Customer Reviews

Broken Jewel: A Novel

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There have been many books and films, as well as the wonderful television program on the rescue of the prisoners of war at Cabanatuan, covering the trials and suffering of those armed forces and civilians held by the Japanese Army, on the Philippine Islands during World War II. This is one more book on the subject, but I think this one deserves to be read. Mr. Robbins takes a slightly different tack and covers a subject which hasn't been reported on widely. Besides telling the story of the civilian internees, he shows a picture of the life of the "comfort women" who were put into service as sex slaves to the invading army.

The "glamorized" picture of the lives of these women as shown in past films was not the norm. Mr. Robbins gives us a look at the reality of the lives of these women and they deserve to have it told.

Besides describing this subject, Mr. Robbins has given us another exciting adventure in telling the story of the end of the camp at Los Banos. He tells of the hardship and suffering brought about by the combination of a weak commandant and an arrogant cruel Sargeant of the guards, who deals out ration cuts and punishments on whims. Mr. Robbins' scholarship and research are excellent. This is my first David Robbins' book but he reminds me, very much, of the work of the Shaaras and Robert Harris. He takes the factual history and winds it in with a fascinating, exciting story. Mr. Robbins even takes two or three of the actual people to create his characters. As a History major, one of the things I loved about this book was that there is a set of annotations at the end of the book which explains, chapter by chapter, how the real story rolled out and how the writer incorporated it into his story.

I am looking forward to reading more of Mr. Robbins' books, and I highly recommend that anyone interested in this time in our history or even someone who wants to read a really good adventure story, read this book as soon as possible.

Broken Jewel by David Robins is another wonderful example of his thorough research and his ability to put together a story with very believable characters from a little known actual situation during the Second World War. As in his other novels he writes of little known happenings of that era and weaves an intricate tale showing the tenacity and ingenuity of the prisoners, the cruelty of the Japanese soldiers, and the efforts of the local underground at risk of death to aid those in the camp. The tense buildup of the intended slaughter of the prisoners by the Japanese guards under their maniacal commander, knowing American forces were moving towards them, is classic David Robbins. The love affair of the nineteen year old Tal and the Filipino girl held in bondage as a sex slave for the Japanese soldiers gives further dimension to the story. Although they never meet until near the end but only watch each other from afar makes the story even more interesting. Like his, End of the War, and War of the Rats novels, I found the book riveting, and look forward to his next effort.

As a fan of David L Robbins other work, Broken Jewel is a welcome addition to his collection. One of his strongest talents has always been putting a human face to war. The first DLR book I ever read, War of the Rats, was the first time I truly appreciated the scope and horror of World War Two's Eastern Front on a human scale, for both the Soviet defenders and the invading German troops. While he's good at writing action and throwing the reader into suspense and adventure, I've always most appreciated his ability to capture the human spirit in some of the most harrowing circumstances. History will give you the numbers: an estimated 50,000 to 300,000 women forced into prostitution by the Japanese, 500,000 to 1,000,000 Filipino civilians killed in the war, 8,146 Prisoners in the Los Banos Internment camp, but a novel like Broken Jewel will give you the names, faces, and lives behind the numbers.

Broken Jewel is more than just a war story. It's a love story, a coming of age story, a story of family, and an exploration of an issue that remains intensely important to this day; the Japanese use of comfort women. Even to this day, there are still protests and even riots against Japan over the controversy of Comfort Women. Carmen, a Filipina comfort woman, and one of the novel's main characters gives the reader the chance to see through the eyes of one such kidnapped young woman. However, DLR is careful to never let her become a victim, despite the cruelty and abuse she and her fellow comfort women endure. Reading Broken Jewel is a window into why such anger continues to this day, as DLR doesn't blink in the face of the atrocities committed by the Japanese against thousands of young women all across Asia.

However, that said, neither does he shy away from the human side of the Japanese. The stories of Japanese soldiers, knowing their side is on the verge of defeat, and worse, knowing they will be asked to kill and die for a war they've already lost, are told with heartbreaking clarity through their interactions with Carmen.

The book is thoroughly researched, complete with a set of annotated footnotes describing the actual events of the Los Banos internment camp and rescue raid. These footnotes provide another story equally as interesting as the novel itself, the historically recorded trials of the actual internees themselves. As someone interested in writing, I found these notes to be an intriguing insight into the writing process, seeing which pieces stayed the same and which pieces DLR tweaked for the novel.

Broken Jewel is an illuminating and intense portrayal of both an interesting historical moment, and of an issue that resounds to this day. Those looking for a simple quick-paced action adventure might find it a bit slow, but that's only because the author takes his time to explore his character's humanity.David L Robbins continues to put a human face to all sides of the war.

I just finished reading Broken Jewel by David L. Robbins and I loved it. It is quite an historical account(albeit fictionalized) that needs to be told. I had never heard of the Comfort Women. My step-father was in the Navy and was in the Philippines at that time. He told us of the cruelty of the Japanese but this book really brought it home.

As a child I and my siblings were called in every Sunday night to watch Victory at Sea (I think that was the name of it) on television. Having been in many naval battles in the Pacific, he would narrate to us what was going on and what had happened. I abhorred Sunday evenings at that time... now I cherish those hours. I wish I had listened more closely. (I have to admit, at first I thought Broken Jewel was going to be another Sunday night of Victory at Sea but David L. Robbins really proved me wrong.)

Thanks Mr. Robbins for such a good historical account that was also interesting. What a great way to learn history! This was my first David L. Robbins novel but it will not be my last!

This is a wonderfully accurate and researched book which reads with a great sense of authenticity. It shows the brutality of the Japanese Prisoner of War camps and beyond, showing the brutality they also reigned over their own troops and the peoples they conquered in World War II.

I am very impressed of the coverage of the Comfort Women, the Phillipino Resistance movement, and the concerns of the US in their liberation plans. All of these topics deserve more attention in literature and history books. I especially believe the comfort women still seem to be looking for a adequately strong champion to tell their story. It's nice to see them covered here.

The storyline is pretty heavy and depressing, but ultimately just, with a satisfying end. It is gripping and upsetting and suspenseful with lots of fine details. All in all a great read much in the same vein as Flyboys: A True Story of Courage. I highly recommend for any history lover.

I happened across this book at my local library and am very glad that I did. Like most people I had heard and learned about the Bataan Death March, in which American and Filipino prisoners of war were brutalized and thousands were killed by the Japanese during a forced march after the Battle of Bataan in the Phillipines during World War II.

But I had never heard the story of Los Banos internment camp on the Phillipines and the dramatic, successful raid to rescue the internees by U.S. airmen and Filipino guerrillas. Most of the prisoners at Los Banos were civilians, including American men, women and children. Another part of this story that I had not heard about was the comfort women, female prisoners from all Japanese-occupied territories forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese during World War II.

"Broken Jewel" fictionalizes this story but does it very well, in my opinion. This story affected me on a lot of different levels. I am usually a fan of fiction and don't read that much non-fiction. But what "Broken Jewel" sparked in me was a hunger to know more about the events depicted in the novel. I think that can be a good benchmark to rate an historical novel by. The novel was very detailed, had good characterization, and I have already recommended it to many people.

The story of the rescue at the Los Banos camp made for exciting reading. A couple of the non-fiction books I enjoyed on the rescue are Angels at Dawn: The Los Banos Raid and Deliverance at Los Banos.

I was saddened, sickened, outraged, horrified (need I go on) after learning of the horrors and brutalities the comfort women endured. A couple of non-fiction books that I read are The Comfort Women: Japan's Brutal Regime of Enforced Prostitution in the Second World War and Comfort Women. Thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands of women and very young girls were subjected to these atrocities.

After having read and enjoyed Ghost Soldiers: The Epic Account of World War II's Greatest Rescue Mission, the true story of the rescue of the prisoners at the Japanese POW camp at Cabanatuan, I was eager to dig into this fictional account of the historic rescue, and found it extremely entertaining. This novel adds depth and broadens the events that led up to and surrounded the invasion, rescue and the fall of the Japanese forces in the Phillipines.

Reading "Broken Jewel" by David L. Robbins was not only very entertaining, but highly educational about a little-known historical event! The amount of research done by Mr. Robbins about the Japanese control of the Philippines during World War II is evident in his detailed account of life in the Los Banos Internment camp. Robbins writes with such descriptive character portrayal and historical accuracy, that the reader can easily empathize with the internees! He richly develops each of the characters, making them as familiar as if his readers actually knew them! Immediately, the heroes and villians are brought to life with great purpose to the overall story within this fictional historic drama. Father and son, Remy and Talbot Tuck, show the fortitude and strength of heart and family that is shared by many of the internees. Carmen, the Filipina "comfort woman" becomes the object of the reader's compassion against cruel and inhumane treatment by the Japanese soldiers, but also allows the reader to view how difficult war was on the men who used her themselves. Robbins gives us the sense that most of the Japanese soldiers were lonely and desperate to survive the war, just as badly as the camp internees. His vivid description of the camp, its pitiful conditions and the harsh treatment by the camp commander and his soldiers, is extremely realistic! The lush jungle surrounding the camp and the rugged hills, trails and paddies, illustrate the great difficulty that armies and civilians alike had to deal with. I personally knew a survivor of the Bataan Death March, who's true stories about his time in the Philippines, closely matched the account written by Mr. Robbins. Sadly, I never remember reading or hearing anything about Los Banos and the heroic rescue of the internees in 1945. Mr. Robbins has inspired me to read more actual history regarding this period of time and to learn more about the actual camp. Additionally, I want to read more books written by Mr. Robbins, for their great entertainment value and hopefully, more insight into actual historical events!
"Broken Jewel" is a history lesson, a war story, a look into the minds and lives of prisoners and a warm love story all in one! I hated to put this book down each evening and was saddened to finish reading it! David L. Robbins has written an excellent novel that needs to be read by all who enjoy fast-paced action, great descriptive settings and characters to both love and hate. This book is easily one of my favorite reads and one that I am so thankful to have found! Great job Mr. Robbins!

The book is result of an extensive research with real people and facts by the author. The book reveals the most typical persons in a concentration camp. Interestingly enough, the social group in the camp comprises all human behavioral.

The book highlights the common people, the individuals, the internees, the comfort women, the locals, and the Japanese and American soldiers. The common people suffered most in WW2; as in all wars. The local guerrilla groups are well given in their imported political and religious inclinations that pictured their fates in front of international tsunamis after WW2. Also, the American soldiers are well given and they merit this, because from life living in US they had to become expert in wars occurring in new and very different environments.

A new knowledge is gained for the comfort women, hundred of thousands of them abducted, raped, slaved, exploited, used as tools for lust, missed in "action" by the end of war, wiped from memories even of their own people.

The case of such girls recalls the case of thousands of Albanian girls and women from Kosova, who were abducted, raped, violated, tortured and most of them did not return. Only (ex) married women, there are 2019 of them that were raped by Serbs and after the liberation war their husbands divorced them. The immediate result was: 2019 broken and forgotten families, and their 3007 loosed children.

Historical fiction that places the reader at the scene. The vegetation in the Philippine jungle slaps your face, the heat and humidity saps your strength but the action drives you page after page and is impossible to put down.
David L. Robbins is a must read author and a fantastic teacher. His books are not only entertaining but educational as well. I highly recommend all his books.
John House