Nothing But Reading Challenges discussion

This topic is open for discussion of Moloka'i by Alan Brennert



Book Synopsis:
This richly imagined novel, set in Hawai'i more than a century ago, is an extraordinary epic of a little-known time and place---and a deeply moving testament to the resiliency of the human spirit.

Rachel Kalama, a spirited seven-year-old Hawaiian girl, dreams of visiting far-off lands like her father, a merchant seaman. Then one day a rose-colored mark appears on her skin, and those dreams are stolen from her. Taken from her home and family, Rachel is sent to Kalaupapa, the quarantined leprosy settlement on the island of Moloka'i. Here her life is supposed to end---but instead she discovers it is only just beginning.

With a vibrant cast of vividly realized characters, Moloka'i is the true-to-life chronicle of a people who embraced life in the face of death. Such is the warmth, humor, and compassion of this novel that "few readers will remain unchanged by Rachel's story"

Reserved

Reserved

I'm in :)

I'm also in!

I have a copy of this that I bought several years ago on a trip to Kauai. Now, seems like it is time (overdue) to read it. I will join in.

Am in as well ;) :)

When does this one start?

Rachel - I think technically it has started! :P

Poo poo. Just can't squeeze it in right now, but I had just bought the book used at Goodwill recently. Another one sitting on my bookshelf.

Srividya wrote: "Rachel - I think technically it has started! :P"

Nah, not yet, in the other group yes. Here there is no date yet.

Silly Goose!

Hahahaha Rachel! I meant with the other group! :P :P

Srividya wrote: "Hahahaha Rachel! I meant with the other group! :P :P"

:P I know that. I had first day questions. That would be bad if I was like umm when does this start and it's already day 3. lol

It could be a relaxed pace. I already started also;)

I'm joining in as well. I had never heard of this book before, but I just finished chp. 5 and I'm really enjoying it. Glad I decided to give it a try! It has also prompted me to start reading James Michener's Hawaii which I am also enjoying.

I am really enjoying this as well. I just read chapter 5.

(view spoiler)[I am really disappointed that Rachel is stuck going to live with the nuns. Can't say I'm really surprised though as it would just be too easy if she could stay with her uncle! (hide spoiler)]

Yes, I'm liking it too!! Finished with Ch. 4

I liked Rachel from the get go and now (view spoiler)[ I feel so sad for her and her family. I am eager to hear how Rachel does once she arrived on Moloka'i.

My heart breaks for her parents as well...I have a six year old and just reading about Rachel's story has me crying. What a terrible thing as s mother to feel so helpless and then so guilty due to the church's teachings. (hide spoiler)]

I'm in too! :)

Read it chap 4:
This is the first book I am reading in this setting.. The writing is so good that it breaks my heart..
(view spoiler)[ I have to rant a bit about Sarah.. Hoe could she??!!
She knew Rachel was counting on the love she got from everyone.. How could she??
I know the news would have come out anyway..but it needn't be from her sister! Poor Rachel! :(

I feel so sad that she is being sent to Moloka'i.. it is so heart-breaking.. Atleast she's got her uncle there.. :) (hide spoiler)]

Kelsi wrote: "I am really enjoying this as well. I just read chapter 5.

[spoilers removed]"

I'm to the same point, (view spoiler)[and I was disappointed as well. I get it, but I feel so bad for Rachel. Ripped away from her family so young, and now she has to live with a bunch of strangers. (hide spoiler)]

Done till Chap-11.. (view spoiler)[ It is so sad that Rachel's mother had to sever all ties with her for her other children..atleast she had Papa..

the escapade that the girls had was so moving.. they are young innocent girls vying for a normal life..even if for a night..where no one would give them dirty looks and accept them..

Leilani's case was shocking? I wasn't expecting something like this!
God! This is a book heavy with issues! (hide spoiler)]

Read till Chap 15- (view spoiler)[ How much more does Rachel have to suffer? Damn it! She is losing everyone she loved.. Only Francine is left now..

I hope she finds the man of her dreams in Kenji.. (hide spoiler)]

I finished chp. 6, and (view spoiler)[ I'm glad the author told a bit of the nuns' point of view. I wish that Rachel could have lived with her uncle, but now that he's getting sicker, I see that Rachel would have had to leave him eventually anyway. And it is nice for her to have other girls to play with. (hide spoiler)]

Shilpa wrote: "I'm in too! :)

Read it chap 4:
This is the first book I am reading in this setting.. The writing is so good that it breaks my heart..
I have to rant a bit about Sarah.."

(view spoiler)[ I was so mad at Sarah! I couldn't believe that she was teasing Rachel just like the other girls when she should have been sticking up for her. Plus being her sister is going to make the other kids shun Sarah as well, so she didn't do herself any favors either. (hide spoiler)]

Talia wrote: "I finished chp. 6, and [spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[ But she did get a good upbringing out of that and she was still allowed to have regular visits.. So I guess that was okay.. :) (hide spoiler)]

I finished the book! It was so amazing!
(view spoiler)[ Thank God the ending was a happy one.. Finally Rachel got to see her daughter!! :)

I was so sad about Kenji's death.. :(

And Sarah finally made up for her misbehaviour! :)

(hide spoiler)]

I just finished Chapter 10. I am really pleasantly surprised at some of the humor in the book so far.
(view spoiler)[Even in the first chapter I remember laughing and marking this passage: "Rachel's eyes popped at the size of the turds, longer than her arm, and she giggled when the trolley's wheels squished them underneath." What an eloquent way to describe horse poop!
In Chapter 6, Sister Victor and Sister Catherine are talking after caring for lepers: "I think she'd smile like that even if she were sitting in a boiling pot, being picked at by cannibals...You see, Sister? That's all we have to do. Learn how to smile in the cannibal pot, and life would be so much easier."
I just finished chapters 9 & 10. I liked the dramatics of these chapters. Bertha almost drowns & Sister Victors night terror. Do you think she's suffering from PTSD? Then the girls are almost grown. Sister Catherine and Haleola are watching Rachel surf. Catherine is expressing her worry about Rachel liking a boy, and Catherine is worried about sex. Rachel takes her board back to the boy and they smiled at each other. Then Haleola says "That was a near thing, eh? Did you see that wild, crazed look in his eyes?" Ha ha
The girls finally escape for the night and they get to sneak out! What do you think of their partying? (hide spoiler)]

Shilpa wrote: "Done till Chap-11..."


Regarding Leilani, (view spoiler)[ yes, that was a shocker! I definitely wasn't expecting that in this book! (hide spoiler)]

I finished the book, and I was on a roller coaster of emotions, from happy to angry to sad. In general regarding the way others treated the people with leprosy, I hate how fear can make people be so cruel. I took that lesson away from this story, to conquer fear because it leads people to do horrible, heartless things. This book spanned such a huge amount of time. I loved learning about Hawaii and how different world events affected the characters' lives. (view spoiler)[ I was happy that Kenji stayed with Rachel on Moloka'i even though he tested negative, but I hated that he died trying to help that silly woman who wouldn't leave that angry jerk. I was so sad for Rachel when all of her friends around her were dying off. I was elated when Rachel finally left for Honolulu but was angry with the small-minded jerks who called her unclean and didn't want anything to do with her. I was overjoyed when Rachel found Sarah and reconnected with her and her brother, but I was saddened by the true story of what became of her family, with Kimo dying as a child and their father not being a part of their lives. But it was touching to learn that Dorothy didn't turn her back on Rachel like we thought. But why didn't she write to Rachel? That was the only weird part. And of course I was happy to see Rachel meet her daughter Ruth and Ruth's family. (hide spoiler)] A very enjoyable read.

Talia wrote: "I finished chp. 6, and [spoilers removed]"

I agree, Talia (view spoiler)[ It seems like Pono may not be able to care for her long anyway and the nuns do seem to have her best interest in mind, even if they aren't perfect! (hide spoiler)]

I have read up to Chap 4 now and here are some thoughts

(view spoiler)[I love the setting, especially the background history and the facts that are mentioned about Hawaii. Being from India, Hawaii is really exotic to me and I have always been curious about that place and its wonderful culture. So this has been a lovely experience in that manner.

Concerning the main story line - it is a really painful one, especially given that it is a 6 year old who is the protagonist and who has to go through such pain. Leprosy or the prejudice that surrounds it is not new to me. I have seen it and also read of it in many books, one which strongly comes to my mind is Dominique Lapierre's The City of Joy, which is set in Kolkata in India and deals with the same subject. Another one also comes to my mind, based in some Greek island, where similarly people were sent off to another island and had to fend for themselves - it was equally painful but I just can't remember the name.

However, the difference between this book and the others lies solely in the fact that the protagonist is extremely young, a mere child, which makes it really painful to read.

Shilpa - I agree with you. When I read that part about how Sarah gives her sister away, I was so angry! My first reaction was - How selfish and how mean! It was inevitable that someone else would have noticed but this made the discovery very painful.

Greta - yes as a mother, I feel just like you do. It is painful to read about a child that young and it did move me to tears as well, which is why I guess I am reading it really slowly.

What I like best is the way in which this book has been written. It flows well, talks about the prejudices and ignorance without being over dramatic about it, as it was a fact of life and it definitely was like that, so I like it that the author has not overly dramatised the events but has kept it true to reality as it were in those times, maybe in some places even today? I don't know and I hope not! (hide spoiler)]

I finished the book and I have to admit that I just couldn't put it down even for a minute, despite all the varying emotions running through me.

I agree with you Talia - I was sad, happy, angry, sad again and finally happy again throughout the book. It was indeed a rollercoaster ride, one that I haven't gotten over as yet.

Some thoughts including end spoilers

(view spoiler)[I loved how Rachel grew from a little girl all frightened and alone into a beautiful and mature woman. I hated that part with Jake where he turns away in disgust - that was just so mean and stupid. I mean what the hell - he knew that she had the disease and still chose to go out with her..where from this idiotic behavior. But I am glad that she didn't stay with that one as he was really not the one for her.

Loved how her relationship with the girls, Catherine and later Kenji grew and developed. Laughed at their partying and how the Mother couldn't say anything.. lol that was funny.

Loved how Kenji stayed back even after he tested negative. Sigh towards the end I felt, it would have been good had he left, at least he would have been alive.

Hated that he was killed for that silly girl and that horrible man! Hated that Rachel had to go through the pain of losing all her friends, her uncle, her father and then her husband before she could rest in peace. But loved how fruitfully she lived her life. For that matter, even Kenji - he had a full life, one in which he gave as much as he got and was truly a wonderful man for that.

Hated that Rachel and Kenji had to be separated from their kid. It's so silly but then at that time the prejudice was so high that there was nothing that they could do.

Hated the part when even after she is cured and released people couldn't accept her and kept calling her a 'leper' and were so rude to her! It's really horrible. Here again I agree with you Talia - fear does make you mean and horrible, but more than fear it is ignorance combined with that irrational fear. I hope that if I am faced with such a situation, I would have the brains to learn about it before reacting to the irrational fear!

Loved the part where she was reunited with her sister first and then her daughter. Loved that her sister accepted her fully and also accepted her mistake. Really felt bad to hear that Kimo also got the disease and died. It's really sad that Henry couldn't be with his family and had to die all alone!

Finally Ruth - I didn't expect her to react in the same manner as the locals to the disease. I was surprised at that and for one minute angered as well. However, when she accepted and let Rachel into her family wholeheartedly, I was mollified.

Talia - Even I wondered about why her mother didn't write to Rachel. She could have! I guess it was more out of guilt that she couldn't do for Rachel what she did for Kimo and then the fact that Kimo died so quickly that she must have thought that Rachel also died must have stopped her from writing. But am glad that she hadn't forgotten her daughter.

Loved the historical part a lot. Am a history buff and when authors try and remain true to history and include it in their books, it always awes me and I love the book more for it. (hide spoiler)]

Talia wrote: "I finished the book, and I was on a roller coaster of emotions, from happy to angry to sad. In general regarding the way others treated the people with leprosy, I hate how fear can make people be ..."

@Talia & Sri:(view spoiler)[

She did not write to Rachel as she did not want her family to be traced back. She feared her other children will be sent for diagnosis too as anyone related to a leper was cnsidered unclean as well. It was mentioned somewhere in the book.
To Dorothy all her children were equal and all of them did not deserve to be seen as an outcast because of Rachel. It was only okay for a mother to try and protect her other children. She felt so heartily after being separated from Rachel that she could not let the same happen with Kimo. (hide spoiler)]

@Sri: (view spoiler)[ Even I was shocked to read Ruth's reaction! How could she?! :O (hide spoiler)]

I am through Ch. 12 and am absolutely loving this book so far!

(view spoiler)[ Even though it is filled with sad parts, this story is wonderful. Right now Rachel has some great friends and she is living a life that is much better than what I expected for her. Her leprosy also seems to be going away due to the surgeries and I sure hope that one day she does get to leave the island again,as she dreams! (hide spoiler)]

Completed 1/14/15
Rating 5 Stars

Review: I absolutely loved this book!! Rachel's story is filled with both heartbreak and triumph and I absolutely felt a connection with this wonderful character. I love that I actually learned a lot about Hawaii during that time and how people with Hanson's disease were treated. The author brought up so many issues that I had never considered and it really had me thinking what would I have done in those situations. My favorite quote from the story is: (view spoiler)["I've come to believe that how we choose to live with pain, or injustice or death...is the true measure of the Divine within us. Some, like Crossen, choose to do harm to themselves and others. Others, like Kenji, bear up under the pain and help others to bear it. I used to wonder, why did God give children leprosy? Now I believe: God doesn't give anyone leprosy. He gives us, if we choose to use it, the spirit to live with leprosy, and with the imminence of death. Because it is in our own mortality that we are most Divine." (hide spoiler)]

I just finished this today, it was excellent! I gave it five stars.

I loved Rachel's character. So strong despite everything she had to go through. I was in tears a couple of times.

Finished 1/20/15
♥♥♥♥
I usually don't read a lot of historical fiction either, unless it's chosen as a group read. I enjoyed reading about Rachel's life and the obstacles she had to overcome. I found myself not wanting to put the book down while I was reading, but also found myself not really interested in picking it back up once I stopped reading. Overall, I'm glad I read this book and enjoyed the story. I learned a lot about Hawaii and leprosy.