Today's blog post is an extract for The Lotus House by Ann Bennett, a historical fiction novel. This is part of a blog tour arranged by Rachel's Random Resources. A big thank you to Ann & Rachel for having me as part of the tour and allowing for me to share an extract!
The Lotus House
A gripping, emotional drama of love and courage set in the Philippines during WW2.
1960: Nancy Drayton, an American nurse living on Lake Sebu, is visited by a stranger who hands her some faded letters, given to her by a dying man. Reading them transports Nancy back to the terror of the war years.
1941: When Nancy’s world is blown apart by the devastating attack on Pearl Harbor, she volunteers to travel to the Philippines to serve at the front. She soon finds herself working in a field hospital on the Bataan Peninsula in the thick of the fighting, experiencing the horrors of war first hand.
When tending to some wounded men, she meets Captain Robert Lambert, and they become close. But the Japanese are closing in on Bataan, and when the US surrenders, they are driven apart.
As Robert struggles to survive the horrors of the Bataan Death March and the brutality of captivity in a prison camp, Nancy too finds herself a captive, fighting for her life. Will they survive to find one another again or will the forces of war keep them apart?
If you enjoy compelling historical fiction, you’ll love this sweeping story of love and war. Perfect for fans of Kristen Hannah, Dinah Jeffries and Victoria Hislop.
What everyone is saying about Ann Bennett:
‘What an amazing read!!! I didn't expect this to be a roller coaster of emotions, suspense, and mystery but it was everything!!… The characters were amazing, the story will keep you wanting more and more until the end.’ Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘So captivating, I was on edge while flipping through the pages as fast as I could… Truly heartwarming… Emotional, heartbreaking … I loved this… A must read… Amazing.’ Page Turners, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Purchase Link - https://mybook.to/lotushouse
Ann Bennett is a British author of historical fiction. Her first book, Bamboo Heart: A Daughter's Quest, was inspired by researching her father's experience as a prisoner of war on the Thai-Burma Railway and by her own travels in South-East Asia. Since then, that initial inspiration has led her to write more books about the second world war in SE Asia. Bamboo Island: The Planter's Wife, A Daughter's Promise, Bamboo Road: The Homecoming, The Tea Planter's Club, The Amulet and her latest release The Fortune Teller of Kathmandu are also about WWII in South East Asia. All seven make up the Echoes of Empire Collection.
Ann is also the author of The Lake Pavilion, The Lake Palace, both set in British India during the 1930s and WWII, and The Lake Pagoda and The Lake Villa, both set in French Indochina. The Runaway Sisters, bestselling The Orphan House, The Child Without a Home and The Forgotten Children are set in Europe during the same era and are published by Bookouture.
Ann is married with three grown up sons and a granddaughter and lives in Surrey, UK. For more details please visit www.annbennettauthor.com
Social Media Links –
https://www.facebook.com/annbennettauthor
Extract from Chapter 6 of The Lotus House. Nancy Drayton, an American nurse is being transported in secret to Manila with two US naval officers on board a Filipino tramp steamer, The Elcano, trying to avoid the attention of Japanese patrols …
As she peered out, she caught sight of a small fleet of fishing vessels, setting out to sea for the night. The white sails of the tiny boats were visible in the light of the moon and as the Elcano steamed past them, she noticed the boats themselves were crude wooden canoes with wide outriggers to balance them on either side. They looked very precarious, sailing by the lamplight, slipping out to sea under cover of darkness. Nancy had never seen anything like it; it all seemed so exotic and adventurous.
Eventually, after watching the reflection of the stars in the dark waters of the gulf for a long time, she lay down and let the steady thrum of the engines and the rocking of the vessel send her off to sleep.
In the morning, when she awoke, she looked around at the unfamiliar surroundings, and for a moment, wondered where she was. Then, remembering, she sat up and looked out of the porthole, onto a shimmering emerald sea. They were sailing parallel to a coastline of powder-white beaches fringed with coconut palms. Nancy couldn’t help gasping at the beauty of it. It was like paradise under a blazing sky.
She washed quickly in the captain’s washroom, dressed, then headed towards the galley where the ship’s cook was serving breakfast of porridge and honey. Nancy ate hungrily then joined the two officers, Lieutenants Colby and Maxwell at the table where they were playing cards.
‘Want to join us?’ Colby asked.
‘What are you playing?’
‘Poker,’ Maxwell said. ‘We got ourselves burned on Point Arena though, so we’re playing for very small stakes.’
‘Oh really?’
‘Yeah, some guy, Larry Lomax. He was always one step ahead of us. We were sure he was up to something, but we never could prove anything.’
‘It wouldn’t surprise me,’ Nancy said. ‘I saw a fight nearly break out on the ship because of him once.’
‘We’re well rid of him,’ Colby said, and Maxwell grunted his agreement. ‘So? Are you going to play with us? I’ll deal ’em up. This journey could get tedious if we’re not allowed out on deck.’
‘Alright,’ she said. She remembered playing once at home with James and his friends, but it was a while ago. ‘But I’m not sure I know the rules.’
‘Don’t worry. We’ll explain. Like I said, we’re playing small stakes. We don’t have any chips so we’re using matches of different lengths instead.’
She laughed at their ingenuity and was grateful they were including her in their game.
They played poker for most of the morning, and after lunch, the captain came and told them the ship would shortly be passing through the Hinatuan Passage between the islands of Mindanao and Dinagat. It was a perilous stretch of sea that wound between many smaller islands, rocky outcrops and islets. The captain was usually smiling but now his forehead was drawn up in a frown.
‘Sometimes ship have problem in the passage,’ he explained, moving his hands around in a waving motion to show there could be turbulence. ‘Sometimes rip tide. Very fast current between Kabo and Rasa Islands, many whirlpools. This is where Pacific Ocean joins Bohol Sea. So, please… go below. Sit tight for this passage. Wear your life jackets. We should be through in two hour.’
Nancy felt the blood drain from her face. She’d never been a particularly confident sailor and this sounded potentially as terrifying as a Japanese attack. She hastily said goodbye to the others and went inside the cabin where she put on her life jacket and sat on the bunk from which there was a good view out of the porthole.
Almost as soon as she’d sat down, the boat started to pitch and roll and she sensed that they were moving a lot faster with the current. She steadied herself against the wall and looked out at a rough, slate-grey sea, frothy with sea horses on the crest of every wave. They were passing close to a rocky island, but they were travelling fast. Nancy held her breath, hoping the captain was in control, willing the ship to get through without hitting the rocks. But although they passed very close to the rocks, they were soon through the narrow stretch and the passage widened out and they passed other, flatter islands further away. Nancy spotted several fishing boats riding the waves just like them. How courageous those men were, braving the current daily in tiny wooden boats just to make a living.
Nancy stared out at the islands for the entire passage, fearing seasickness if she looked away and soon the sea calmed down and the boat stopped rolling and they were motoring on a calm surface again. She heaved a sigh of relief and went up to the galley once more where Lieutenant Colby had produced a bottle of whisky and he and Maxwell were toasting the captain. Nancy joined them, relieved the danger was over.
Now they were out in the open sea, the captain explained, and sailing between the islands of Leyte and Bohol. ‘You can go on deck if you like,’ he told them, smiling again, mellow from a glass or two of whisky.
‘Thank you,’ Nancy said, desperate for some fresh air. She climbed up the ladder and onto the deck followed swiftly by the two officers.
It was late afternoon, and the sea was a brilliant turquoise colour. They were passing between the two islands and the coast of Leyte was so close that Nancy felt if she leaned out, she would be able to touch the coconut palms and the sugar-like sand on the beaches. They passed villages of huts on stilts were children stood on the white sand and waved at the passing ship. Nancy waved back enthusiastically. It was hard to imagine at that moment, how a war could be raging in these idyllic, seemingly peaceful islands.
Make sure to check out some of the other blogs that are part of this tour:
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