A USA TODAY BESTSELLER“An emotional and heartfelt tale of love and courage.” —Chanel Cleeton, bestselling author of the Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick Next Year in HavanaNovember, 1941. She’s never even seen the ocean before, but Eva Cassidy has her reasons for making the crossing to Hawaii, and they run a lot deeper than escaping a harsh Michigan winter. Newly enlisted as an Army Corps nurse, … making the crossing to Hawaii, and they run a lot deeper than escaping a harsh Michigan winter. Newly enlisted as an Army Corps nurse, Eva is stunned by the splendor she experiences aboard the steamship SS Lurline; even more so by Lt. Clark Spencer, a man she is drawn to but who clearly has secrets of his own. But Eva’s past—and the future she’s trying to create—means that she’s not free to follow her heart. Clark is a navy intelligence officer, and he warns her that the United States won’t be able to hold off joining the war for long, but nothing can prepare them for the surprise attack that will change the world they know.
In the wake of the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Eva and her fellow nurses band together for the immense duty of keeping the American wounded alive. And the danger that finds Eva threatens everything she holds dear. Amid the chaos and heartbreak, Eva will have to decide whom to trust and how far she will go to protect those she loves.
Set in the vibrant tropical surroundings of the Pacific, The Lieutenant’s Nurse is an evocative, emotional WWII story of love, friendship and the resilient spirit of the heroic nurses of Pearl Harbor.
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Easy to read, good historical fiction, with a touch of romance
Loved the history of Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and the response of military nurses
Ackerman writes about WWII Hawaii with vivid detail, wit, and a sense of place evocative of Kristin Hannah. She re-examines history with a provocative, nuanced and immersive narrative that is impossible to put down. Simply put, The Lieutenant’s Nurse is a fantastic and enthralling read.
The Lieutenant’s Nurse by Sara Ackerman
Truly enjoyed this book and once I started could not put it down reading into the wee hours of the morning! Why?
* I was reminded of a trip to Hawaii when I was sixteen. There were so many men in uniform on the beaches.
* I remember stories my father told of being there ready to deploy during WWII only to have the war end before he was sent off to fight.
* I am a nurse and considered being a nurse anesthetist.
* There are two anesthesiologists in the family. Both my father and brother respected nurses and listened to what they had to advise even though they had more “book learning” they were willing to listen to someone with hands-on experience.
* I have been through wars myself.
* I believed in the romantic element of the story
* The writing was superb
* It made me think
* I liked the characters I was meant to and disliked the ones that deserved it.
* It took me back in time…I could almost see my parents in this book for some reason
Would I read another book by this author? I definitely would!
Thank you to NetGalley and HQN-MIRA for the ARC – This is my honest review.
5 Stars
I’ve read a lot of World War II historical fiction, so I thought I’d seen it all. In The Lieutenant’s Nurse, Ackerman explores a different aspect of the war. The story takes place in Honolulu during and after the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese in December 1941. Of course I learned about the attack in school, but really enjoyed delving deeper into the details of this day and its aftermath in this evocative story.
The main character is Eva Cassidy, a nurse from Michigan who sets off on a ship to Hawaii to help the war effort. We soon learn she is escaping a past full of secrets — uncovering those secrets and how they will affect her future helps propel the story forward. When Eva meets Lieutenant Clark Spencer on the ship, they both feel an instant connection that only deepens when they cross paths again on the island.
Once Eva reaches her post, she meets the other nurses at the hospital, forming lasting bonds while they work together to care for the soldiers gravely injured in the bombings. Ackerman does a wonderful job highlighting the lushness of Hawaii and how it contrasts with the gruesome horrors of war. A beautifully written historical romance, this book also has a touch of mystery and a bit of military intrigue. Fans of World War II fiction will devour this one. And isn’t that cover gorgeous???
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced review copy.
Poignant, romantic, and incredibly absorbing!
The Lieutenant’s Nurse is an intriguing tale that sweeps you away to the shores of Hawaii in the early 1940s and immerses you into the life of Eva, a young nurse whose heart, strength and compassion are about to be tested when the Japanese unexpectedly rage war on Pearl Harbor.
The prose is eloquent and vivid. The characters are complex, resilient, genuine, and endearing. And the plot, including all the subplots, intertwine and unravel subtly into a captivating tale of life, loss, family, heartbreak, secrets, betrayal, friendship, determination, self-discovery, true love, and the harrowing effects of war.
Overall, The Lieutenant’s Nurse is an atmospheric, evocative, beautifully written novel by Ackerman that grabs you from the very first page and does an exceptional job of blending historical facts with fiction that’s both moving and wonderfully captivating.
Because I had read Sara Ackerman’s debut novel, Island of Sweet Pies and Soldiers, I continued with her second novel. Told in the dual, third-person perspectives of Eva Cassidy and Lieutenant Clark Spencer interspersed with real memos, headlines, and military communications from before, during, and after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, The Lieutenant’s Nurse is a fascinating interweaving of real and fictional events. Eva, an army nurse, comes to Hawaii carrying a secret that isn’t revealed up front. The reader must seek clues that are sparsely given relating to an incident back in Michigan that nearly ruined her life and became the reason she joined the Army Crops nursing division. Clark’s POV reveals the tragic loss of a beloved wife and their unborn child. Rich in historical details, the novel doesn’t get bogged down in too many details about the attack on Pearl Harbor. Instead, the novel focuses on Clark and Eva, and their experiences before, during, and after the attack. The characters are likeable and sympathetic, but the crossing the Pacific on the ship, the Lurline, even with its requisite shipboard romance, seems too long an introduction to the real action.
This portrayal of the attack on the Pearl Harbor kept me interested throughout. Sara Ackerman’s blend of fiction with actual events in history proved illuminating. Her characters were interesting, bold, and impactful. The romance of the story went a bit awry for me in the middle and I was surprised at the twists it took. The beginning held a forbidden, mysterious element between the two main characters that was quite good and then it tapered off losing some of that lovely romantic element. Once the characters arrived in Hawaii the romance became muddled and the chemistry between the two was lost. Despite this, the journey of this female lead was admirable and intriguing and I thoroughly enjoyed reading about the woman she is, the risks she’s willing to take, and the values in which she believes. In a terrifying time of much despair and uncertainty the bravery Ackerman portrays through her female characters is uplifting and unmatched. As strength’s are tested, Ackerman relies heavily on the fortitude of the brave nurses during this time and punctuates that bravery with one woman who refuses to be tested. For that aspect alone, the story was a winner for me. The story gets detailed and a lot of characters come and go but overall I enjoyed this piece of historical fiction.
Finding Love Through Adversity
This novel is a romance set against the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. It is a deeply emotional story that goes far beyond the romance angle. The author really captures the intensity of the moment and how good or bad, that intensity colors the memory of the moment forever. The reader should be aware that even though this book is a ‘clean’ romance, the account of the injuries suffered during the attack and the emergency patients at the hospital may be a bit graphic and gruesome for some. I loved this story. I will be making an effort to find other stories by this author to read. I received this book for free and this is my honest review.