When We Had Wings Audiobook By Ariel Lawhon, Kristina McMorris, Susan Meissner cover art

When We Had Wings

Preview

Try for $0.00
Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

When We Had Wings

By: Ariel Lawhon, Kristina McMorris, Susan Meissner
Narrated by: Saskia Maarleveld
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $28.79

Buy for $28.79

Confirm purchase
Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.
Cancel

About this listen

From three bestselling authors comes an interwoven tale about a trio of World War II nurses stationed in the South Pacific who wage their own battle for freedom and survival.

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 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.

"A novel rich in historical detail that immerses readers in the dangers and deprivation WWII nurses suffered in the Pacific, wrapped up with a hopeful ending."—Booklist

©2022 Ariel Lawhon, Kristina McMorris, and Susan Meissner (P)2022 Harper Muse
Friendship World War II Fiction War
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

What listeners say about When We Had Wings

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    459
  • 4 Stars
    157
  • 3 Stars
    59
  • 2 Stars
    10
  • 1 Stars
    5
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    491
  • 4 Stars
    98
  • 3 Stars
    27
  • 2 Stars
    4
  • 1 Stars
    5
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    441
  • 4 Stars
    121
  • 3 Stars
    49
  • 2 Stars
    10
  • 1 Stars
    4

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Really good read

I enjoyed this book! It shows how deep women to women friendships go. Very good read!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

I truly loved this story, scary and heart warming at the same time.

I loved the story, the characters, and the reading. after this story I did some research on the interment camps. That was truly the greatest generation.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

The history of what happened

Liked all of it. The history and tragedy that happened. I wish students today would understand what was sacrificed for freedom

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Easy to follow. Gripping and lovely

I love the way Lawhon writes. I haven’t stopped reading her books since the first one of hers I read
Frozen river.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Beautiful WW2 Story

This book was so beautifully written, sharing the stories of 3 women in the war torn Philippine’s. They survived the horrors of war and Japanese occupation after Pearl Harbor, and still managed to find so much beauty.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Wonderful as always!

Ariel Lawhon is one of my favorite historical fiction authors and for good reason. If you enjoy historical fiction, in particular, WWII stories, you will enjoy this. It was a nice departure from the typical ones based in England or France. I also learned a lot. Can’t wait to see what’s next!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

13 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

WWII from Japanese POW perspective

Excellent book. It’s a perspective that’s not written on as often. I love WWII books and really enjoyed this! Towards the end, I cried because I was so moved.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

More love story than anything

Why do these historical female POW’s need love interests in this novel? They are enough themselves.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

My Mother was interned at Santo Thomas

I only wish my mother was still alive to share further her story. If it was as written, my Mother was an amazing woman who worked in the TB Ward.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

I loved the resilience & intelligence of the 3 women

Adjectives used in descriptions of the women were simplistic & predictable, trite, overused. But the story needs to be told!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!