Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. I have read many historical fiction books centered on World War II in Europe but only a few based on the Pacific Asian perspective, this book was an excellent story based on that view. The story of three women based in Hong Kong during the occupation by Japan was an interesting, heartbreaking, uplifting and thought provoking read. The story of Mingzhu,her daughter Qiang,and Mingzhu’s servant Biyu, and their individual and as a a group experiences during the occupation was at times very difficult to read and the horrors that these women and men experienced was truly devastating..I was impressed by the resilience and strength of both the men and women who participated in the resistance movement and their resourcefulness. The author of this book should be commended for her research that she put into this book. I would highly recommend this book.

When Sleeping Women Wake is a heartbreaking and yet hopeful tale of the brutal Japanese occupation of Hong Kong during World War II, a time period and place I know little about despite knowing a lot about WWII. It resonates painfully today with echoes of the Chinese occupation of Hong Kong.

Telling of the Japanese occupation through the eyes of three very different women, the story rotates from the points of view of Mingzhu, a woman born into an elite family from the Qing dynasty trapped in a loveless marriage with an abusive, wealthy man; Qiang, her headstrong daughter; and Biyu, their servant, who has been like a sister to Qiang.

The three women think nothing could be worse than the opulent, yet comparatively innocent oppression of the Tang household, where Minghzu competes with her husband's haughty concubine and engages in an emotional affair with Qiang's English tutor, Henry, a tender and yet tragically timed romance that blooms between a shared love of literature and poetry, only to be had in stolen glances, lunches of Chinese brisket and mysterious love letters.

I loved the love story between Minghzu and Henry, even if I hated how it ended. She finally knew requited love that she chose, even if it could never truly be hers.

Then this fragile equilibrium is shattered when the Japanese invade and the family is separated. Qiang and Biyu are forced to do factory labor until Qiang escapes and joins the resistance, leaving behind her privileged background as the "Young Miss" of a wealthy household to become a fearsome fighter and leader, with a sad love story of her own with a half-Japanese soldier and resistance fighter. Minghzu, meanwhile, is enlisted to be a translator for the Japanese due to her facility with language, but finds her own way to fight back.

Sometimes the prose could get stilted or formal to read in parts, and there was a little more telling than showing for my taste, but I found it fairly immersive in the war experience and the resilience of the resistance fighters from a woman's perspective, at a time when women's roles were changing. It focused a lot more on women finding their agency in their relationships and families than their careers and fighting back than I was expecting, but that was very realistic for the time period.

I really enjoyed this book overall and found the character development to be strong and compelling as I followed their journey to freedom against all odds. I also liked reading fiction about this time and place in history. It reminded me a little of Pachinko, despite the latter being set in Korea. That story also focuses on women and their relationships under oppressive Japanese occupation.

This is a very strong debut and it packed an emotional punch and maintained a gripping pace throughout.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance review copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

A great historical fiction read! The author did a wonderful job of bringing to life historical research.