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book_concierge's review against another edition
1.0
ZERO stars
Hoalohanani “Nani” Johnson is *not* Hawaiian. She was born in Kansas to parents of Irish and German descent, but her mother has always had a fascination for Hawaii, hence her only daughter’s name. After her father died, Nani and her mother moved to Kauai, where Nani, who trained at Julliard, teaches ukulele and struggles to get performance gigs. But the three ukulele professionals already in place are all Hawaiian and do not welcome any competition from a haole. When one of them is murdered, suspicion turns to Nani.
This is just bad. The writing is hackneyed, the dialogue is tortured, the plot is ridiculous, and none of the characters is believable … well maybe Pastor Dan, who dresses as Elvis to perform weddings in the Blue Hawaii Wedding Chapel, is believable. I was particularly irritated by Nani’s internal dialogue, and all the animal similes (e.g. “like a rabid hyena” or “bug-eyed iguana”).
Even worse, in my opinion, is the lame attempt at humor in re Nani’s mother’s alcoholism. Alcoholism is *never* funny. It’s a disease that hurts not only the person suffering from it, but everyone around him/her. Making light of the number of mai tais or running out of rum or passing out is just plain not funny. Shame on Langtry for even trying to make it so.
Ah, well … it was a fast read and satisfied several challenges … but I’ll never get that time back.
Hoalohanani “Nani” Johnson is *not* Hawaiian. She was born in Kansas to parents of Irish and German descent, but her mother has always had a fascination for Hawaii, hence her only daughter’s name. After her father died, Nani and her mother moved to Kauai, where Nani, who trained at Julliard, teaches ukulele and struggles to get performance gigs. But the three ukulele professionals already in place are all Hawaiian and do not welcome any competition from a haole. When one of them is murdered, suspicion turns to Nani.
This is just bad. The writing is hackneyed, the dialogue is tortured, the plot is ridiculous, and none of the characters is believable … well maybe Pastor Dan, who dresses as Elvis to perform weddings in the Blue Hawaii Wedding Chapel, is believable. I was particularly irritated by Nani’s internal dialogue, and all the animal similes (e.g. “like a rabid hyena” or “bug-eyed iguana”).
Even worse, in my opinion, is the lame attempt at humor in re Nani’s mother’s alcoholism. Alcoholism is *never* funny. It’s a disease that hurts not only the person suffering from it, but everyone around him/her. Making light of the number of mai tais or running out of rum or passing out is just plain not funny. Shame on Langtry for even trying to make it so.
Ah, well … it was a fast read and satisfied several challenges … but I’ll never get that time back.
ardentsilver's review
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
1.0
You either have to read this as a slap stick comedy or be overwhelmed at how insulting the writing is to the subject matter.
xxmoonlitsky's review
adventurous
mysterious
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
aade6705's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
3.5
mbbb72's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
gasoline_allie's review against another edition
3.0
The who-dun-it was too obvious, but I still enjoyed the mystery, the characters, and the setting.
ash2015's review
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
verityw's review
2.0
I’ve enjoyed some of Leslie Langtry’s other books but this has a too stupid to leave heroine and an annoying and foolhardy love interest and manages to make Hawaii seem like a quite annoying place to live. Astonishing.
rita_reads_cda's review
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.25
jresendez610's review against another edition
2.0
I'm not sure what to say about this one. There was so much that just didn't work for me. But I will give the series another shot because each book is written by a different author.
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