Recommend me books set in WWII in the Far East

[NotWavingButReading]

I've just finished a couple of books set in the Far East in the second world war.
Bamboo Heart by Ann Bennett about the prisoners on the Burma railway and Sisters Under the Rising sun by Heather Morris.
I'll definitely be reading more by Ann Bennett. I remember reading Empire of the Sun in the 1980s and will dig it out again.
Looking for similar recommendations of fiction in this era.

A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute

The narrow road to the deep north, is superb.
Sisters under the rising sun by Heather Morris about a group of nurses held as POWs.

The glass palace.

The film The Railway Man (starring Colin Firth) is based on an autobiography of the same name by Eric Lomax about his experience of working on the Burma railway. I haven’t read it but it’s a lovely film so might be worth a try.

The firm of The Last Emperor is also based on an autobiography - by Puyi, the last emperor of China. Some of is set during the Second World War.

I haven’t read that either I’m afraid!

A town like alice is a brilliant book.
Coming home by Rosamund pilcher has a big chunk set in the far east

Empire of the sun by J G Ballard

I've just finished Sisters under the Rising Sun. A like Tenko which I re-watched it last year.
The Narrow Road to the Deep North looks exactly what I was after, will add to my list thanks.

Lots of good suggestions. I haven't read any Rosamund Pilcher but I have a few of her books which were my mum's so will see if that's among them.

I think I probably read A Town Like Alice in the 70s.
My 2026 reading resolution is to go back and re-read some old ones.

Definitely A Town Like Alice. A masterpiece imvho.

Pamela Brown (author of The Swish of the Curtain) wrote about female POWs in The Finishing School.

I read this way back in the 80s, when I was still in primary school, and it introduced me to an different element of the Second World War. Having not read it since then, I've got no idea whether it's any good or not.

Tanamera by Noel Barber is a great read IIRC but it must be 30+ years since I’ve read it. The premise is 1930s Singapore and forbidden love between a Brit and a Chinese but for whatever reason the aspect I remember more clearly is then when it moves into WW2.

Came on to say Tanamera - maybe not great literature but a very enjoyable and interesting read nevertheless.

Burmese Days by George Orwell

Thanks for this thread - it's a sub genre I hadn't considered but will definitely look into.

I was also going to say A Town like Alice, it's the most obvious example. There was a great TV series I remember watching as a teen as well (probably late 90s).

Was going to say ‘Empire of the Sun’ as well. ‘Pachinko’ is partly set during WW2.

Apparently series 1 of the 1981 BBC Drama 'Tenko' was turned into a book. (I've just had a look and it seems as if series 1-3 is available on Prime.)

Edited to add: sorry I missed your post where you said you'd already watched it but maybe it, or the book version are useful to someone else!)

There's 3 novelizations.
I recently got all 3 from World of Books.

"Three Came Home" is a book that was used as some of the inspiration for Tenko.
I randomly found a copy secondhand and it was one of those independently printed copies but a recent edition so probably out there on secondhand book sites.
I will just Google the author....
Edit : The author is Agnes Newton Keith.

Singapore grip?

Got a great list now. I've downloaded A Town Like Alice from ePub and put on my Kindle.
I really enjoyed a TV adaptation of Singapore Grip last year @catpigeon
@Needmorelego that's an obscure one! Quite expensive even for a used paperback but worth looking out for.

The bridge on the river Kwai.
I think but can’t quite remember if it was Nevil Shute who wrote about Burma in WW2. I went through a stage of reading all his books when I was a teen, and I learned about Burma at the same time (because Burma was in the news, so late 80s early 90s? I remember it change its name to Myanmar but can’t remember the exact date), but there were quite a few books written about it during WW2. Not world WW2, but have you read ‘the piano Tuner’? Takes place in 1880s in Burma.

Only part of it covers that period, but Old Filth is really good

The Wind Cannot Read by Richard Mason.

I remember picking this one up from my late mum's bookshelf and read it as a teenager. It's very sad iirc. I've just looked it up and it is still available from Amazon, and was turned into a film which I didn't know.

There's an excellent film of that with Claudette Colbert, made in 1950, that's been on tv, I think Talking Pictures, a few times recently.

I will definitely have to try to watch it.
Thanks 🙂

I've started A Town Like Alice as my first book of 2026. Enjoying it so far. @RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie I'll be interested in why you think it's a masterpiece once I've finished.