Honolulu by Alan Brennert

While I would certainly have never passed up a trip to Hawaii, to be perfectly honest I never had any huge desire to go. I mean, it's a long flight for starters. Second, it's expensive! And third, why go there when I can get a tropical paradise a lot closer in the Caribbean?

But then Alan Brennert and his books came into my life, and now Hawaii has jumped a few places on my "must see" list. His writing is so beautiful, and the scenes he describes are so unique and incredible that I can't help but to want to hop the first plane across the Pacific and see these islands with my own eyes.

Honolulu is the story of Regret, a Korean girl in the early 20th Century whose biggest desire is to get an education. Knowing that her chances of fulfillment are slim in Korea, she signs up as a picture bride for a prosperous Korean man living in Hawaii and travels to the remote islands in search of a better life. But what greets Regret in Hawaii is a violent husband with little money and a habit of drinking away what money he does receive. But from this unfortunate situation, Regret renames herself Jin (Gem in Korean) and along with her fellow picture brides, not only manages to survive this new land of Hawaii but also thrive.

I will admit that Moloka'i will probably forever hold a place in my heart as my favorite Brennert novel. However, that doesn't mean Honolulu was any less amazing. The story was unique and intriguing, and watching Regret transform into Jin was an amazing experience. As with his previous novel, this one also is a beautiful tapestry of fiction and nonfiction, each piece of the puzzle perfectly fitting into the bigger picture and creating something incredible.

Because I love historical novels that so seamlessly blend fact and fiction, I wanted to include some photos of real life people who readers run into in this book. It's always a wonderful treat for me when I finish a book and I can hop online and see what these people really looked like.

Chang Apana



















Joe Kahahawai


















W. Somerset Maugham (and the real "Sadie Thompson")





















Queen Liliuokalani

In My Mailbox

I'm a day late on this post, but I blame it on Daylight Savings Time! In fact, I'm blaming everything on DST today because I can. It's a great scapegoat.

Anyway, In My Mailbox is a feature started on The Story Siren. Here, I will chronicle the books I picked up from the library, bought, etc. this week:

1. Honolulu by Alan Brennert. Since I adored Moloka'i, I figured I'd give this one a try. Review to follow today or tomorrow. (Library)

2. Working at the Ballpark by Tom Jones. I actually just stumbled upon this one while looking for a different book about baseball at the library. I flipped it open, and was eyeballing the table of contents when I saw a name of an old friend in there! So I checked it out, read the portion about said old friend, and promptly returned it. (Library)

3. Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins. I've heard amazing things about this new author, and I can't wait to finish reading this book! (Bookstore purchase)

What I'm waiting on: My prize from a Twitter contest hosted by Maggie Stiefvater. Will post info when I get it in the mail (maybe today?).

Moloka'i by Alan Brennert

Check it out! This is first non-YA (or children's, in the case of City of Ember and Voyage on the Great Titanic) book I've read in 2010! I really enjoy reading Young Adult books, but sometimes it's fun to jump into a heavier book like Moloka'i.

Moloka'i is the story of Rachel Kalama, a six-year-old Hawaiian girl living in Honolulu in the late 1800's. When a leprous spot appears on Rachel's leg, her world is turned upside down and she is separated from her family and sent to live in the leper colony Kalaupapa on the island of Moloka'i. Despite her lifelong confinement to this island, Rachel's life is a full one, complete with all the ups and downs of human existence.

The only regret I have about this book is that I did not read it sooner. I've been meaning to read it for a long time now, and I even bought it a few months ago when I saw it on the shelf of a local Waldenbooks that was closing. I knew it would be something up my alley since I'm a big historical fiction fan, and yet other books just kept popping up between it and me. It's a real shame though because this is a wonderful book.

I do not know a lot about the history of Hawaii, and I also knew very little about leper colonies other than the fact that they did exist. I've also never visited Hawaii, so I was rather blind going into this novel. Honestly though, Brennert is such a wonderful storyteller that I didn't need photos or personal experience or anything to really feel as though I was immersed in the story and setting. He's just that good. Something else I loved was the intermingling of fictional characters with people who really existed. While I was reading this book I did end up doing some hunting on Wikipedia (a common practice when I read great historical fiction) and learned about some of the facts of the leper colony on Moloka'i. It amazed me how well integrated these facts were, and I have to applaud Brennert for making it so seamless that he was able to create a compelling tapestry from these threads of truth.

If I had to complain about anything about this book, I would probably say the ending. The last one-fourth of the book felt a bit rushed, but it wasn't anything crazy because quite frankly things were wrapping themselves up. Overall, I really loved it. This book is proof that despite great heartache people can find great happiness too.