Review of Pearl of the Orient

[Jelani Stewart 1]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Pearl of the Orient" by Dan Winkle.]

---

5 out of 5 stars

---

Share This Review

---

Pearl of the Orient by Dan Winkle is a book that mixes romance and warfare. Maria Cristina Posadas and Lieutenant Miles Daniels fall in love and are soon engaged. Maria is the daughter of a rich man, Gabriel Posadas, while Miles is the son of a Navy admiral. The beginning of the book talks about their courtship before marriage.

Concurrently, it also talks about the Japanese escapades in China. After success in China, General Kato recruits Aiko Tanaka and promotes him to the rank of colonel. They are to embark on a new mission that takes them into Manila in the name of the emperor. This is where the Posadas family resides. What will be their fate as war breaks out?

Winkle was able to encompass many emotions and tell the story from different perspectives. I got to see how the war affected both the rich and the poor. This goes to show that wealth cannot save anybody during warfare. I also got to see the war from a soldier's perspective. More importantly, I got to see the war from the perspective of both the parents and the children.

It was educational but extremely saddening. I applaud the author for leaving no stone unturned in his mission to educate readers and help speak up for the Philippines.

Maria Cristina was my favorite character in the book. Despite all she went through, she fought through mentally till the end. Her character development in the book was only second to her brother's, Antonio Posadas. He was a young boy who was hardened into a strong man by the end of the war. I was sad for Peque, and it gladdened me to know he later continued his drawings. I found no grammatical error in this masterpiece of a book. I rate this book five out of five stars. It was engrossing from start to finish, and I found nothing to dislike about the book. I recommend this book to historians that wish to know more about the Philippines and the battle in Manila.

******
Pearl of the Orient
View: on Bookshelves