Blessed Are the Merciful

by Joyce Shaughnessy

Blessed Are the Merciful, Our Forgotten Soldiers , is about the men and women who suffered on Bataan and Corregidor, in the Philippines, during WWII.  They waited for help from the U.S. which never came.  The U.S. was fighting a war in Europe and didn't have the resources to help.  Then they ordered MacArthur to Australia.  The men are forced to walk the infamous Death March, in which the Japanese slaughtered 12,500 men in a 64 mile walk.  I also wanted to show that women were at the front lines rendering aid when possible and were sent to an internment camp after Corregidor surrendered.  They starved just as the men did.  However, many men were sent on Hell Ships and deposited in Japan and Manchuria and forced, even in the winter to work in their tropical clothing.  Many didn't even have shoes, and of course many died.  The Japanese even set up a medical testing camps much like the Germans did to the Jews.  They were testing spraying death spray on the enemy.  There is a romance in it for romance lovers and many quotes, as well as poems and a very touching letter by a 19 year old poet soldier who died after he sent the home to his parents.  Instead of railing against the cruelty of the Japanese, he praised the heroism of his fellow soldiers.  It is very touching, and I never have a dry eye when reading it. The Forgotten Soldiers comes directly from quotes made by rescued prisoners who kissed the beach and told the Americans, "We thought you forgot we were even here."  It was one of five books chosen during the year to be showcased at the Frankfurt World's Fair.   I hope you will check it out!

Genres: Historical Fiction, World War II

222 pages, Hardcover, Paper,e-book

First published April 5, 2011

About the author

Joyce recently lost her husband and has moved from Midland, Texas to Humble, Texas to be close to family. She has two daughters and four granddaughters, She is also close to her sister, Gay, who lives five minutes away and her other sister, La Jean, who lives in Beaumont, Texas.
Her latest book, "Glory Lost," was released on 08/01/2022 by Black Opal Books. It is about a young girl who enlists in the Union Army, is a Sharpshooter, and joins Sherman through Atlanta and his March to the Sea.
She has self-published five books. The first three are historical fiction in a series titled "The Pearl of the Orient." The books are "A Healing Place," "Blessed Are the Merciful," and "The Unsurrendered."
She has also self-published a children's book, "Mr Grumpy Lizard Meets the Giggling Girls."
She has participated in one round robin novel, "Gryffon Master, Curse of the Lich King," and three anthologies, "Lava Storm," "Dangerous Days," and "World of Pirates."
She has also become a Certified Copy Editor and has experience with two anthologies and three novels as well as participating in critique groups for the last six years.
.She can be found at
joyceshaughnessy2012@gmail.com
http://jshaughnessyauthor.blogspot.com and http://facebook.com/joyceshaughnessya...

Reviews

[Krizia Anna]

I received this book through the Goodreads Giveaway in exchange for an honest review. I received in back in 2011 and sorry for the late review.
The premise and pontenrial were good but I think the author was confused if she was writing a history book or a love story. I love historical romances but this one felt like a text book at times.

[Harold Titus]

The strength of Joyce Shaughnessy’s historical novel, Blessed Are the Merciful, I believe, is the detailed information she provides about the suffering of the men and women incarcerated in Japanese prison camps in the Philippines. It is evident by her bibliography, her frequent reference to atrocities, diseases, and malnutrition, her information about important American and Japanese military leaders, and her inclusion of official military messages that she has thoroughly researched her subject matter. Any reader who wishes to learn about this subject matter would profit by reading this book.

I offer these suggestions about the story-telling.

Too often the author tells about rather than shows the experiences of her characters. For instance, we are told that early during the Bataan Death March, Elton Maxwell, the male protagonist, is horrified at seeing the Japanese commanding officer, Colonel Masanobu Tsuji, severe the hand and cut off the ring finger of an American soldier to obtain the soldier’s ring. The incident is summarized in seven sentences. Other horrible atrocities are presented similarly. We are told that Elton is traumatized to the extent that he vows he will kill Tsuji, but I never felt sufficiently his wrath.

This is not to say that telling the reader certain information rather than enacting the information should not be done. Every fiction writer knows better. A balance needs to be established that will both inform the reader of necessary information and encourage the reader to identify emotionally with one or more of the characters. For me this didn’t happen.

Also, Mrs. Shaughnessy does not help the reader visual settings. Readers hear characters speak; they must imagine the characters’ immediate surroundings. Emotion is not conveyed through precise physical reactions (other than tearfulness) but through what is said and thought. Dialogue tends to be lengthy, thereby diluting emotional responses. Rarely does a character speak but one or two sentences before a second character responds.

The two main characters, Elton and his wife Sarah, an army nurse, are moral people victimized three years by a cultural, wartime savagery. It asks very much to expect them to carry such a complicated, informative, lengthy story of physical and emotional injury, fortitude, and sacrifice. I would have liked to have seen presented here and there the viewpoints of several secondary characters connected to Elton and/or Sarah. Have the reader get to know them as individuals before witnessing their fates. For instance, how much more dramatic would be the beheading of Americans by Japanese soldiers wielding swords while riding past in speeding jeeps if one of the Americans had been a buddy of Elton’s that we had gotten to like.

These observations aside, I commend Joyce Shaughnessy for her ambitious accomplishment. Military veterans like Elton and Sarah should not be taken for granted.

[Heather]

This book was given to me through a Goodreads giveaway.

This historical fiction novel centers on the abandonment of the US soldiers in the Philippines during World War II. It explains the horrific situations the soldiers faced - from the Bataan Death March, to extreme cruelty, murder and torture at the hands of their captors (the Japanese). As the author tells the history, she interweaves a fictional account of romance between a soldier and nurse stationed in the Philippines during the War.

While I was enlightened by the information included in this story and was glad to have been made aware (once again) of the extreme horrors of war, I thought the author could have benefitted from working with a good editor. The character dialogue sounded unnatural and sometimes stilted and the historical information was not woven as seamlessly into the story as it could have been. I think the author has the makings of a good novel here, but that it need some more work.

That being said, anyone who has an interest in the Pacific theater of WWII might find the contents of this book interesting.

[Lesley]

A great read about love in the midst of war. Historically and horrific accurate account of Japan invaded the Philippines, and how unaware our American troops were of the dangers they faced. A lot of care was taken when Joyce Shaughnessy wrote this book, taking pieces of poetry , letters, and military documents, and merging them with in her story. Even though some characters might have been made up the passion, the injustice and the brutality of war were not. The Title explains it all the merciful are truly blessed.

[Michelle]

This is an absolutely, beautiful yet haunting picture of the history in this period of time. Joyce Shaughnessy makes the history real, believable, and difficult to put down. I learned so much from this book about parts of history that I didn't get from school yet I didn't even feel like I was "learning." This book should be used in schools to supplement their textbooks. (-book received free from Goodreads First Reads)

[kwesi 章英狮]

In compliance with FTC Guidelines, it should be noted that I received the book for free through Goodreads First Reads.

[E]

Christmas Eve, 1939, Elton Maxwell steals a piece of jewelry to give as a gift to his mother who is a widow with six children and lives in poverty. A year later he is caught during yet another theft. The judge presiding over his case gives him a choice- jail time or he can enlist in the Army. He chose the Army and after basic training he was stationed in the Philippines. Had he been able to see the future, he would have chosen differently. Susan Williams is the only child of parents who were educated and she herself is a nurse. With her mother’s approval she too enlists in the Army and was given orders for the Philippines. In 1941 she left for Manila. Joyce Shaughnessy’s historical novel , Blessed Are The Merciful, is the story of their meeting and of their love for each other.

The novel covers the period of time prior to the Japanese attack of the Philippines and of the occupation that was to follow. Considerable detail of the political situation of this period of time and military strategies provides insight as to how unprepared Americans were for a war that they knew was coming. The brutality of the Japanese troops towards both the Americans and Philippine citizens is described graphically. Each of the characters tells of the unspeakable horrors and unimaginable living conditions. Even though they are separated for most of the duration of the war their love continues to grow and each one passionately wishes for the survival of the other one. Theirs is a story courage and survival. While they both express love for their country they question why no resources are sent to help them.

This is a powerful historical romantic novel. The fictional characters are expertly developed. This period in time is one of the worst in history and there is much to be learned from reading this book. I highly recommend reading this book.

I received this book at no charge from LibraryThing.

[Avry15]

originally appeared on:Bookshelf Confessions

I’ve never been proud of my country..lol…and the people, both Americans and Filipinos who fought for freedom and peace at that time.

Ms. Shaughnessy depicts what it looks like at that time, how war really is.. Through her words, I am transported to a world of bloodshed.. I cried at some of the episodes..I felt the fear everytime they heard gunshots.. I also felt how hopeless one can get.. I’m so into this book, since I always heard what happened at World War II from my history classes, but it’s never been as descriptive as this… Like disconnected parts of the bodies everywhere, and the doctor yelling for the nurses to find the missing parts in case they could connect it again…how gross ,,yet so true…

It was a wonderful merging of fiction and history, the letters, poetry and military documents added up flavor to the book. This book is thoroughly thought of.. The author spent a lot of her time, for research and the dates are so accurate. So the resulting masterpiece, really counts as a really wonderful one..

This is truly better than my history book.. I get to relate with the characters, see and feel things in their own eyes. I could almost believe that the book is an autobiography of the war veteran.. Full of action, romance, hope and belief in God.

It made me see how war didn’t bring any victory but loss and casualties at both sides.

Blessed are the Merciful is a powerful historical romantic novel. “Love amidst war”…

A heart-touching story of bravery, romance and hope…. A great read!...

[KayLynn Zollinger]

I won this book as a GoodReads.com giveaway.

This novel was perfectly named "Our Forgotten Soldiers" as it was a piece of history I have never learned before. Set in the Philippines in the second World War, this is a historical romance detailing the horrors that took place at the hand of the Japanese and chronicling the love of a nurse and soldier who met overseas. I had no idea the U.S. was even in the Philippines during the war so I definitely had no idea of the inhumane actions the Japanese did towards the natives and U.S. POWs. The author put alot of effort into the research for the historical factors and dates in this novel. I really appreciated the historical accuracy as well as the intense details.

I felt that this book could have benefited from more work with an editor. At times the writing didn't flow well. In some parts of the book, a space would have been useful to indicate a change of scene; it would have made reading easier to digest. Some of the phrasing was awkward or inappropriate for the era. I also felt that at times conversations between characters was used in place of narrative within the novel. It seemed to me that the author was not a poor author, but an inexperienced author. That being said, I thoroughly enjoyed the story and love the idea for the novel. I would recommend it to someone interested in World War II history, as it's a fascinating, albeit disturbing, look at a part of the war that gets overshadowed by the Nazi's and the holocaust.

[JanBreesmom]

I received this book, 'Blessed Are the Merciful' by Joyce Shaughnessy as a winner on First Reads. Also based on real people, the story is told through fictional characters.

It is a war romance story from World War II, in the 1940's. The setting is the war in the Pacific, specifically the American involvement in the Philippines. There, the American soldiers were ill-prepared for the atrocities they faced.

I found the story to be interesting but the characters not so much. There were serious, dramatic, and horrific occurrences happening all around and I did not feel the pain, the suffering; the words were there but they did not evoke their feeling to me. Maybe I'm misjudging the book. Perhaps it was written for Young Adults...in that case the author did a good job of muting stark realities, the human sufferings of war.

[Carol]

I won a copy of this book and can not wait to receive it. Review to follow. Book arrived yesterday. Misplaced the book, found it again.

Ms. Shaughnessy is to commended for bringing us BLESSED ARE THE MERCIFUL. The account of the war brought tears to my eyes, a lump in my throat and a prayer that Elton and Susan would reunite after war ended. I am a war baby and my Dad was a medic and Mother was a nurse. So glad that I had the opportunity to read this book.

[Lloyd Elliott]

this was a pretty good book - a mix of fact and fiction. the story depicts war in the pacific which most people never really have read about. along with factual information about the pacific campaign of world war 2 is a small amount of fiction on the lives of two young people. overall, the book was enjoyable and an interesting look at history. a good read for those who enjoy history - a definite recommend!

[Nancy]

Grabbed my interest from the first chapter. I could empathize with the characters. I had a hard time putting it down because I needed to know what was going to happen. I would recommend this book to others!

[Brittany]

I received this book through the First Reads giveaway program on Goodreads. Review to follow.