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3.99 AVERAGE
3.99 AVERAGE
Wow...what a book! I picked it up after Kauai grabbed a piece of my heart on a prior visit. Michener seemingly covers it ALL in the 1,000+ pages of Hawaii...from the formation of the islands to the late 1950's (I was a bit disappointed that he did not write about King Kamehameha...must read another book about Hawaiian royalty!). The details are overwhelming at times, so I'd say that you have to have a passion for Hawaii or historical fiction in general in order to make it through this mammoth book. But, if you do, your understanding and love of the islands and their people will run so much deeper.
I loved the first section of this book and the descriptions of the formation of the islands but once I got to the section where the missionaries are settled, I felt like I was reading the same page over and over again. I did not finish this book.
Interesting, and wide in scope, but I don't think it was as good as Alaska.
Absolut Dad-core. Als Roman bzw. als literarischer Text absolut nichts besonderes, aber als Geschichtsbuch dann vielleicht doch interessant, nur fraglich, wieviel davon wirklich Geschichte ist. Die Erzählstruktur, in der die Geschichte eines Landes in aufeinanderfolgenden Einwanderungswellen erzählt wird und unterschiedliche Generationen prominenter Familien dieser Einwanderer betrachtet werden ist ganz interessant, auch wenn die Namensgebung a la Hundert Jahre Einsamkeit hier wirklich verwirrend ist und keinen besonderen Zweck verfolgt.
Notes:
3.5 Stars
- Story segments ranged from well done to almost flippant rush of historical summaries.
- Read in 3 listening sessions broken up in about 4 days between start & finish.
- Interesting folk lore mixed with historical aspects.
- Dry interweaving of various generations. I'm not sure how much people would understand the large amount of cultural references that are used within the book. A distinctly western viewpoint on a variety of Asian culture.
- If I had read this as a kid, I would have been super engrossed in the odd mishmash of details thrown together in the jagged history of Hawaii.
3.5 Stars
- Story segments ranged from well done to almost flippant rush of historical summaries.
- Read in 3 listening sessions broken up in about 4 days between start & finish.
- Interesting folk lore mixed with historical aspects.
- Dry interweaving of various generations. I'm not sure how much people would understand the large amount of cultural references that are used within the book. A distinctly western viewpoint on a variety of Asian culture.
- If I had read this as a kid, I would have been super engrossed in the odd mishmash of details thrown together in the jagged history of Hawaii.
This book was *long*. I read it before, during, and after a trip to Hawaii, and the setting enhanced the story.
This was truly my white whale this year - taking me nearly the whole year to read. Because of that, let me go on a bit of a lengthy review here...
Hawaii is a book that has been recommended to me by my grandmother for my whole life who insists this is the best book she has ever read. Coming from someone who reads voraciously, this was a big deal. So I thought, since I had a trip to Hawaii booked this year that 2018 would be the year I tackle this monstrosity. I wanted to read it before the trip, but October came and went and Hawaii was still sitting on my bedside table.
Michener did a wonderful job encapsulating the entire history of Hawaii from the formation of the islands to modern day. Just looking at the genealogy charts at the back of the book shows the huge story he has told. It is amazing the scope of the work alone. We get to see the islands from the point of view of initial settlers, native Hawaiians, missionaries, Chinese workers and later on, Japanese workers. This all comes together to paint a picture of the societal norms and challenges Hawaii has faced through the centuries.
Wu Chow's Auntie, or Nyuk Tsin is the shining star of this book. She's the ultimate matriarch and her strong story and overall arc from the Hakka village to Hawaii was engrossing. Her family and their growing empire was such a wonderful story and how Michener kept it all straight was mind-blowing. If I had just read their story it would be a five star rating.
Unfortunately with a 1136 page book with such a large scope... there are many tangents and large sections of particular politics that lost me. Michener gets a little lost in certain details and there would be parts where I would put down the book and not feel the need to continue for a month or two.
With that said, this is a still wonderful piece of literature, is fairly easy reading, and I am so glad I read it. For me, this is so much more than a book and instead almost feels like a family tradition. When I told my grandma I was reading it she lit up and asked me if she could borrow it when I was done - so excited to revisit the characters a few decades after reading it the first time. I can't wait to talk to her more about it after she's read it again and be able to share her favourite book with her.
Hawaii is a book that has been recommended to me by my grandmother for my whole life who insists this is the best book she has ever read. Coming from someone who reads voraciously, this was a big deal. So I thought, since I had a trip to Hawaii booked this year that 2018 would be the year I tackle this monstrosity. I wanted to read it before the trip, but October came and went and Hawaii was still sitting on my bedside table.
Michener did a wonderful job encapsulating the entire history of Hawaii from the formation of the islands to modern day. Just looking at the genealogy charts at the back of the book shows the huge story he has told. It is amazing the scope of the work alone. We get to see the islands from the point of view of initial settlers, native Hawaiians, missionaries, Chinese workers and later on, Japanese workers. This all comes together to paint a picture of the societal norms and challenges Hawaii has faced through the centuries.
Wu Chow's Auntie, or Nyuk Tsin is the shining star of this book. She's the ultimate matriarch and her strong story and overall arc from the Hakka village to Hawaii was engrossing. Her family and their growing empire was such a wonderful story and how Michener kept it all straight was mind-blowing. If I had just read their story it would be a five star rating.
Unfortunately with a 1136 page book with such a large scope... there are many tangents and large sections of particular politics that lost me. Michener gets a little lost in certain details and there would be parts where I would put down the book and not feel the need to continue for a month or two.
With that said, this is a still wonderful piece of literature, is fairly easy reading, and I am so glad I read it. For me, this is so much more than a book and instead almost feels like a family tradition. When I told my grandma I was reading it she lit up and asked me if she could borrow it when I was done - so excited to revisit the characters a few decades after reading it the first time. I can't wait to talk to her more about it after she's read it again and be able to share her favourite book with her.
They should put a photo of this book in the dictionary beside the definition of epic because epic it is. Covering the history of hawaii and even the prehistory, Michener covers every aspect of what shaped the tropical islands from volcanoes to war to the myriad people who lived there. Michener humanizes his history by telling the stories of individuals and their families, their ambitions, and their reactions to the changing world. While it is a very long book, I would highly recommend it. Think of it as a series and dive in!
