Reviews

Molokaʻi by Alan Brennert

utahmomreads's review against another edition

4.0

Rachel is a happy seven year old living in Honolulu when she is diagnosed with leprosy (now known as Hansen's Disease) and sentenced to live the rest of her life in Kalaupapa, the leper colony on the island of Moloka'i. The historical novel Moloka'i, while spanning the years from the 1890's to 1970's, brings dignity and compassion to those who were quarantined to the island and separated from their families.

Moloka'i is an enchanting novel by Alan Brennert. It is the story of Rachel and her life on Moloka'i but ultimately it is a story of hope and faith. It is a heart wrenching story but the people on the island also experience laughter, love and joy.

The character development is well done. I especially appreciated the attention paid to Sister Catherine, a nun serving the people of Kalaupapa. The nuns are not the stock characters that inhabit most media, but thoughtful, tormented and realistic people with desires and dreams. The setting of the beautiful islands of Hawaii is described by one who loves it. Hawaii and its people are alive in this beautiful, stunning novel.

marikombaba's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad 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? Yes

4.25

megankateabraham's review against another edition

5.0

This is a beautifully written story of a girl who grows up in Moloka'i, the much feared leper colony of Hawaii. Her story is heartbreaking, heartwarming, terribly funny, terrifying, and full of love. The characters she interacts with are so clearly depicted and described; they could be people you've met on the street. I'm in the process of looking for Brennert's other novels - this was so well written and I can't wait to read more.

nj1960's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

This a historical fiction story of the leper colony on Molokai where individuals were incarcerated because they had leprosy  it’s beautifully told through the  eyes  of a woman who spends her life on the island and learns to make peace with her circumstances and live as fully as she can.

mbenzz's review against another edition

5.0

I specifically saved this book for when we moved to Hawaii, and we did so this the 1st of this month. I've been very busy with the move and getting the family situated, so it took me much longer than normal to get through this book, but it was such a great story.

Following Rachel on her journey from a scared 7 year old child who was separated from her family in Honolulu and sent away to Moloka'i to live with the other Lepers, to a strong young woman who comes into her own on the island, through her marriage, birth of her child and all the love, loss and heartbreak that falls in between was amazing.

I laughed and I cried reading about Rachel's life (I'll admit that I cried a bit more than laughed, but it's ok). I loved where the story went and am so glad I waited to read this. Reading it while living here on the Island (we're on Oahu) made this story come alive for me even more. I absolutely recommend this to anyone who's interested, and I plan to start Mr. Brennert's other novel 'Honolulu' shortly. After reading this, I'm definitely looking forward to it.

ewally's review against another edition

5.0

As a lover of historical fiction, this book easily made my favorites shelf and I will be recommending it to all my friends. It was so real and raw and inspiring. I also appreciated how at the end of the novel the author included a note about where he got his information and how, despite all the characters being fictional, what real accounts inspired those stories - if any. This was a very educational read and I appreciated the insight into the history of the leprosy settlement in Hawaii. I truly feel like a better person having read this book and I eagerly look forward to purchasing other books by this author.

frostap's review against another edition

3.0

Book club pick for February. The story was interesting, but I kept rewriting it in my head.

eslx32's review against another edition

3.0

Very interesting but felt too long and became challenging to read due to the length

cloudsinthecupboard's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative inspiring reflective sad 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? No

4.5

starborns's review against another edition

5.0

eagerly awaiting for a copy to fly my way because i need this on my shelf. the prose has a couple of bells and whistles, but the beating heart of rachel's story doesn't need it. i got emotional several times reading this, knowing stories are based on true human experience, and this case was much much closer to reality than it was to fiction. i'm jumbling my words but, wow, what a great read. it touched me.