Inspired by real places and events of WWII, Red Sky Over Hawaii immerses the reader in a time of American history full of suspicion and peril in this lush and poignant tale about the indisputable power of doing the right thing against all odds.The attack on Pearl Harbor changes everything for Lana Hitchcock. Arriving home on the Big Island too late to reconcile with her estranged father, she is … the Big Island too late to reconcile with her estranged father, she is left alone to untangle the clues of his legacy, which lead to a secret property tucked away in the remote rain forest of Kilauea volcano. When the government starts taking away her neighbors as suspected sympathizers, Lana shelters two young German girls, a Japanese fisherman and his son. As tensions escalate, they are forced into hiding—only to discover the hideaway house is not what they expected.
When a detainment camp is established nearby, Lana struggles to keep the secrets of those in her care. Trust could have dangerous consequences. As their lives weave together, Lana begins to understand the true meaning of family and how the bonds of love carry us through the worst times.
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Red Sky over Hawaii is a book about the courage and bravery of a young woman after the attack at Pearl Harbor. Lana rushed home to see her estranged ill father but got there after he died. She went to his home where she met his next door neighbors. When the parents of the German family are picked up by the government and sent to an internment camp, she decides to keep the children safe until their parents return. (During the time right after the war started, German and Japanese families were put into internment camps because the government was worried that they might be spies or sympathetic to the enemies of the US.) To keep them safe, Lana decides to travel to secret property that her father owned that was tucked away in the remote rain forest of Kilauea volcano She also takes a Japanese fisherman and his son who were friends of her father. She knows that she is going against the government but is willing to take a risk to keep them safe. They have visitors from the nearby Army base show up and she struggles to keep their secrets. When she finds out that there is an internment camp at the Army base, she knows that has to work even harder to keep her secrets.
Lana was a extremely well written character. Even though she had no family of her own she was willing to make a family out of the people that she helped escape from being taken away by the government. Family is more than blood ties – it is also the people that we love and protect.
This book is an interesting look about how the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the war against Japan affected the people of Hawaii. If you enjoy light historical fiction with a little romance, give this one a try!
RED SKY OVER HAWAII by Sara Ackerman is a historical fiction/romance story set in the Hawaiian Islands and begins right before the attack on Pearl Harbor. This new to me author had me immersed in the beautiful island setting which suddenly becomes full of suspicion and peril.
Lana Hitchcock’s marriage is over on all but the paper, when she receives a call from her estranged father. She rushes to the hospital, but her father is dead when she arrives. Lana returns to her father’s home and meets the new neighbors who are German immigrants. With the recent bombing on Pearl Harbor Lana suddenly finds herself responsible for the couple’s two young daughters when they are taken away for questioning by the FBI. As they plan to leave to the home her father left her as a secret escape in the rainforest of the Kilauea volcano, she also takes her father’s old Japanese friend and his son before they are rounded up by the FBI, also.
As they struggle to keep their secrets, they also begin to come together as a family unit. Then Lana meets Major Grant Bailey, who runs the interment camp down the road from their home in Volcano. She feels there is something special between them, but she has to keep all of her charges safe. They keep running into each other and they become closer, but Lana’s secret is about to be revealed and Grant hates liars. Then what will happen to Lana and the children?
This story is written around many historical events that occurred on the islands, but the focus is on the fictional characters. Lana started off so wounded and almost immediately becomes responsible for four other peoples lives while she is still floundering in her own. As Lana begins to connect with the girls, she does so by teaching them things her father taught her about the strength and beauty of nature. The youngest, Coco was the character I loved the most with her affinity to all the animals and her connection to the magic of the island. I felt the initial reaction of Grant to Benji, because he was Japanese was believable and I liked how Lana was told to teach him to see beyond his prejudice, not get mad at it.
This story has the anxiety of separation, loss and the unknown due to war, but then it also shows how all the characters work to build trust and love to survive together. The author was able to weave all the emotions, characters and lush island beauty into a thought provoking and engaging read.
I recommend this book for those who love the 1940’s setting and history, but the main focus for me were the characters.
Red Sky Over Hawaii by Sara Ackerman has Lana Hitchcock receiving a call from her estranged father, Jack telling her he is in the hospital. Lana flies to Hilo the next day, but she is several hours too late. Jack left her a note which leads her to a hidden one with clues on how to find a project he was working on in the rain forest near Kilauea volcano. December 7th arrives, and everyone is shocked when the Japanese bomb Pearl Harbor. FBI men soon arrive and take away Jack’s neighbors, Fred and Ingrid Wagner but leave their two daughters behind. Lana loads up a truck with provisions along with the Wagner’s daughter and hides a local Japanese fisherman and his adopted son in the back. They traverse the mountain road and find a house that her father had almost completed before he fell ill. It seems to be the perfect hideaway until they notice activity at the nearby Kilauea Military Camp. It appears that the camp is now being turned into a detainment camp. Major Grant Bailey is in charge, and he has taken a shine to Lana. Can Lana keep them all safe during these perilous times? Red Sky Over Hawaii is an intriguing historical novel. It gives us a look at life in Hawaii during World War II. We get to see how fearful the people were after the attack and how the government responded. There are mystical elements woven into the story which I enjoyed. It added another level to the story. The story starts off a little slow in the beginning as we learn how Lana came to the island and why she was estranged from her father. The story goes back and forth in time which was a little confusing. The author’s vivid descriptions brings the scenery alive. I could imagine the rain forest, the fog, and the half-finished house. The romance is a little heavy in places as Grant and Lana spend time together, but it was understandable that they wanted to be together. People needed to find comfort and hope during the war. I enjoyed reading how these group came together and became a family. Red Sky Over Hawaii is a heartwarming story with uncommon honey, mystical forces, wartime woes, a rare romance, and a found family.
This is certainly a different story about after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. I liked it.
I live near Volcano Village on the island of Hawai’i and was impressed with how beautifully Ackerman captured the setting. Her attention to historical detail is spot-on and she populates the story with believable characters. Her secondary characters are as well-developed as the primary ones. Three cheers for a great read!
4 Stars
What a heart wrenching story of a horrible time in our country’s history. It gives the reader real insight into the horrors, tragedies and heartache of what happened to the people of Hawaii when Pearl Harbor was bombed. It engulfs the reader with emotions from all sides of the issue. It leaves the reader with a lesson on looking for the positive in people and life and never disregard that a touch of magic exists in all of us.
Great!
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Another look at the tragedy of WWII from the Islands of Hawaii. Most novels about WWII are set in Germany, Poland, France. This was different but with some of the same tragedies. Separated family. Blended “family”. People working together..Sadness. Fear. I recommend.
total crap
Well done from a unique point of view. Enjoyed it.
Liked learning about a different perspective of WWII from the view of native Hawaiians and the impact on so many Japanese that had lived in Hawaii their entire lives.
Not “wonderful” characters but believable, realistic, true to setting and plot.
I fell in love with Ackerman’s writing in The LT’s Nurse last year and Red Sky Over Hawaii was among my most anticipated reads for 2020. One thing that Ackerman never fails to deliver is a rich setting for her historical fiction. Even with this story being a glimpse into the past, the tension and fear within the communities is palpable. Medium paced, readers have the chance to experience a bit of rural Hawaii with a dash of magic.
It took me a while to settle in with the characters but, overall, each had their own fun quirks that made them feel authentic and well-rounded. I adored Coco, Marie was a typical pre-teen, and Sailor lent some much needed goofy puppy love to offset some of the heartache. As well rounded each of the characters were, I had trouble identifying with Lana which made this a slower read for me.
I’m also on the fence regarding the romance. I enjoyed the fated aspect, but I wish we had more time to build up the foundation for a romance that doesn’t hinge on his relationship with her father. It made her love for him feel a little forced.
That aside, I adored the magical realism and rich Hawaiian culture Ackerman wove into the tale. Hands down, that was my favorite part.
Red Sky Over Hawaii’s unique approach to Pearl Harbor and the island internment camps made for a compelling read. While I didn’t connect with Lana, I definitely still recommend readers pick this up. Especially if you enjoy rich settings and a dose of magical realism with your history.
*I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Yes, another WWII novel however this one is a bit different in that it is told from the point of view of a women who has been thrown into the unexpected role of mother to two German girls, and taken a Japanese fisherman and his son into her father’s hideaway home for protection. Pearl Harbor has just been bombed and they are rounding up any and all Italians, Germans and Japanese and being put into a “camp” while their backgrounds are looked into.
Lana has two girls left in her lap, as her German parents are lead away to be questioned. The parents and FBI agents make it seems as if it will be just a few hours, but Lana has a fear that this is not the case and that once they are gone they will not be returning for a long time. She only came back to this island because her father was dying and now she is in unexpected circumstances where she has to make quick split second decisions for the lives of others.
She takes the two girls and a friend of her fathers and his son with her to her father’s hideaway house he built up on the side of a volcano. Maybe he wasn’t so crazy after all, and this seems to be a godsend as they are tucked away in the forest with fresh air, animals and plenty of land to live off of, but fear soon settles in as a detainment camp is established nearby and rumor is that more and more people are being picked up and questioned.
Lana, the two girls, Mochi and Benji make the best of what they have to survive, meanwhile keeping themselves somewhat hidden and secluded as they try to remain safe from the war, and hoping that airplanes and bombing does not come this far inland. This gives them all time to reflect on life, the good, and how lucky they really are even though everyday awakes with fear and struggles of it’s own.
This was a very good read, from a different perspective of WWII. I had no idea that a camp was set up on one of the Hawaiian islands and that anyone they considered a threat was then placed in here until they could investigate further. It was a very interesting read, and I ALWAYS learn something new about what happened during the war, with these novels.
This book is excellent historical fiction.
I loved this book. History, the Big Island, Buddhism, Family and Pets, plus the right amount of tension. Kudos to Ackerman for this well researched, heartfelt story. I learned about the internment of German and Japanese residents after Pearl Harbor in the islands, plus historic places like Volcano House. Bravo!
I enjoyed this story about the uncertainties of war, specifically, the start of World War II, when Pearl Harbor was bombed by the Japanese. If you’re a resident of Hawaii (Big Island) when events unfold, you gain a unique perspective into what happens when suspicions run high and supplies run low on an island that is reportedly surrounded by enemy submarines, conjecture, and increasing military presence. But it is so much more than a history into that time. It’s a story about family heritage, new responsibilities, and survival. There is magic, wild horses, and a Great Dane. A love story sprinkles throughout the pages as well providing a hopefulness for a future that seems so uncertain. I had the distinct pleasure of visiting this area a few months ago when I got to transverse a lava tube and visited areas on the Kilauea volcano that are just now recovering from long ago eruptions. I saw Mauna Loa in all her glory rising stark above the plains. So I could easily envision the places described in this book. The characters were all believable, and I easily became invested in all of their lives. This is a lovely story, and I highly recommend it as an engrossing and intoxicating read. Thank you to Sara Ackerman for a copy of this book. It was a distinct pleasure.
I was absolutely thrilled at the chance to read this book. The cover was eye-catching and the blurb really hinted at the depth of the story I was about to read.
The words from the very start were stunningly beautiful and so many of the scenes stirred my emotions.
To know that real people experienced much of what these characters did was eye-opening. So much fear and uncertainty made for one very emotional read.
I loved the blend of secrets, realizations, understanding, love, forgiveness, and magic. It was such an incredible story and woven together with pure artistic genius.
I am now officially hooked on Ackerman’s books from here on out.
Not what I was expecting. Did not finish.