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hkburke2's review against another edition
I like a lot about this so far, and love hearing pronunciations on the audio, but I don't think the audio format is right for me on this one.
frozensnowshoe's review against another edition
2.0
5/24/24
The author is clearly sending a message that Hawai'i should be for Hawaiians only and haole is not welcome. She makes it a point to say that she will not describe the steps in hula, as this is not a how to, and it is sacred only to those who created it.
One of the main characters, Hi'i, makes a comment to a haole that she should not be learning hula because it is for "them" only. The character is self conscious because she is mixed and light skinned so to feel superior and like she belongs she tells the white girl that hula is not for her. I do not disagree with what Hi'i says. It is just important to note that while Hi'i is made to feel like an outsider for being mixed/light skinned, she makes others even further removed from the culture feel alienated as well.
The narrating voice switches to first person when lecturing the reader about Hawai'i and its history and colonization. It paints it as we v. everyone else. It is not clear who the first person voice really is, it is none of the main characters, but rather the author or some third unknown "we."
The author tries to sound woke. Making a comment that Dole is exploiting the land and while I agree with the sentiment, the writing is cringy.
5/26
Stopped caring around page 188. Finished it and was fine.
The author is clearly sending a message that Hawai'i should be for Hawaiians only and haole is not welcome. She makes it a point to say that she will not describe the steps in hula, as this is not a how to, and it is sacred only to those who created it.
One of the main characters, Hi'i, makes a comment to a haole that she should not be learning hula because it is for "them" only. The character is self conscious because she is mixed and light skinned so to feel superior and like she belongs she tells the white girl that hula is not for her. I do not disagree with what Hi'i says. It is just important to note that while Hi'i is made to feel like an outsider for being mixed/light skinned, she makes others even further removed from the culture feel alienated as well.
The narrating voice switches to first person when lecturing the reader about Hawai'i and its history and colonization. It paints it as we v. everyone else. It is not clear who the first person voice really is, it is none of the main characters, but rather the author or some third unknown "we."
The author tries to sound woke. Making a comment that Dole is exploiting the land and while I agree with the sentiment, the writing is cringy.
5/26
Stopped caring around page 188. Finished it and was fine.
scobjob's review against another edition
The fourth-wall breaking when the main character (author?) was describing hula at the hula school was odd? I felt like I was being chastised as a reader when a non-expected statement about how this book is not comprehensive about hula and not instructional and that I shouldn’t expect that. I wasn’t expecting it to be instructional, so it seemed strange that I was being told I shouldn’t expect something I wasn’t? I don’t align with the idea of family cohesiveness as a great life goal, so it was interesting to hear an in-depth perspective about how this family ideal arises. Really enjoyed the clever interspersing of Hawaiian language so that a reader unfamiliar with the language could readily grasp the meaning of the word and feel immersed in the cultural milieu.
kimco_reads's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
mollycarter7's review against another edition
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
michaelbereading's review against another edition
informative
slow-paced
2.5
Hi'i, is proud of her family's renowned hula legacy in Hilo, Hawaii, but struggles with personal mysteries and growing community divides tied to her family's history. She hopes to honor her name and secure her place in the family by winning the Miss Aloha Hula competition. However, achieving this goal may require her to abandon her lifelong teachings and risk losing what she holds dear.
Hmmmmm..... This book just didn't really click for me. I found the plot to be quite boring, but the Hawaiian history to be interesting. Maybe it was the audio format of this that made it hard for me to follow with the plot and the characters, but I struggled to pay attention to the details of this book. It felt like maybe too many plot points were being packed in, and it jumped around a lot. I was uneducated around the specifics of the colonization of Hawaii, so I did learn quite a bit from this book when it comes to the history of Hawaiian culture and hula, but as far as the plot goes I found it forgettable. I don't think this was a bad book, I just don't think I was the right reader.
Hmmmmm..... This book just didn't really click for me. I found the plot to be quite boring, but the Hawaiian history to be interesting. Maybe it was the audio format of this that made it hard for me to follow with the plot and the characters, but I struggled to pay attention to the details of this book. It felt like maybe too many plot points were being packed in, and it jumped around a lot. I was uneducated around the specifics of the colonization of Hawaii, so I did learn quite a bit from this book when it comes to the history of Hawaiian culture and hula, but as far as the plot goes I found it forgettable. I don't think this was a bad book, I just don't think I was the right reader.
saboyer's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
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? It's complicated
5.0
eslsilver's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Colonisation
Moderate: Death, Cancer, Bullying, Domestic abuse, and Miscarriage
Minor: Death of parent