Thinking of a cruise at sea or maybe the beautiful islands of Hawaii? Sara Ackerman has you covered. Her novel, The Lieutenant’s Nurse starts off on a cruise liner name Lurline where a young nurse named Eva is headed out to sea in hopes of reaching Hawaii. Unlike many other novels, The Lieutenant’s Nurse is based in a different time. Sara Ackerman has picked the Pearl Harbour bombing as the backdrop and she weaves her story in really well. I must pause for a bit before I divulge more because I would like to introduce you to the author first.
Meet The Author: Sara Ackerman
Sara Ackerman has own website called Sara Ackerman Books where she talks about herself and her books. I’ve linked to it if you want to delve deeper. Born and raised in Hawaii, you can immediately notice how well she incorporates her native knowledge into the book. In fact, she goes as far as to say that Hawaii is her inspiration. With a love for animals, you will find animals featured in all her books in some shape or form.
The Lieutenant’s Nurse
The Lieutenant’s nurse talks about a young nurse Eva with a troubled past. She boards a cruise ship named the Lurline which bound for Hawaii. While it may be a vacation for many, a holiday is far from what Eva is thinking off. In fact, she is on her way to work in Hawaii. To say that the journey is uneventful would be to lie. What with the stormy seas and the interesting passengers, Eva finds herself being more social than she intended to.
Unfortunately for Eva, she arrives in Hawaii just days before Pearl Harbour is bombed by the Japanese. Her hospital transforms from an easy going pace to one in a warzone. Eva’s past keeps haunting her at every step of the way.
One of the things that I really like about this book is the way Sara Ackerman brings in a dog as a character. Not only does the dog play a great supporting role but as a nurse myself, I am a strong believer in the therapeutic value that animals can bring to patients. Another really interesting portrayal that I liked was how she included the Japanese locals in the story. It is interesting because in today’s world it is so easy to blame a whole group of people for the actions of a few and this tendency was nicely woven into story while simultaneously hitting the nail on the head.
While the story did slow down midway as the romantic aspect of the novel kicked in, I did not mind it too much. It could also be largely because I’m not very into romantic novels though I do read them once in a while. The Lieutenant’s Nurse however was a brilliant read with humour, sadness, humanity, deception and hope. I’m definitely going to keep an eye out for other books published by Sara Ackerman.
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