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3.99 AVERAGE
3.99 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
informative
inspiring
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
What a fantastic journey. A long journey, for sure, but so completely worth it. Hawaii is a strange place.
Being a person who normally reads mostly sci-fi and fantasy, I'm feeling weirdly proud to have finished this monster, something so far removed from my usual fare. It will surely open up a lot of new reading avenues for me.
If anyone has a suggestion as to what my next Michener should be, please let me know!
Being a person who normally reads mostly sci-fi and fantasy, I'm feeling weirdly proud to have finished this monster, something so far removed from my usual fare. It will surely open up a lot of new reading avenues for me.
If anyone has a suggestion as to what my next Michener should be, please let me know!
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really enjoyed this book. It took me a while to read (it's long - and I'm a mom) but I think I've gained a whole new perspective on Hawaii and on American history in general. I am looking forward to reading more of James A. Michener's books.
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is truly a mammoth book that covers the history of Hawaii from the formation of the islands (yup, literally) to just before Hawaii acquired statehood in the 50's. For the most part, I enjoyed the book a lot and feel like I learned some interesting information about the history of the islands (although my understanding is the book portrays certain events inaccurately). At the same time, when any author takes on a project this ambitious, I feel like there are bound to be some problems.
One of my favorite parts of Michener's writing is that he creates a fairly complicated cast of characters. Most of the people in this book are both flawed and likable, and I think Michener made a strong effort to keep his characters human as opposed to two-dimensional cut-out figures that represent some cultural stereotype. I also think Michener made an effort to explore the moral complexities of imperialism in the islands without either completely glorifying or villifying any one group of people. At the same time, I felt uncomfortable with his conclusion that the only hope for the survival of native Hawaiian peoples is through intermarriage with Asian people on the islands and wished that he had either developed the character of Kelly Kanakoa better or created a different last Hawaiian character.
As anyone who has read multiple book reviews by me can probably guess, I also had some issues with Michener's treatment of women in the book. There is a tremendous amount of violence against women, coercion, and rape in these books that the women characters take as a matter of course. While my guess is that much of Michener's portrayal of the treatment of women is historically accurate, I would have loved it if he could have more deeply explored their conflicts about being abused and limited in their opportunities. In addition, I think the women characters are generally less well developed than the male characters, with the notable exceptions of Malama Kanakoa, Char Nyuk Tsin (who is one of my favorite characters ever), and Jerusha Bromley.
As other reviewers have probably mentioned, this book is also just incredibly long. I did stay engaged through the end, but I do agree with others that Michener could probably have cut this story down by about 300 pages. It also felt like he lost a bit of steam by the time we got to the Golden Men section, and that the characters started to feel flatter and less interesting by the end of the book. This is also a book one would read for plot instead of writing. Michener has a straightforward, functional prose that gets you from page to page and plot point to plot point but doesn't do much more than that.
Overall, however, I think this is a book that is worth reading, particularly for people who enjoy epics and historical fiction. I'm not sure if it will end up becoming a classic, but I'm guessing it was pretty revolutionary for the 50's in terms of its complex portrayal of people of color and at least some women characters. It's also a fun read if you're willing to invest a chunk of time in it.
One of my favorite parts of Michener's writing is that he creates a fairly complicated cast of characters. Most of the people in this book are both flawed and likable, and I think Michener made a strong effort to keep his characters human as opposed to two-dimensional cut-out figures that represent some cultural stereotype. I also think Michener made an effort to explore the moral complexities of imperialism in the islands without either completely glorifying or villifying any one group of people. At the same time, I felt uncomfortable with his conclusion that the only hope for the survival of native Hawaiian peoples is through intermarriage with Asian people on the islands and wished that he had either developed the character of Kelly Kanakoa better or created a different last Hawaiian character.
As anyone who has read multiple book reviews by me can probably guess, I also had some issues with Michener's treatment of women in the book. There is a tremendous amount of violence against women, coercion, and rape in these books that the women characters take as a matter of course. While my guess is that much of Michener's portrayal of the treatment of women is historically accurate, I would have loved it if he could have more deeply explored their conflicts about being abused and limited in their opportunities. In addition, I think the women characters are generally less well developed than the male characters, with the notable exceptions of Malama Kanakoa, Char Nyuk Tsin (who is one of my favorite characters ever), and Jerusha Bromley.
As other reviewers have probably mentioned, this book is also just incredibly long. I did stay engaged through the end, but I do agree with others that Michener could probably have cut this story down by about 300 pages. It also felt like he lost a bit of steam by the time we got to the Golden Men section, and that the characters started to feel flatter and less interesting by the end of the book. This is also a book one would read for plot instead of writing. Michener has a straightforward, functional prose that gets you from page to page and plot point to plot point but doesn't do much more than that.
Overall, however, I think this is a book that is worth reading, particularly for people who enjoy epics and historical fiction. I'm not sure if it will end up becoming a classic, but I'm guessing it was pretty revolutionary for the 50's in terms of its complex portrayal of people of color and at least some women characters. It's also a fun read if you're willing to invest a chunk of time in it.
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
informative
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I appreciated all that this book taught me about the complex history of Hawaii. I think I read it in the right point in my life where it didn't bother me that it was conveyed in an almost nonfictional way.
The plot of this book is not really exciting but it is panoramic. That means it tells a lot but the writing style is not beautiful. The characters are therefore not at the forefront.
I wouldn't recommend this book to most people! I have a feeling it would be best received by people above 40 years old, or older, who were raised in a less fast-paced way.
The plot of this book is not really exciting but it is panoramic. That means it tells a lot but the writing style is not beautiful. The characters are therefore not at the forefront.
I wouldn't recommend this book to most people! I have a feeling it would be best received by people above 40 years old, or older, who were raised in a less fast-paced way.