Somewhere a Song (Daughters of Fortune, 2)

Rating:
Summary: Second book in a great series
Review: "Somewhere a Song" by Judith Pella is the second book in the "Daughters of Fortune" Series. This book mainly focus on Blair, the middle daughter and her struggles of finding her faith, while facing the possiblitly of being a POW on the Philiippines. While I moved by her journey, there were times I wonder if it was real. Older sister Cameron, also finds her faith while working in Soviet Union. Younger sister Jackie remains at home, deepening her relationship with fellow Christian Japanese-American Sam, who is facing hatred since the bombing. I found Jackie story to be the most interesting, due to the fact that few war-time setting deal with the treatment of Japanese-Americans.
But Overall, "Somewhere a Song" should not be missed.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Series
Review: "Somewhere a Song" by Judith Pella is the second book in the "Daughters of Fortune" Series. This book mainly focus on Blair, the middle daughter and her struggles of finding her faith, while facing the possiblitly of being a POW on the Philiippines. While I moved by her journey, there were times I wonder if it was real. Older sister Cameron, also finds her faith while working in Soviet Union. Younger sister Jackie remains at home, deepening her relationship with fellow Christian Japanese-American Sam, who is facing hatred since the bombing. I found Jackie story to be the most interesting, due to the fact that few war-time setting deal with the treatment of Japanese-Americans.
But Overall, "Somewhere a Song" should not be missed.

Rating:
Summary: marvelous
Review: I can't wait for the third book , i had read the first one last year and i just finish that one and i don't imagine myself waiting an other year for the third one, i love the story the historical backround the life of the 3 sisters the reality of their fears , love and joy of being christian women.my favorite character is Cameron i could really identify with her .amazing story thanks

Rating:
Summary: Another Great Book by Pella!
Review: I had to say I was a little skeptical about the 2nd book in the Daughters of Fortune series because I liked the first one so much! But it lived up to my expectations. I became completely involved with Blair's story this time. She was such a spoiled brat in the first one but I grew to like her. Being in the middle of a war sure changes peoples outlooks on life. I'm just hoping the 3rd one lives up to my expectations as well

Rating:
Summary: Another Great Book by Pella!
Review: I have to say I was a little skeptical about the 2nd book in the Daughters of Fortune series because I liked the first one so much! But it lived up to my expectations. I became completely involved with Blair's story this time. She was such a spoiled brat in the first one but I grew to like her. Being in the middle of a war sure changes peoples outlooks on life. I'm just hoping the 3rd one lives up to my expectations as well

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Series
Review: I love historical fiction, and this is just a great series taking place in World War II, from the perspective of three sisters strategically placed in three areas of the world in the midst of the chaos of this war. To see history from the perspective of people living through this time was very special. I'm now reading book 3, and the series continues with excellent writing, characters, and story.

Rating:
Summary: Three Sisters,Three Parts of the World, One War
Review: The bombing of Pearl Harbor had a profound effect on the United States. Not only had we been attacked on our soil for the first time, it also marked our entry into World War II. Somewhere a Song tells the stories of three sisters from California - Cameron, Blaire and Jackie - all in different places at the time of the attack, both spiritually and physically.

Jackie is a student at UCLA living at home with her parents. There had always been a hint of racial tensions between the Japanese and the whites. The Japanese seemed to stay with their own kind and as long as they didn't cause trouble, the whites tolerated them.

Jackie's father was no different. When Jackie met Sam Okuda, she knew he was her soul mate, no matter that his parents were both from Japan. Though different by race, they have a kindred spirit and believe God wants them together.

When the Japanese military attacked Pearl Harbor, Jackie and Sam were already in love, but they had been hiding their relationship from everyone, including friends and family. As racial tensions intensify after the attack, Jackie knows she and Sam will have to stand up for their relationship if it is to survive. She has seen discrimination and cruelty bestowed on the Japanese in California and she knows if she chooses to be with Sam, she must endure the same treatment.

Blair has a flair for the dramatics. She has dabbled at being an actress, but mostly so she can pretend to be other people and not face the reality of herself. Even when she's not playing a real role, she finds herself lapsing into whatever role suits the moment. This results in lies and deceit.

When she falls in love with Gary, a Christian man in the military, he is torn between his love for her and his love for God. But her lies push him away.

In the midst of Blair's turmoil with herself, Gary is sent to the Philippines before the US goes to war. Blair, in a most unusual decision, decides to find him there. Normally pampered and taken care of, Blair finds herself in the Philippines trying to make it on her own and reconcile with Gary when the Japanese invade.

She finds Gary, but the self-centered woman in her comes forth. She wants Gary to choose between fighting in the military and taking care of her. His duty is with his country and he leaves Blair with the names of people she can call on to help her if things get as hard as he anticipates.

The two families he gives her are the families of preachers. The story follows Blair through the jungles of the Philippines as the Japanese move closer and closer. Not only does Blair discover an inner strength she had no idea existed; she searches for the source that strength.

Cameron, the oldest, is a newspaper reporter in Russia covering the war. Her father owns one of the largest publications in the states, but as an act of defiance, Cameron works for his largest competitor. Like Blaire, she, too, is in love with a Christian man. Her love is a Russian doctor, Alex.

Cameron wants no part of turning her life over to anybody. Her father controlled her for so many years that she can't comprehend giving up control to God. This divide ultimately separates her from Alex.

She forces him to choose between her and God and he chooses God. With the war going on around her and Alex gone, Cameron is forced to question her own choices in life and whether or not she is indeed strong enough on her own.

Three sisters in three different parts of the world search for God and for love in a very ungodly and unloving time. Judith Pella weaves the horrors of war with the beauty of God's strength throughout. God has put specific men in the women's lives to help cultivate what He knows is there.

Rating:
Summary: The power of God in uncertain times
Review: This is a truly remarkable book. While the reader becomes engrossed in the lives and struggles of the characters where God is concerned, he/she also finds himself/herself reflecting on life and God. Judith Pella does an exceptional job in combining historical fiction with the battles each Christian faces over faith and being able to trust completely in our Lord. Describing both the personal and preofessional struggles of threee women and their family during WWII, Pella brings God's ability to speak at aytime and unexpected places to life. When is the next sequal due out?!

Rating:
Summary: Skimmable Sections Still Surface!
Review: World War Two is intensifying, America is devastated following the attack on Pearl Harbor, and the lives of the Hayes sisters are anything but unadventurous. After a brief return to the U.S. to visit her ailing father, Cameron is back to Russia. She attempts to perform her journalism duties with excellence, yet thoughts of her fractured relationship with former boyfriend Alex and doubts about her need for God fill her mind. Blair is desperate to prove to Gary that she is sorry for deceiving him and still loves him, and travels to the dangerously war-torn Philippines with hopes of finding her soldier husband and repairing their relationship. Jackie is still in her native California, very much in love with a Japanese American man yet afraid of what continuing their relationship will mean in the face of anti-Japanese hysteria. On three different continents, handling three explosive situations, each sister must face what lies ahead and maybe even learn to rely on God.

My sentiments about "Somewhere a Song" are similar to my feelings about its prequel. Undoubtedly, certain areas of this book were extremely strong. Above all, I loved the parts of this book involving Jackie and Sam (her boyfriend) and found them unique, thought provoking, inspiring, and romantic. Really, all of the "romantic" parts of the book are well done. Pella also wrote with skill about Cameron's "wrestle" with Christianity and did not attempt to solve it simply and quickly. Furthermore, a few insights into Keagan Hayes's (the girls' father) personality were extremely interesting. Finally, some of the history woven into the story was compelling. Thus, there are certainly some reasons to consider reading "Somewhere A Song."

However, once again problem areas "surface" throughout the book. As I suspected, the main focus of this book was Blair. Unfortunately, I found a good deal of the sections about Blair's Philippine adventure flat and unexciting. Blair doesn't have the charisma or intelligence of Cameron, or the sweetness of Jackie, so she herself was not a particularly fascinating character and descriptions of her trek across the Philippines seemed very repetitive. Pella also attempted to describe the horrors faced by Blair's husband as he battled in the jungles of the Philippines; these were in my opinion some of the most boring, confusing, and just plain "flat" sections of the book. I cannot exactly explain why I disliked much of the "Philippines part" of the book, it just lacked a certain "something." Basically, Blair's domination of the story line was simply unsuccessful.

I don't know, I'll probably read Book 3 in this series just because Jackie will be the main character in that book and so far I have loved Jackie. Historical parts of this series just don't seem up to par; and that is a major flaw. I keep wishing for historical fiction as compelling as Pella's "The Russians" series, and I just haven't found it much of the time with the "Daughters of Fortune" series.