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roxalyn's review against another edition
2.0
I enjoyed the parts describing the horrors of WW2 or Hawaiian history. But for everything else, the language was way too flowery and melodramatic.
hilaryreadsbooks's review against another edition
4.0
I’ve loved every book I’ve read by Kiana Davenport so far, and SONG OF THE EXILE was no exception. While grounded in the journey of Keo, a handsome jazz musician (known as Hula Man) hopelessly in love with a Hawaiian-Korean woman named Sunny, SONG OF EXILE stretches into the minds of all around him, forming a web of interconnections: a Japanese military man escaping the crimes of his past; Keo’s sister, whose dreams are too big for how small she believes her world to be; other members of his Hawaiian community in the years before statehood; and Sunny, brave brave Sunny, who escapes her abusive household in search for her abandoned sister. In the pursuit of jazz, and then later, of Sunny, Keo travels from a jazz-hungry mainland, to a Paris caving under the terror of the Nazis, to a Shanghai collapsing under the squalid conditions of colonialism and then the Japanese invasion. He is brought to the cusp of death; he is the witness and victim of unspeakable violence (and yet we must speak of it to remember and learn from—Davenport’s paragraphs and paragraphs on the horrors of war sometimes crescendo past the point of saturation). His jazz barely keeps him alive as he desperately searches for Sunny, his own music sometimes turning against him as he plays for his oppressors, tainting a music whose soul is rooted in resistance and freedom. Meanwhile, letters from home tell of Pearl Harbor and the increasing anti-Japanese sentiment, as the move towards statehood activates Hawaiian resistance. And all the while, not knowing that the woman he seeks to find has become a sex slave for Japanese soldiers, taken over and over again, and later, again and again by her so-called liberators.
Davenport’s books are always grounded in solidarity across oppressions, histories, and resistance. Here, Hawaiian independence movements tie in with Black resistance in the mainland, as well as international anti-imperialism and anti-fascist movements. Expansive and moving and poetic--for lovers of Isabel Allende, Toni Morrison, and Caro De Robertis.
Davenport’s books are always grounded in solidarity across oppressions, histories, and resistance. Here, Hawaiian independence movements tie in with Black resistance in the mainland, as well as international anti-imperialism and anti-fascist movements. Expansive and moving and poetic--for lovers of Isabel Allende, Toni Morrison, and Caro De Robertis.
hiltzmoore's review against another edition
4.0
This was one of the most intense historical fiction books I've ever read. I had never heard of the "comfort girls" in the Pacific during WWII and was horrified to hear of their plight. The writing was lyrical and beautiful and I found that I took much longer to read this simply to delight in the words. I always FEEL Hawaii in Davenport's writing and I think that's a true gift as well as an honor to her homeland.
mariacinaz's review against another edition
5.0
Beautiful and tragic, a harrowing tale of lives in Hawaii in the years leading up to and during WWII.
isabelmacomber's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
lilo_si's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Antisemitism, Sexual violence, Murder, War, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Drug use, Rape, Death of parent, Blood, Trafficking, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Medical content, and Child death
aiidaa's review against another edition
2.0
DNF for now. I can feel this book putting me in a slump. I was really excited to read it, I really wanted a historical fiction that would teach me some history of Hawaii (I was at least expecting some on WWII and becoming a US state), however I'm on page 133/355 and so far I haven't gotten anything new about Hawaii or its history. 90% of what I've read is about jazz, 5% romance and 5% war. Granted, the writing is beautiful but I just can't take anymore reading about jazz. Maybe because I don't play any instruments or I don't really listen to jazz, but after 10 pages of reading about this I'm very over it. I do plan to pick it up again since I'v heard part 2 gets better so fingers crossed, but at this point I only pick this up out of wanting to get to the good stuff and not because I'm excited about it.
barnstormingbooks's review against another edition
5.0
This is a book that is hard to describe. The story line was from Davenport’s childhood, told to her about a local Hawai’ian musician who lost his love in the war. The epic is all Davenport’s creation. Meticulously researched from both records and by winning the trust of survivors, the historical details are brutal in their honesty. There is also a magic to this book that feels authentically native Hawai’ian, adding to each of the proven facts.
Set in a changing world (and moving around the globe) this sweeping epic is undeniable and devastating. Set between the buildup to World War II through the creation of Hawaii as a state all told through the eyes of an extended native Hawai’ian family. The politics and prejudices are palpable and illuminating. The music is visceral. The characters are told with a loving poetry that draws out love even in moments of brutality.
The depictions of violence and war are harrowing. Davenport was clear with her intention here. She decided to use survivor accounts and stories as close to verbatim as she could as she within the confines of her story. Allowing accounts of extreme violence to be heard without publicizing the victims. This story of war is of bombs and horrific violence by men on men and by men on communities. However, at the center is violence against women. The Chongshindae (women kidnapped, enslaved, raped, brutalized, tortured, starved and often murdered by Japanese military) story line was so graphic and honest I became nauseous as I read it. There is a deep love for the women of Hawaii, but there is forced happy ending. Just a coming to terms, and a bit of revenge that is more satisfying then I want to admit.
Overall, this is a book and stories that need to be heard. However, check your trigger warnings and look at where you place it in your stack. After finishing I had to rearrange all my reading plans as I unpacked this experience.
Set in a changing world (and moving around the globe) this sweeping epic is undeniable and devastating. Set between the buildup to World War II through the creation of Hawaii as a state all told through the eyes of an extended native Hawai’ian family. The politics and prejudices are palpable and illuminating. The music is visceral. The characters are told with a loving poetry that draws out love even in moments of brutality.
The depictions of violence and war are harrowing. Davenport was clear with her intention here. She decided to use survivor accounts and stories as close to verbatim as she could as she within the confines of her story. Allowing accounts of extreme violence to be heard without publicizing the victims. This story of war is of bombs and horrific violence by men on men and by men on communities. However, at the center is violence against women. The Chongshindae (women kidnapped, enslaved, raped, brutalized, tortured, starved and often murdered by Japanese military) story line was so graphic and honest I became nauseous as I read it. There is a deep love for the women of Hawaii, but there is forced happy ending. Just a coming to terms, and a bit of revenge that is more satisfying then I want to admit.
Overall, this is a book and stories that need to be heard. However, check your trigger warnings and look at where you place it in your stack. After finishing I had to rearrange all my reading plans as I unpacked this experience.