The Long March Home: A World War II Novel of the Pacific

The Long March Home by Marcus Brotherton and Tosca Lee will leave will with a renewed appreciation for the young American men who went through the Bataan Death March in the Philippines. Not many people know about what happened to these young men and this story truly brings their stories to life. I know I certainly have a new appreciation for these young men as I didn’t know this part of history either.

In this story, based on true events, we have three best friends, Billy, Hank, and Jimmy. The story is told from Jimmy’s main POV. We see his life leading up to the attack on Pearl Harbor and after as they suffer through the Bataan Death March, a 60-mile death march to prison camps where they are forced to work as prisoners in the worst conditions possible. We see flashbacks of Billy, Hank, and Jimmy with family and with Jimmy’s high school sweetheart, Claire. These scenes were nice, as it broke up the hard chapters. Our characters are so real and the story itself takes you on a heart-wrenching journey where you are hoping these men just make it home from all the hardship they have endured.

I was so moved by this story – completely and utterly compelled by it. I don’t read a lot of World War II Historical Fiction, but this is easily a top 10 book of the year for me as I just felt so enamored with our characters and their journeys. I cried. My heart was broken and restored. We have true brotherhood depicted in this book and I am so thankful to have read it. Thank you to those men who gave the ultimate sacrifice fighting for our country. If you love books surrounding World War II, strong friendships, and high emotional impact, this is for you. Thank you to Baker Publishing, Revell and NetGalley for providing a copy to honestly read and review.

Content warnings: This book has very graphic war battle scenes, prisoner torture, the horrors of war, etc. It does have some “war time drinking” and very minimal language.

Every once in a while a book is released that can only be described as a masterpiece. The Long March Home is one of those books. It’s the epitome of story. It’s both heartbreaking and filled with hope. Every time I opened the book I was immediately transported to another time and place that I never thought I could imagine, yet in these pages I see and feel everything. I laughed and cheered, but it also wrecked me. Several times I had to put the book down to wipe the tears from my eyes so I could see the words on the page. I even ugly cried a few times. I can’t remember any book that made me cry so hard. I don’t like sad books, but The Long March Home is a book that demands to be read. It’s a history that needs to be told, even the hard parts. And amid all the horrors and pain, there is beauty. There is love. There is faith. There is even joy. Authors Brotherton and Lee weave story like a tapestry and it’s magnificent. Do yourself and the world a favor and read this book—but don’t forget the tissues.

Wow. What a story. Tosca Lee and Marcus Brotherton have written an amazing, heart- wrenching, story of tribute to those who survived in the Philippines during World War 2. The use of flashbacks to portray the relationship between these three men was the perfect touch this story needed to help the reader know the depths of brotherhood these three men shared.

I do not usually cry over books, but by the end of this one I was crying. The cruelty and starvation perpetrated by the Japanese was heartbreaking to read about and as such I can not recommend this book for younger readers. The authors do not sugar coat what happened to the men, but provide an accurate portrayal of what happened.

We all hear about the atrocities that happened in Europe, but more often than not we do not hear of what happened in the Pacific. We need to know. We need to remember.

Combining the forces of Marcus Brotherton and Tosca Lee for a WWII novel was a genius idea. Marcus Brotherton, known for his war biographies, brings the gritty reality of the war to life, while Tosca Lee, historical fiction novelist, adds nostalgia and romance. Together, it's a novel of epic proportions and I think this is a duo that needs to collab more often!

The Long March Home sucks you in and doesn't let go. Just when you think things might get better for our main characters, something else happens to tragically make their lives miserable (basically, it's the book version of Whac-A-Mole), and it really brought to light a lot of the atrocities prisoners in WWII had to go through. It's eye opening and heartbreaking- a ton of different emotions hitting you full force.

With that in mind, this isn't a light read, not by a long shot. The characters smoke, drink, and swear, although the cussing only appears a handful of times. One character is a womanizer, although the book isn't in his perspective so we don't get any harsh content from there. Go into this book expecting a war novel, not a book that's part of the Christian fiction genre.

But the harshest part of the novel is the violence. Horrible things are done to the prisoners, and the prisoners in turn are forced to do horrible things to themselves and other people in order to survive. This isn't a book for young teens or those triggered by that kind of violence, but for me, these elements made the story raw and eye opening. However, personal tip: don't read this book while eating, unless you want to lose your lunch.

There are plenty of romance aspects to the story, but at its heart, The Long March Home is definitely a story of brotherhood. Jimmy, Hank and Billy are a classic trio of guys who are brothers not by blood, but by friendship, and each of them is uniquely and realistically written. Their goal: to get home alive, all of them, no matter the cost. Brotherhood stories are my favorite, and with this one I was not disappointed.

I voluntarily received this book from the publisher in order to write an honest review. All opinions are truly my own.

[may contain spoilers]

This book follows the life of James Propfield- a young US soldier stationed in the Philippines during WWII. James, along with his two best friends Hank and Billy, are enjoying life in what seems like paradise, until news arrives that Japan bombed Pearl Harbor and the US officially entered the war. Shortly after that, Japan arrives in the Philippines and after a long and bloody battle, the US troops surrender and are taken as POWs. They are then forced to take the long, horrific march to Camp O’Donnell and are required to work under atrocious conditions with no hope for rescue.

This story jumps back and forth in time featuring James’s life in the military and as a kid growing up. Through these flashbacks, we see how James, Hank and Billy become best friends and how their relationships with each other change as they grow up. As tensions grow, they all decide to become soldiers and enlist for very different reasons.

The characters in this book are incredibly well written. The authors did a phenomenal job bringing them to life and telling their story. Because of this, it was clear to see why they acted the way they did and why they made the choices they made.

Other than learning about the war in history classes, I hadn’t read much regarding the war going on in the Pacific. The book is told in a way where it is easy to follow and fills in all the necessary historical details.

I could not put this book down- sometimes historical fiction novels fall flat and are slow reads, but that is not the case with this book. I read the whole thing in one day! I would highly recommend this book to anyone who likes realistic historical fiction or books set during WWII. It is a book that is emotional and heartbreaking but there is also love and forgiveness to be found. I don’t give out 5 stars often, but this book deserved every one of them!

Keep in mind that there are some very graphic descriptions and raw, gritty scenes in this book- it primarily focuses on the war and what the soldiers went through during this time. The authors did their research and included a lot of historically accurate people, places and things that occurred during this time.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the publisher- Revell. All opinions are my own.

Don't start this book if you have a lot of things to do; you won't be able to get much done until you finish it!
It is extremely well written and also very informative. If you are interested in this part of history, I highly recommend it!

Holy cow y'all, I don't know what to say.

The book is intense. Not so intense that most people couldn't handle it, but intense in that it's not for younger readers. War is real, it's ugly, and it's scary. The language was mostly clean - a couple of words thrown in here and there, but not enough to actually bother me.

The dual timeline messed me up at first - they usually do - but while I normally skim-read one timeline to get back to the other, I didn't this time. I definitely preferred the scenes from the war, but reading about Jimmy and Hank and Billy and Charlotte as children, and all the events that led up to this moment...it felt so real.

I suppose that was kind of the point, being inspired by true stories and all, haha.

To be honest, I adored every single one of the characters, and then I realized why: they were humans. There wasn't the holy-mission main character with adorably flawed and endearing side characters. They were all relatable. They all had their fears, they all had their flaws, and they all snuck their way into my heart without warning.

A few random things in the book that stood out to me:
-Jimmy's last name is Propfield, so his nickname is Propper and I love it. Even his COs called him Propper
-Cowboy. Roy. Whatever you want to call him. A minor character but so so good. Such a fantastic big brother
-The whole bit with Jimmy's dad. It added an entire dimension to the story that I'd love to say more about but I will refrain due to spoilers.
-It didn't wrap everything up in a pretty bow but it left me with hope and inspiration all the same

"A gripping coming-of-age tale of friendship, sacrifice, and the power of unrelenting hope." I couldn't have said it better myself.

The story is told from the time in the Pacific in 1942 with flashbacks to their time back in Alabama growing up in the late 1930s in Alabama. The story unfolds more and more as the memories come. It is a remarkably well written story!

I am not one to choose a war story. For some reason I could not pass this one up. It is one of the most fascinating books I have ever read. For a Christian publishing company it is really outside the norm. It is real. It is gritty. I could not put this thing down!

It packed a punch. I suspect this is a story I won't easily forget. It is haunting and thought provoking and has brought me to a deeper respect for those who served our nation in such atrocious circumstances. War is ugly and evil and no one comes out unscathed. But God...

I was thrilled to be a part of this blog tour with Revell Publishing. The book was sent to me free of charge from the publisher and I was only asked to give an honest review.

What event in history do you find fascinating to read about over and over again?

For me it will always be WWII. The sheer magnitude of the war always shocks me no matter what. Every person in the world was affected by that war in some fashion.

I was honored that Revell Books sent me a copy of The Long March Home by Marcus Brothertin and Tosca Lee.

This story is inspired by the true events of the Bataan Death March and is a coming of age story during one of America’s most pivotal eras.

My thoughts…honestly I devoured this book. Even the dual timelines couldn’t stop me from obsessing over Prop, Billy the ginger streak and Hank’s friendship. These were brothers in heart having grown up together and then after enlisting, they fight for their lives together. The authors made sure the reader really understood and felt the depth of this friendship by flipping the story between the past set in Mobile to present day in Manila, Philippines. I laughed at the witty banter especially from Hank and I cried when I realized just how dire some situations were. If you know nothing about Bataan or the Pacific theater during WWII, I highly recommend you read up on it.

I can’t get into all the details of this story without spoiling parts of it but I can tell you this is one of the best books I’ve read this year. It was gritty and emotional but also delivered an ending that showed just how good and sacrificing people can be and that in the end all that matters is the people in your life. Also there is girl waiting back home…so not entirely void of romance. In fact it’s a very swoon worthy, once in a lifetime, worth fighting to get back home kind of romance.

I’d also like to note how impressed I was by the historical accuracy of the book. Not only for the chapters set during the war but for the chapters when the boys were young.

Just a heartbreakingly wonderful book. All the stars and love for it.

Wonderful story with great historical detail and characters. I read it in 2 days, and it gives all the emotions and leaves you still thinking about it afterwards.