ABL Review At-A-Glance
Ø Title: The Lieutenant’s Nurse
Ø My Rating: 4.5
Ø Genre: Historical Fiction, Romance
Ø Author:
Sara Ackerman
Sara Ackerman
Ø Format:
Paperback ARC*
Paperback ARC*
Ø Publication Date: March 5, 2019
Compare To:
Goodreads Synopsis
November, 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, Eva is stunned by the splendor she experiences aboard the
steamship SS Lurline; even more so by Lt. Clark Spencer, a man to whom she is
drawn but who clearly has secrets of his own.
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, Eva is stunned by the splendor she experiences aboard the
steamship SS Lurline; even more so by Lt. Clark Spencer, a man to whom she is
drawn but who clearly has secrets of his own.
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.
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 her 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.
and her fellow nurses band together for the immense duty of keeping the
American wounded alive. And the danger that finds her 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.
My Thoughts…
If you follow my reviews, you already know know how I feel about historical fiction. If not, let me explain… I love it. That’s not to say that I don’t love other genres, because I do, and I read a plethora of books on a wide ranging amount of topics. But I do have a tendency to be drawn to historical fiction, especially, WWII historical fiction.
So, it really comes as no surprise to me that I liked this book. Here we have a heroine with a secret past and a hero with a secret present. Ooohhh…intrigue. Eva is running away from terrible circumstances to what she thinks is a paradise. Along her journey to Hawaii, fate intervenes to bring another man and more problems into her complicated situation. Then disaster strikes.
Pearl Harbor is an ofter studied tragedy for many reasons, one of which is its preventability. Much like the Titanic, there were so many mistakes and unfortunate coincidences taking place, all culminating in a perfect setting for a catastrophe. The Lieutenant’s Nurse explored all of these possibilities through its fictional narrative, while weaving real military surveillance and communications into the story. Thus, grounding a fictional tale in actual events and settings.
The characters were wonderfully diverse and seemed accurate to me, though admittedly, my second hand knowledge of people during this time period is limited. Sara Ackerman did not shy away from difficult topics such as sexism and racism in the military and medical profession.
My only slight grievance with the book, was the ending. I didn’t fully believe the surprise conspiracy plot. There is a fringe conspiracy theory that the parts United State Government allowed the attack on Pearl Harbor, even though they had previous knowledge of it, in order to force America’s entry into WWII. While this theory persists, it has been investigated multiple times as recently as 1995, and I have a hard time believing it. However, it was extremely clever of the author to use this in an almost murder mystery capacity allowing the story and book to set itself apart from other works in the genre.
Overall, this was a really good story set a turbulent paradise.
So, it really comes as no surprise to me that I liked this book. Here we have a heroine with a secret past and a hero with a secret present. Ooohhh…intrigue. Eva is running away from terrible circumstances to what she thinks is a paradise. Along her journey to Hawaii, fate intervenes to bring another man and more problems into her complicated situation. Then disaster strikes.
Pearl Harbor is an ofter studied tragedy for many reasons, one of which is its preventability. Much like the Titanic, there were so many mistakes and unfortunate coincidences taking place, all culminating in a perfect setting for a catastrophe. The Lieutenant’s Nurse explored all of these possibilities through its fictional narrative, while weaving real military surveillance and communications into the story. Thus, grounding a fictional tale in actual events and settings.
The characters were wonderfully diverse and seemed accurate to me, though admittedly, my second hand knowledge of people during this time period is limited. Sara Ackerman did not shy away from difficult topics such as sexism and racism in the military and medical profession.
My only slight grievance with the book, was the ending. I didn’t fully believe the surprise conspiracy plot. There is a fringe conspiracy theory that the parts United State Government allowed the attack on Pearl Harbor, even though they had previous knowledge of it, in order to force America’s entry into WWII. While this theory persists, it has been investigated multiple times as recently as 1995, and I have a hard time believing it. However, it was extremely clever of the author to use this in an almost murder mystery capacity allowing the story and book to set itself apart from other works in the genre.
Overall, this was a really good story set a turbulent paradise.
* Special thanks to Sara
Ackerman, Mira Books, and TLC Book Tours for providing a copy of The Lieutenant’s
Nurse in exchange for an
honest review.
Ackerman, Mira Books, and TLC Book Tours for providing a copy of The Lieutenant’s
Nurse in exchange for an
honest review.
I love that you have this compared to The Nightingale, that's been mentioned on a few tours. Thank you for being on this tour, I'm so glad you enjoyed it!
Sara @ TLC Book Tours