A dramatic saga of motherhood, loss and the possibility of renewal...With a sensitive touch and an instinct for authenticity, Ackerman depicts the fraught nature of wartime relationships...mixes romance, suspense and history into a bittersweet story of cinematic proportions.' – Bookpage
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Hawaii, 1944. The Pacific battles of World War II continue to threaten American soil, and on the home front, the bonds of friendship and the strength of love are tested.
Violet Iverson and her young daughter, Ella, are piecing their lives together one year after the disappearance of her husband. As rumors swirl and questions about his loyalties surface, Violet believes Ella knows something. But Ella is stubbornly silent. Something—or someone—has scared her. And with the island overrun by troops training for a secret mission, tension and suspicion between neighbors is rising. Violet bands together with her close friends to get through the difficult days. To support themselves, they open a pie stand near the military base, offering the soldiers a little homemade comfort. Try as she might, Violet can’t ignore her attraction to the brash marine who comes to her aid when the women are accused of spying. Desperate to discover the truth behind what happened to her husband, while keeping her friends and daughter safe, Violet is torn by guilt, fear and longing as she faces losing everything. Again. Over 50,000 Marines, and mascot Roscoe the lion, lived at Camp Tarawa on the Big Island before sailing off to Iwo Jima and Saipan, two of the bloodiest battles in the Pacific. My grandfather was the school principal in nearby Honoka'a during the war and my grandmother was a teacher. Even forty years later, the war and the soldiers were always on their minds. Simply put, 'Island of Sweet Pies and Soldiers' is a great novel...It tells of a time and place most of us know nothing about and keeps us entertained. BEHIND THE SCENES
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