Moloka'i (Moloka'i, #1) in Challenge: 50 Books

Sep 03, 2011 Michelle rated it liked it

Shelves: book-club-2

For the most part, I enjoyed this book. I haven't read too many stories set in Hawaii, and I thought it was interesting reading about its history (no wonder some Hawaiians still have a problem with haoles). And I haven't read any stories dealing with leprosy/Hansen's disease, so there you go--lots of new stuff for me.

Dislikes: I couldn't get a good grasp of the main character Rachel. At the beginning, she's a young child, so most of her motivations and thoughts I felt like were understandable. For the most part, I enjoyed this book. I haven't read too many stories set in Hawaii, and I thought it was interesting reading about its history (no wonder some Hawaiians still have a problem with haoles). And I haven't read any stories dealing with leprosy/Hansen's disease, so there you go--lots of new stuff for me.

Dislikes: I couldn't get a good grasp of the main character Rachel. At the beginning, she's a young child, so most of her motivations and thoughts I felt like were understandable. Then we jump to her being 17, and I just could not figure her out--are you rebellious, the good girl, the strong girl, the adventurous girl? Any time I started to get a sense of her, we would jump forward again in time and I would have to get to know her again. I did like her husband and her father, and her interactions with them, a lot though.

Another dislike: I hate it when novels set around the turn of the century going into the...eh...1950s or so decide that they must touch upon all major events in history. Don't get me wrong--I can see how and why that happens. Duh, it would be difficult to ignore world wars, and that's fine. But I get bothered when it seems like the author is going out of their way to include these points, or even when they seem to drag out their book to include certain moments, when really, they could have just ended the darn book. You don't need to make this a history book. I learned some already okay, like Hawaiians don't dig haoles. Do we need to go into WWII and internment camps? Do you need to throw in every technological advancement too? Like great, here's a gramophone, let's drink a Coke and look at Gibson girls, oh, let's watch a silent movie, oh boy, movie with sound now, ahhh, we're riding on a plane. Stop beating me over the head. Seriously, we can just surf, then talk about how it stinks that we can't ride that new hollow board when we no longer have our toes due to leprosy. See, that's related. You're not forcing something on me.

Last dislike, and it includes a **SPOILER**: Alan Brennert, this book is sad enough. People are dying left and right due to leprosy, people are separated from their families forever, the family left behind tear themselves up even more. You did not have to kill Kenji like that. I think at that point, you were just going for the dramatic, and I didn't very much appreciate it.

Okay, I'm ranting, but seriously, I did like the book. ...more

4 likes · Like · see review

Apr 12, 2010 Joanie rated it really liked it

Shelves: bookclub, south-shore-readers

I feel bad even rating this book. It took me so long to read it (life has been busy, the book isn't bad) that my initial response is just one of relief! Between it taking me so long to read the book and the book itself spanning a 70 year time frame I feel like I have been hanging out with the main character, Rachel, for most of my life.

I'm going to say 4 stars, that feels like what I would rate this if I was in any normal place where it didn't take me a month to finish.

Moloka'i is very well res I feel bad even rating this book. It took me so long to read it (life has been busy, the book isn't bad) that my initial response is just one of relief! Between it taking me so long to read the book and the book itself spanning a 70 year time frame I feel like I have been hanging out with the main character, Rachel, for most of my life.

I'm going to say 4 stars, that feels like what I would rate this if I was in any normal place where it didn't take me a month to finish.

Moloka'i is very well researched (as far as I can tell anyway) and it seems to present a true life picture of what life was like in a leper colony. Not that any of us would know if he was right or not, but still, it just seems like it must be accurate.

The book started out really strong for me and I was totally caught up in the story of 6 year old Rachel being sent off to a leper colony. The story was heartwrenchingly sad and all the more upsetting knowing it was based on historical events. It's hard for me to tell if the book lost me a bit just because I had so little time to devote to reading or if it was the story itself that did it to me.

I think I have an issue with books where so many bad things happen to one character. Granted, I know life is like that for some people, maybe for most of us if you just sat and listed out all the crappy things that have happened in the course of our lives, but I grow weary of it in books. Maybe some of it is unavoidalbe in a book that spans 70 plus years in a person's life but it wore me out. I think part of it was also due to fact that the book would skip large chunks of time so it was basically crappy event, crappy event, skip 10 years, crappy event, crappy event.

Okay, maybe there was some good stuff thrown in there but overall, it's not a happy book. Big surprise, I know, you'd think I would have clued in that a book about a young girl being sent away to a leper colony wouldn't be happy but I think all the stuff I heard about "the triumph of the human spirit" made me think things would work out a bit better for little Rachel. I guess, in the end, the fact that she kept going is a testament to her strength. I think I need to go read some chick lit now. ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Apr 15, 2019 Laurie rated it it was amazing

Magnificent! Stays with you years after the first reading. I have yet to find anyone who didn't love it, and have suggested to numerous book clubs and the feedback was great.
It's one of the few books I care to own and expect to reread it every few years.

Merged review:

Just as good reading the third time as it was 15+ years ago. I did not want to read Daughter of Molokai before rereading the original story, even though I didn't have to. Just a perfect novel. One of my all-time favorite stories. Ch ...more

Like · see review

May 25, 2017 Kay rated it it was amazing

A heartwarming and heartbreaking novel about a young girl who is diagnosed with leprosy and is banished to the Hawaiian island of Molokai where they had a leper colony. Although it is a fictional book it is based on a real place and some of the characters are real.

Like · see review

Jan 19, 2010 Bern rated it it was amazing

I really enjoyed this book. I felt for the main charector and even brough tears to my eyes a couple of times. I highly recommend this and look forward to reading his other book Honolulu.

Like · see review

Aug 27, 2007 Leslie rated it it was amazing

This book is fantastic! I couldn't put it down! Not only do you learn a great deal about the disease, you learn about the power of love. Not mushy love, but an enduring generational love. ...more

Like · see review

Jul 07, 2008 Sarah rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2008

Loved it! Who would have thought a book on leprosy set over a hundred years ago would be so good?? The characters were very vivid and the story brought me to tears many times.

Like · see review