty of action, suspense, and tension, which kept me engaged throughout the story. It was interesting and exciting to read this novel, as it was not boring or monotonous. What I liked most in this book was that the author thoroughly researched this historical period before writing it. Therefore, readers who read this story gain some historical knowledge about the Japanese method of war during World War II, as well as how the Filipino-American alliance resisted the Japanese occupation.

What I disliked most in this novel was that it had plenty of typographical, grammatical, and spelling errors, which undermined the writer’s professionalism.

This book is best suited for adult readers interested in the Japanese occupation of the Philippines and Southeast Asia during the 1940s. I do not recommend this book to young readers, as it contains some profane expressions. This story is best suited for readers who follow Christianity, Islam, or Japanese beliefs. All three of these beliefs are expressed in this novel, but the author does not focus on religion much.

To conclude, I give this book a rating of 3 out of 4 stars. It did not deserve a higher score, due to the multiple errors I encountered while reading the story. However, a lower rating would have been unjust, as this book is interesting, dramatic, exceptionally structured, and thoroughly researched.

******
The Unsurrendered
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon

[Michael40]

This book is usually perfect for me. I am going to get to know about the Japanese occupation of the Philippines and southeast Asia during the 1940s.

[Sunday diamond]

The book sounds to be action pack. Though, I've read an historical fiction. But your review raised my interest as I would love books which show actions.

[Nzube Chizoba Okeke]

The historical factual aspect of this book makes it more interesting. I commend the author for having undergone research. Thanks for this insight!

[Samgum50]

It's always interesting to find historical books that are well researched and presented in a way that is both appealing and understandable to the reader.

[Laurina Michael Olowoniran]

I never seem to really enjoy historical war stories. But this one seem interesting. A beautiful review

[Finakaranja]

This sounds like quite a captivating book. I also like that despite it being fictional, its well researched and based off accurate depictions of the time it has been set in. The review does a lovely job of highlighting the important aspects of the story.

[kookakay]

Well researched and historically accurate fiction is hard to come by! Thank you for your thoughtful review, I will certainly take your recommendation to heart as a fan of WWII era novels. Thank you!