Red Sky over Hawaii

By: Sara Ackerman

Narrated by: Jennifer Robideau

Length: 10 hrs and 1 min

Publisher's Summary

Inspired by real places and events of WWII, Red Sky over Hawaii immerses the listener in a time of American history full of suspicion and peril in this lush and poignant tale about the indisputable power of doing the right thing against all odds.

The attack on Pearl Harbor changes everything for Lana Hitchcock. Arriving home on the Big Island too late to reconcile with her estranged father, she is left alone to untangle the clues of his legacy, which lead to a secret property tucked away in the remote rain forest of Kilauea volcano. When the government starts taking away her neighbors as suspected sympathizers, Lana shelters two young German girls, a Japanese fisherman, and his son. As tensions escalate, they are forced into hiding - only to discover the hideaway house is not what they expected.

When a detainment camp is established nearby, Lana struggles to keep the secrets of those in her care. Trust could have dangerous consequences. As their lives weave together, Lana begins to understand the true meaning of family and how the bonds of love carry us through the worst times.

©2020 Sara Ackerman (P)2020 Harlequin Enterprises, Limited

Wonderful story

I loved the story and all the characters. It kept me glued to the end . Even so, I didn’t want it to end. Mystery, spirit, forbearance, love and goodness in a very hard time. I read this during the Covid Pandemic and angst of the presidential election 2020. The story gave pause and calm as a gift.

Great story!

I was directed to this author by a librarian friend of our family. I lived on the Big Island for 3 years and did not know any of the war history. I love how the narrator pronounced the Hawaiian words properly. I love how the author depicts the Hawaiian/local traditions.

Mesmerizing and Colorful

I am so glad I was able to experience this beautiful story and the Narrator did such an excellent job her intonation and pronunciation was excellent. I was raised on this island and being born in Hawaii I know of these beautiful places and the sense of being that is here, at home! Mahalo Nui Loa for sharing this with us Sara and Jennifer!!!

Love this book! Outstanding story!

I Really enjoyed this book. I recommend it especially for the Hawaii lover. Sarah made it seem like I was a part of the book.

Delightful

This book took me back to Hawaii and the feel and smell of the area around the volcano. She brings a new look to the time around the bombing of Pearl Harbor. It was delightful to read.

Meh

If you can get past the narration, including the cowboy from Wyoming with a New Jersey accent and the how sappy the narration made the story, it wasn't awful. Just not very good.

Red Sky over Hawaii

Plot. A woman in Hawaii finds herself as protector/caretaker to two German little girls, a Japanese old man, and a Japanese boy, in the days immediately following the attack on Pearl Harbor. Circumstances and fear of both the Japanese and Germans have forced her into the role. The story is a feel-good familial tale with a message that family is not necessarily blood ties. There is an internment camp on the islands, and Japanese citizens are interrogated relentlessly, and most are sent to this camp. Our heroine falls in love with a camp officer as she hides her wards from certain arrests, orphanages, a pedophile.

Liked. Island life, especially during wartime. The Hawaiian names and legends of local flora, fauna, and volcanos. No sex, no explicit language, a squeaky clean read. Narration is fine. Not great literature, not intended to be - just a comfortable story.

Not so hot. Bumped the speed to 1.4 - a bit slow for me.

Written by Sara Ackerman, narrated by Jennifer Robideau, 10 hours of listening in unabridged audiobook format, released in June 2020 by Harlequin Audio.

Recommended beach read.

narrator ruined lisrten

this was a sappy cliche romance more than a story about keeping german children and japanese americans safe from internment in Hawaii. The narrator was terrible, no cowboy would ever say "hawses" for horses. every time she spoke for the cowboy I cringed and wanted to stop listening. Hoped for less on her inner thoughts about his physique and her "yearnings" and wanted more on the history of the internment on this volcano island. would not recommend this to anyone...

Not the Usual Pearl Harbor Story

This book takes place in Hawaii at the time of the Japanese attack. The main character leaves Oahu to go to another island. Fate has her protecting two German girls and some Japanese fishermen on the island from the detention camps. There is some magic involved through some island honey which is never really explained (in my opinion). The book is a sweet tale of Hawaii that has the attack serve as a backdrop in the setting. It’s not a military story, but a family story.

Not Bad

This book was alright. Overall it had a pretty interesting story but there were parts in it I had a hard time enjoying...it was a bit "sappy" in places and it was in those parts where I had a hard time continuing. Much of the story was a bit unbelievable as well. However, I decided to finish it and overall I'll give it a 4 rating. I had to speed up the narrator's voice as well...she was very slow and I couldn't have finished this book unless I sped it up to at least a 1.5 speed.