“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
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As a native Hawaiian, I was delighted to learn more about Hawaii and what it was like during World War II. Although the story is about a young girl and her family, we learned a lot about the American soldiers who were training there and also about the complex relationships with the Japanese-Americans after Pearl Harbor.
Well written and very interesting.
I learned a lot about WWII Hawaii and really enjoyed this book!
I love historical books and books about World War II. This book gave me a different view of the war in Hawaii. I would like to read more of this author’s books.
I read this right after we returned home from Hawaii. We had been to many of the places mentioned in the story . I did not know about the lives of the residents of Hawaii during World War II and the interaction between the residents and the military. Very informative and interesting story.
Loved how much this was a different book. The characters were fantastic, as was the setting.
I really wanted to like this book, but it just didn’t draw me into it. I read to the end because I wanted to see what happened to Herman. The idea of what was going on with average people in Hawaii during World War II is what drew me into reading the book to begin with, but I just wasn’t captured by the characters and never really bought into their lives.
Shame to remember how we detained neighbors because of race then and things havent changed through these many years…
Takes place in Hawaii during WW2 and life is viewed through the eyes of a woman whose husband is missing and her 10 year old daughter
I liked this book. I read a lot of WWII stories and this one was a little different. Interesting what life was like for people living in Hawaii.
A WWII book from the Pacific Theater. I liked the different perspective, but I felt a little unresolved with the various characters.
My father was stationed in Hawaii briefly before moving with his fellow Mstines farther across the Pacific during WWII. So this story of families living on one of the islands and interacting with the Marines was interesting and gave a perspective of the islands after the horrors of Pearl Harbor.
Loved this book about life on the island of Hawaii during World War II! Part mystery, part romance. Some memorable characters, too.
I love WW ll fiction. I always learn something.
True representation of how the Japanese citizens were viewed in Hawaii during WWII. It is a sad chapter of discrimination in our history that we seem to repeat over and over. It is a story of how good people tried to overcome the prejudice of the day.
Very good book I loved the characters and the story of community in wartime.
A bit too predictable and too many problems easily fixed. An easy read
This book shows what it was like to live in Hawaii in the aftermath of Pearl Harbor, from both a child’s and an adult’s point of view while telling a fascinating story.
Just really liked this book about Hawaii during the war years.
Good portrayall of Hawaii during WW II.
Very good! I’ve never read a historical fiction about WW11 from a native hawaiin perspective.