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4.0 AVERAGE
4.0 AVERAGE
It took me way longer than expected to get through this novel, only because of life events. This was an intriguing, brilliant piece of literature that brought science, history and fiction all together. The first fifty or so pages include no people or really any thing other than lava. The next pages envelope you into a story I wish I had known before moving to and falling in love with the islands in 2009. Beyond excellent, cannot wait to read more by James!
Wonderfully written and beautifully told with a moving and powerful story. A brilliant epic.
This was my first Michener book, and although I found the history to be fascinating, I almost gave up on it a couple of times. It took me almost 3 months to read!
Really glad that I got through it, but it was a little bit like running a marathon. I have a much better understanding of and appreciation for Hawaii's story and how the wonderful cultural diversity developed.
This book found me as I perused a used bookstore looking for something else. This epic saga begins as the islands are being formed then tells the story of the Bora Borans who first settled the islands. The chapters are long and each tells the story of how the Hawaiian Islands became a cultural melting pot of Protestant Missionaries, Chinese, and Japanese, among other groups of people. Other ethnicities are mentioned, but the focus is on these 3 groups. There are several characters who became my favorites, Jerusha Hale who loves the Hawaiians for who they are despite the views of her dogmatic narrow minded missionary husband, Malala Kanakoa the matriarch and leader of the native Hawaiians, Char Nyuk Tsin who becomes a “kakoa” and cares for the lepers on Molokai, and Sakagawa the fierce Japanese patriarch who raises 5 children 4 of which fight for the right to risk their lives in battle for the US after Pearl Harbor is bombed. This is a monster of a book at 1095 pages but it was worth the time. This was my first James A. Michener but won’t be the last.
This is a loooong book!! I feel like I would have enjoyed this more had it been written as a series rather than one complete novel. Additionally, so many characters have the same name or similar names to other characters in the book, especially as we get near the end with all the Hales and Whipples, etc. This made it hard to keep the characters straight at times.
Other than those gripes, it was an interesting book. I’m curious how much of it is based on history. The author was very detailed in the description of both the accomplishments and faults of the various groups of people who contributed to Hawaii’s development.
Other than those gripes, it was an interesting book. I’m curious how much of it is based on history. The author was very detailed in the description of both the accomplishments and faults of the various groups of people who contributed to Hawaii’s development.
At over 50 hours, this might be the longest audiobook I’ve ever listened to, and while normally such a long book would overwhelm me before I ever started it, this one truly had me enthralled and captivated for the majority of the time I listened to it.
If you enjoy historical fiction, adventure stories, and folklore, I highly recommend you check this book out. I will definitely be looking into the author’s other books with similar historical accounts of other places in the world.
If you enjoy historical fiction, adventure stories, and folklore, I highly recommend you check this book out. I will definitely be looking into the author’s other books with similar historical accounts of other places in the world.
maybe it's formulaic (and not even entirely accurate? - idk), but it weaves an enchanting story of the different peoples who came together to create Hawaii
adventurous
challenging
informative
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
I'd forgotten I read this many years ago and thoroughly enjoyed it....