The garden of evening mists

Author: Tan Twan Eng

Citation: Twan Eng, Tan. The garden of evening mists: a novel, New York : Weinstein Books, 2012.

Description:: The garden of evening mists written by the Malaysian lawyer, Tan. The book has won many awards and been translated into many languages. The story begins in 1950s when the communist warfare was around the highlands of Malaya and flashback to the situation when the Japanese occupied Malaya. The author tells the story through the eyes of Yan Ling Teoh, the survivor of a Japanese POW camps while she was developing her relationship with Aritomo, the Japanese gardener. The complicated relationship, painful, hateful, and the mystery of how she escaped the camp with the beautiful scene of garden.

More information:

Goodreads reviews 

Library Journal, September, 2012 

Awards:

Man Booker Prize Nominee (2012), The International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award Nominee for Shortlist (2014), Man Asian Literary Prize (2012), Walter Scott Prize (2013), POPULAR-The Star Readers’ Choice Awards for Fiction (2013)

Formats: print book, ebook, large print, audiobooks

Languages: English, Thai, Chinese, Serbian, Spanish, Romanian, Italian, etc.

The bridge over the River Kwai

Author: Pierre Boulle

Citation: Boulle,Pierre. The bridge over the River Kwai, New York : Ballantine Books, 2007.

Description:Another POWs story sets in Thailand for the railway project under the Japanese occupation during the second world war. A very popular book which received many Awards and has been translated into many languages. Its movie won 7 Oscars in 1957. Pierre Boulle writes the story based on his experiences in POWs camp, giving the sense of what’s like to be in the war, the physical struggles, the emotional pain through the main characters, Colonial Nichholson, and his colleagues. The same writer of Planet of the Aples. Highly recommended reading and watching the movies.

More information:

The bridge on the River Kwai movie, 1957, IMdb

Goodreads 

Amazon 

Awards: Prix Sainte-Beuve (1952)

Formats: print book, audiobook, ebook, DVD video for movie

Languages: English, Chinese, French, Bengali, Italian, etc.

The railway man

 

Author: Eric, Lomax

Citation: Lomax, Eric. The railway man, London: Random House, 2009.

Description: Based on the author’s experience in a Japanese POW camp in Thailand between the Asia-Pacific war. A Scottish-British army officer(engineer) who sent out to work in Singapore and was captured when the fallen of Singapore to Japan. He was sent to build the railway project in Thailand together with other prisoners. The story of his contribution on the railway, friendship, the horror of torture, and the help from his wife, Patti. The author presented the post-traumatic stress he faced and the endeavor to forgive. This book has been translated into many languages and making a film in 2013 with Colin Firth and Nicole Kidman as the main casts.

More information:

Goodread  

Amazon  

IMDb

Awards:

The movie has 7 wins and 20 nominations

NCR Book Award (1996), J.R. Ackerley Prize for Autobiography (1996)

Formats: print book, audiobook, eAudiobook, DVD video

Languages: English, French, Russian, Polish, Italian