“A close-up look at how wartime chaos affects a tight-knit group of women living on Hawaii in 1944 at the height of Pacific combat…. [Violet’s] journey overcoming her trials and grief through friendship, family, and romance is a story of strength and perseverance.”—BooklistViolet Iverson and her young daughter, Ella, are piecing their lives together after the disappearance of her husband. As … piecing their lives together after the disappearance of her husband. As rumors swirl and questions about his loyalties surface, Violet believes Ella knows something. But Ella is stubbornly silent. Something—or someone—has scared her.
With the island overrun by troops training for a secret mission, tension and suspicion between neighbors is rising. To get through the difficult days, Violet bands together with her close friends and they open a pie stand near the military base, offering the soldiers a little homemade comfort.
Try as she might, Violet can’t ignore her attraction to the brash marine who comes to her aid when the women are accused of spying. Desperate to discover the truth behind what happened to her husband, while keeping her friends and daughter safe, Violet is torn by guilt, fear and longing as she faces losing everything. Again.
“A bittersweet story of cinematic proportions.”—BookPage
more
Absorbing historical fiction–loved it!
Mystery and romance in WWII era Hawaii, with characters that made you hurt for them and finally root for them at the resolution of their story.
Oh My…..did not know what to expect when I purchased this Kindle book. I just liked the title and went for it. I am so very glad I did follow my gut instincts. It was history, a mystery, a romance, friendships and loving your fellow man all rolled into one fantastic book. Great diverse characters and a period of time that we should not forget. I wish I could give it another 1/2 star.
Set in 1944, post-Pearl Harbor, Island of Sweet Pies and Soldiers provides female points-of-view on the war in the Pacific. Violet Iverson and her daughter, Ella, are piecing their lives back together a year after Herman, Violet’s husband, disappears.
In the aftermath of losing her father, Ella becomes withdrawn and anxious, picking her skin until it bleeds. Her mother thinks Ella knows something about Herman’s death, but her daughter refuses to talk. The book is told from their points of view.
External conflict is provided by the mystery of the father’s death and the war-driven flare of prejudices against the island’s Japanese inhabitants pits neighbor against neighbor.
An unexpected addition is a lion, Roscoe, who serves as the soldiers’ mascot (reminiscent of the lion in the movie Flyboys about the World War I flying aces of the Lafayette Escadrille) and the key to Ella’s internal healing.
As her grief for her husband lessens, Violet and her friends open a pie stand for the soldiers training on the island for a secret mission. Ackerman’s depictions of female relationships are accurate and heart-warming—including the bonds between women, between mother and child, and between husband and wife. Violet’s deep love for Herman lacked passion. She falls for a sergeant in a passionate way, but remains true to her husband until the mystery of his disappearance is solved.
Each woman—and Ella—gradually recognize her personal strength in this charming tale.
I did have some trouble getting into the book, but once in, I read it in one sitting.
Island of Sweet Pies and Soldiers is a beautifully written story set in Hawaii after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. The Hawaiian Island was described in vivid detail! If you enjoy historical fiction with a bit of mystery and romance, you must read Island Of Sweet Pies and Soldiers!
It’s tough writing historical fiction and writing well enough to grab the readers’ attention and holds it throughout the storyline. Sweet pies and Soldiers does just that. I love reading anything about WWI and WW2 but honestly, none have yet entertained me as well as this. I wanted to spend more time with Violet and Ella and of course Rosco!
I really enjoyed this book but only gave it 4 stars because it was difficult to get into. But, I stuck with it and was glad I did. It takes place on one of the Hawaiian islands during WW II. It seem to me that one comes across many more books that happen in the European arena of WW II than in places in the Pacific which was what drew me to the book in the first place. The book centers around a woman and her daughter as well as a few of their friends that are residents of the island and some of the Marines who are stationed for a short time before they are shipped off to battle. The woman’s husband, a school principal, has disappeared and one of her friend’s husband has been sent to an internment camp because he is of Japanese descent. The daughter is young and has some emotional problems partly because it is hinted she is keeping a secret that is burning a hole in her.
So, put these people all together and add a tame lion belonging to one of the Marines and you have a mystery, a bit of romance and some angst. I’m glad I stuck it out because once I got into the book and figured out what was what I thoroughly enjoyed it.
This is a pretty good book! Not exactly a mystery, though we don’t know who “did it” until later – the main character knows, though. I liked her mother better for not being so racist as so many were. I felt like she balanced between trying to survive and protecting friends.
5 Stars
This was a lovely story about living in Hawaii after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. We meet a group of friends who meet some GI’s stationed on their island. I enjoyed the story and the mystery surrounding what happened to Herman. I really like the addition of Rosco and his part of the story.
ISLANDS OF SWEET PIES AND SOLDIERS, the debut novel of Sara Ackerman, is a story of historical fiction set in Hawaii shortly after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. The book is inspired by true stories told to the author by her grandparents who chose to stay on the island rather than flee to safety on the mainland. The story is told mainly from the points of view of fictional characters, 10-year-old Ella and her mother, Violet. Violet’s husband has mysteriously disappeared without a trace a year prior leaving them alone, unsettled and living in limbo. Violet suspects that Ella knows something about the disappearance, but is afraid to share. Soon American soldiers set up a training base nearby which disrupts the previously close community. Violet, Ella and some of their friends and neighbors befriend a few of the soldiers and give them a taste of home life while they are deployed. However, there is a growing suspicion and mistrust of the Japanese American families living nearby that leads to increased tension and accusations. All of the characters are very well-developed and the descriptions of the scenery in Hawaii are so vivid, I felt like I was there. Beyond the history, there are elements of mystery, suspense and romance that kept me turning the pages from beginning to end. I read a lot of historical fiction about World War II, but I really enjoyed that this one was set in Hawaii rather than Europe. I highly recommend this beautiful and compelling story of love, family and friendship with a wartime setting.
Great book which takes place during WWII in Hawaii.
Found it hard to stay with this book. Definitely not a page turner.
Nice story of a difficult time
I really like this time in history. This was first book I have read from this perspective and really enjoyed it
Sara Ackerman’s Island of Sweet Pies and Soldiers is a great lesson in not judging a book by its cover. “With war on their doorstep, friendship will sustain them”: not the jacket cover declaration that would normally have me snatching it off the shelf. Fortunately, I’d seen a better description from my pals at BookBub before I got to the library – plus, any book set in Hawaii earns a few points just for setting. In any case, I digress.
In the prologue, the reader learns that young Ella Iverson has witnessed the disappearance of her father, the town’s principal, and it slowly being eaten by the secret. Her mother, Violet, is at a loss as to how to either help her daughter or encourage her to share her torment. Both are distracted by the arrival of marines at Camp Tarawa. One of them just happens to be the brother of Violet’s very best friend and boarder, Jean, who bounds into their lives with an exuberance that’s been missing since Herman disappeared a year ago. When they realize his fondness for home cooking, they decide to feed the soldiers and earn a little extra at the same time with a pie stand selling only the most delectable creations.
In addition to painting a vivid portrait of life in Hawaii during World War II, Ackerman also deftly handles the many emotions of the soldiers, training by day for battles yet to come on Island X, and enjoying the island culture for all they can in their down time. Similarly, Island of Sweet Pies and Soldiers offers a convincing and informative portrayal of interactions between the haole, the Japanese, and the native Hawaiians at a time when the former were vastly outnumbered by the latter two groups.
The romance and mystery are admittedly predictable, but the storytelling here is fantastic. I wasn’t surprised in the least to read that many elements of the story are based on the author’s grandparents’ experiences in Hawaii during World War II. Even the lion.
(This review was originally published at http://www.thisyearinbooks.com/2018/08/island-of-sweet-pies-and-soldiers.html)
Little known history of events occurring in Hawaii during WWII.
I learned a lot about this time period in American history. I enjoyed the way the setting so directly guided the plot.
Started off slow but had a very unexpected ending. Great Historical Fiction!
One of the reasons I liked this book was the setting in Hawaii. I also liked the WWII time period. I had no idea, although I should have, the plight of Japanese Americans living in Hawaii at that time. Excellent book. Don’t let the silly title fool you.