Reviews with content warning for Racism - Hula

Reviews tagging 'Racism'

puttingwingsonwords's review

challenging hopeful slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Content Warnings

Is this extremely well written, a beautiful exploration on Hawaii exploitation on its people and culture, and how it effects one family through generations of women?Absolutely! I've been really enjoying it, fleshed out characters and deeply rich telling of the history of the Hawaiian Islands. However, decisions are being made and I'm not mentally or emotionally prepared for I what I predict happens-I'm just saving myself from the huge wave of second hand embarrassment, sympathy, fury and a whole lot more for what's coming. Don't think I can sit through traffic (I tend to listen to a lot of audiobooks on a commute I have) while this all goes down. Will try this book again, probably in another format.

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abby_can_read's review against another edition

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emotional informative reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

📖
I had a good time reading this book. I loved it. The different timelines and the switches are a little confusing at times, but it does make for a good overall narrative. I liked the characters and the complex relationships between them.

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roaming_reader's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

I'm not usually one that can sit through a slow-paced book, and the first 100 pages or so are very slow. But they give important context, and hook the reader enough that you want to keep going and you wan to see where the story will go. "Hula" is a multi-generational story, focusing on mother and daughter relationships and the importance and sometimes fluidity of identity. I admit that I am not well versed on Hawaiian history or culture, and I learned a lot from this book. The author decided against including a glossary of the many Hawaiian words and phrases used in the writing and I support the decision for that. She wrote that she didn't want to other the story by using a glossary, italics, or footnotes. The author also noted that she is not native Hawaiian, although she was born there and comes from a family who has been there since the 1800s. And this is reflected in the characters of the novel, especially Hi'i. The book was thoroughly researched and the story was drawn from both that research and the author's childhood and life in Hawai'i.

"Hula" is written in a really interesting way - a mix of second and third-person writing. We hear the inner monologue of the characters, but we are also told the story through the collective voice of Hilo itself. It took a minute to get used to this, but I thought that it was such a beautiful and interesting way to present the story. Hilo itself was also a character, so it needed a voice.

The only reason I did not rate this book 5 stars is because of the pacing. It starts out very slow and eventually picks up, but it was definitely challenging to get to the meat of the story. But, I will recommend it to anyone. It's beautiful.

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devynreadsnovels's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0

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silodear's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad 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? It's complicated

5.0

I loved this book. It takes place in the town I grew up in, partially during the time of my childhood. The characters were so vivid and complex. I loved the unique of the story. I felt the heartache of the characters so acutely. I loved the light dusting of magic.

Content Warnings