I’m excited to tell you about yet another new work of WWII historical fiction, The Lieutenant’s Nurse by Sara Ackerman.
Previously I have recommended lots of this genre set in Germany, Poland, England, and France, but this is the first book I’ve read since From Here to Eternity that is set in Hawaii, right before and during the bombing of Pearl Harbor.
On November 28, 1941, Eva Cassidy travels to Hawaii aboard the SS Lurline to start a post as an Army Core nurse and meet her likely fiancé who is stationed there. But when she meets the dashing Lt. Clark Spencer on the ship and learns that the United States may be closer to war than she feared, her future becomes more complicated.
Besides the setting, I appreciated this book for its portrayal of the nurses and doctors who after the shocking attack on Dec. 7 bond together to save lives. Eva has training in anesthesia and her navigating this as a woman in a time with no women doctors is part of the storyline.
This book also proposes that the attack wasn’t necessarily a surprise to everyone and that it wasn’t stopped because some wanted an excuse to enter the war with Japan. The book includes several real communications and messages that taken together provide serious clues if only in hindsight.
In the author’s note at the end, she mentioned some of her inspiration came from her grandmother who truly traveled aboard the Lurline “to meet my grandfather, whom she hardly knew at the time. On the journey, she fell for a navy officer, but to her dismay my grandfather was waiting for her on the dock and dropped down on his knee and proposed to her as soon as she disembarked. My grandmother said yes, but she never forgot that officer and talked about him throughout the years, and I’ve often wondered wished I knew his name and could go back in time and find out more.”
This story fascinated me for its implications, but as a quote late in the book says, “Life is full of reasons, most which will only reveal themselves miles down the road.”
This was an enjoyable read in a new setting (for me) and I recommend it for readers who enjoy this genre. It also made me want to re-read From Here To Eternity; its final scene remains with me always.