Honolulu
3 journalers for this copy...
Got this at Half Price Books today. I really enjoyed "Moloka'i" by the same author, so wanted to read this one as well.
From The Washington Post
(From The Washington Post's Book World/washingtonpost.com Reviewed by Krista Walton)
In America's collective consciousness, Hawaii is largely idealized, a modern-day Eden dotted with palm trees, cloudless skies -- a vacation destination and little else. But beyond the Aloha State's tropical climate and white-sand beaches lies unrivaled cultural complexity, a rich and sometimes dark history that is frequently whitewashed by the islands' blindingly paradisiacal qualities. Alan Brennert's "Honolulu" redirects our attention to Hawaii's oft-overlooked background through the story of Jin, a young woman who immigrates to Oahu early in the 20th century.
Born to a conservative family in Korea, Jin is reared in a culture where women were largely isolated from the greater community, forbidden to attend school and considered "merely vessels by which to provide society with an uninterrupted supply of men." (Her given name is Regret, a moniker that reflects how her parents felt about the birth of a daughter.) At 16, yearning for freedom and education, Jin auctions herself off as a "picture bride" to a supposedly handsome, well-to-do man who will pay for her to come live with him in Hawaii. Jin has barely traveled outside her village, but Hawaii, she's assured, is "a tropical paradise, where food grows so abundantly that if one is hungry, all one needs to do is reach up and pick something off a tree to eat." Instead, Jin arrives in Oahu to marry an alcoholic who works long hours on a sugar cane plantation, gambles away his nominal wages and beats her. Desperate and terrified, she flees to downtown Honolulu. There, as the city around her develops from a provincial boom town to a cosmopolitan capital, she meets unlikely friends and fellow immigrants. With their help and her inherent resourcefulness, Jin grows into an independent, prosperous woman living a tropical version of the American dream.
To its core, "Honolulu" is meticulously researched. (Brennert's previous novel, "Moloka'i," also depicted a precocious heroine in Old Hawaii.) He intersperses cultural details -- song lyrics, movies, popular books from the era -- that add textured authenticity, and he incorporates major historic events, such as the Japanese annexation of Korea in 1910 and the Oriental Exclusion Act of 1924. Most dramatically, Brennert uses characters from the Massie trial, a 1932 criminal case in which a white woman was charged with murdering a young Hawaiian boy who had been accused of raping the woman's daughter. As it did in history, the trial divides the characters in "Honolulu" along racial lines and lays bare the resentment between locals and haoles (the white colonial overclass).
In many respects, Jin's story is prototypical, the bildungsroman of an aspiring woman, yearning for a life beyond the one society has prescribed. (Jin Eyre, anyone?) But in mooring this familiar character to the unique history of early-20th-century Hawaii, Brennert portrays the Aloha State's history as complicated and dynamic -- not simply a melting pot, but a Hawaiian-style "mixed plate" in which, as Jin sagely notes, "many different tastes share the plate, but none of them loses its individual flavor, and together they make up a uniquely 'local' cuisine."
From The Washington Post
(From The Washington Post's Book World/washingtonpost.com Reviewed by Krista Walton)
In America's collective consciousness, Hawaii is largely idealized, a modern-day Eden dotted with palm trees, cloudless skies -- a vacation destination and little else. But beyond the Aloha State's tropical climate and white-sand beaches lies unrivaled cultural complexity, a rich and sometimes dark history that is frequently whitewashed by the islands' blindingly paradisiacal qualities. Alan Brennert's "Honolulu" redirects our attention to Hawaii's oft-overlooked background through the story of Jin, a young woman who immigrates to Oahu early in the 20th century.
Born to a conservative family in Korea, Jin is reared in a culture where women were largely isolated from the greater community, forbidden to attend school and considered "merely vessels by which to provide society with an uninterrupted supply of men." (Her given name is Regret, a moniker that reflects how her parents felt about the birth of a daughter.) At 16, yearning for freedom and education, Jin auctions herself off as a "picture bride" to a supposedly handsome, well-to-do man who will pay for her to come live with him in Hawaii. Jin has barely traveled outside her village, but Hawaii, she's assured, is "a tropical paradise, where food grows so abundantly that if one is hungry, all one needs to do is reach up and pick something off a tree to eat." Instead, Jin arrives in Oahu to marry an alcoholic who works long hours on a sugar cane plantation, gambles away his nominal wages and beats her. Desperate and terrified, she flees to downtown Honolulu. There, as the city around her develops from a provincial boom town to a cosmopolitan capital, she meets unlikely friends and fellow immigrants. With their help and her inherent resourcefulness, Jin grows into an independent, prosperous woman living a tropical version of the American dream.
To its core, "Honolulu" is meticulously researched. (Brennert's previous novel, "Moloka'i," also depicted a precocious heroine in Old Hawaii.) He intersperses cultural details -- song lyrics, movies, popular books from the era -- that add textured authenticity, and he incorporates major historic events, such as the Japanese annexation of Korea in 1910 and the Oriental Exclusion Act of 1924. Most dramatically, Brennert uses characters from the Massie trial, a 1932 criminal case in which a white woman was charged with murdering a young Hawaiian boy who had been accused of raping the woman's daughter. As it did in history, the trial divides the characters in "Honolulu" along racial lines and lays bare the resentment between locals and haoles (the white colonial overclass).
In many respects, Jin's story is prototypical, the bildungsroman of an aspiring woman, yearning for a life beyond the one society has prescribed. (Jin Eyre, anyone?) But in mooring this familiar character to the unique history of early-20th-century Hawaii, Brennert portrays the Aloha State's history as complicated and dynamic -- not simply a melting pot, but a Hawaiian-style "mixed plate" in which, as Jin sagely notes, "many different tastes share the plate, but none of them loses its individual flavor, and together they make up a uniquely 'local' cuisine."
I loaned my copy of Moloka'i to my Mom, and she enjoyed it -- so sending this one to her to read first, since I have a huge mountain of books to read :)
Journal Entry 3 by BethanieKay at ~~~ ♥ ~~~ A Friend ~~~ ♥ ~~~, -- By post or by hand/ in person -- USA on Monday, June 21, 2010
Released 13 yrs ago (6/21/2010 UTC) at ~~~ ♥ ~~~ A Friend ~~~ ♥ ~~~, -- By post or by hand/ in person -- USA
CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:
Sending this to my Mommy!
Received this back from my Mom -- she said she enjoyed it very much. So, now it goes back on my TBR!
Thanks for the loaner. Will get back to you promptly (HA!)
Another interesting and very readable slice of historical fiction from Alan Brennert -- author of Moloka'i, which was an amazing account of the Hawai'ian leprosy colonies. This one is about Korean picture brides and life on O'ahu in the first half of the 20th century. The amount of research that went into writing this had to be staggering, but you don't notice it as our heroine simply lives through the historical events with the historical characters as acquaintances and friends. Brennert writes a convincing female voice, but he may benefit from the fact that his heroines come from a more repressed time and culture. Regardless, he has a smooth method of story-telling that covers a lot of ground without getting bogged down = Thumbs up!
Back on my shelf again. I'll have to read this before giving it to my Mom, as she wants to then loan it to one of her friends (who might keep it a long time before returning to me).
I wasn't really sure what to expect with this 'historical fiction' -- but although a staggering amount of research and planning must have gone into this book, it truly reads like the fictional story it is. It's possible that more of it is historical than I even realize, as there are so many details about things that I probably didn't even realize were 'real' as I was reading it; such as the clothing, music, language, customs, architecture, neighborhoods and foods, not to mention the real life characters (who are given brief mention at the end of the book, along with their photographs). All of this combined to create a highly descriptive and entertaining story -- the author really has an incredible way of painting a picture. This was one book I didn't want to skim, as I truly enjoyed all of the details.
As for the storyline - it was captivating and realistic and I really cared about all of the characters. I was also amazed at how he was able to weave together the pieces of the characters' lives in a believable manner (especially the 4 'picture brides'), instead of making the various events seem contrived just to suit the direction he wanted the storyline to go. I truly enjoyed following Jin and her family and friends along the paths of their lives.
Finally -- I admit that I dislike stories in which all the loose ends aren't tied up by the final page, and I was not disappointed here. The author managed to conclude everything in a perfect way, in my opinion, so that I turned the final page with a great sense of satisfaction.
An excellent read -- I'll be recommending this to others.
As for the storyline - it was captivating and realistic and I really cared about all of the characters. I was also amazed at how he was able to weave together the pieces of the characters' lives in a believable manner (especially the 4 'picture brides'), instead of making the various events seem contrived just to suit the direction he wanted the storyline to go. I truly enjoyed following Jin and her family and friends along the paths of their lives.
Finally -- I admit that I dislike stories in which all the loose ends aren't tied up by the final page, and I was not disappointed here. The author managed to conclude everything in a perfect way, in my opinion, so that I turned the final page with a great sense of satisfaction.
An excellent read -- I'll be recommending this to others.
Loaning to Val ... when I get it back, send to penelopewanders
Back on my shelf again -- sending PM to penelopewanders to see if she still wants to read this :)
Journal Entry 11 by BethanieKay at ~~~ ♥ ~~~ A Friend ~~~ ♥ ~~~, -- By post or by hand/ in person -- USA on Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Released 11 yrs ago (6/13/2012 UTC) at ~~~ ♥ ~~~ A Friend ~~~ ♥ ~~~, -- By post or by hand/ in person -- USA
CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:
Book is on its way to penelopewanders in Switzerland. Enjoy! :)
Journal Entry 12 by 
penelopewanders
at Hasliberg, Bern / Berne Switzerland on Thursday, June 21, 2012
penelopewanders at Hasliberg, Bern / Berne Switzerland on Thursday, June 21, 2012
This made its way quickly to the Alps - not sure what it's status is now... if it's a loan or a ring or what? Please let me know...
Thanks so much for sending - this may well head to Mallorca this summer and get read there.
Thanks so much for sending - this may well head to Mallorca this summer and get read there.
Journal Entry 13 by penelopewanders at Hasliberg, Bern / Berne Switzerland on Wednesday, August 6, 2014
penelopewanders at Hasliberg, Bern / Berne Switzerland on Wednesday, August 6, 2014
Everyone in my family except for me read and enjoyed this last spring – it was high time I picked it up. For some reason it was not what I was expecting, but I enjoyed It very much. Seems to be based on a true story, too. Currently stored in Mallorca.
