Hawaii

Rating:
Summary: A good read before you visit the islands!
Review: The book is intimidating at first glance. Being as large as it is, you may not want to attempt it. But it is worth the effort. The history of the cultures of what makes up Hawaii is fascinating. The disparate cultures all sharing a common land was something that was even more apparent when I visited the islands recently. It was a big bonus to walk around the islands with the knowledge of the book with me. The number of times I smiled because something in the book was realistic in the current culture were numerous. Just leave yourself plenty of time to complete it. I finished on the layover at the San Francisco airport, as I headed to Honolulu. I cut it close!

Rating:
Summary: Been there- Read that
Review: I bought HAWAII shortly before stepping on the plane to Oahu this summer. I was determined to steep myself in a little (fictional) island history before stepping out into that glorious Pacific breeze that flows through Honolulu airport. Well, since one doesn't read (full time) on an Hawaiin vacation, it took about two weeks to finish the book properly... that is, rereading the good parts out loud to my family. It's a great book. Even visiting the missionary homes on Maui did not lessen my respect for Michenor's ability to blend fiction with reality. I had a wonderful talk with a museum curator about which of the missionaries was the inspiration for a certain character, and saw the vacant lot where a mission house had been shelled (twice) by angry Lahaina seamen. By being there you can appreciate a little of the thought that went into the work, and the enormous scope of the project which Michenor tried to capture. I do agree with some of the reviewers that he could have done a bit better in some historical areas, but 95% of something is better than 0% of nothing, which is where most people stand in realationship to a chronological, historical understanding of the islands.

Rating:
Summary: Not the Michener perspective I expected
Review: This book was not the Michener perspective I was expecting. While vacationing in Hawaii I wanted to learn more about the islands and its fascinating history that had been described to us by a flamboyant kayaking guide. He spoke of the inter-island wars and various ritual grounds throughout the islands - what was mana and kapu. The first book I had read of Michener's was Centennial, which illuminated the American Indians and the first explorers and seemed to balance the two different societies. Ten years later reading my second Michener novel, Hawaii, I realize he is not as fine a writer as I remember.

Hawaii proved to be far inferior to Centennial and spent a great deal of time on the missionaries and their unfortunate forceful conversion of the native Hawaiians. The book started out with the painful and violent uprising of the Hawaiian volcanoes. The main characters started out around 900 C.E., with Teroro of Bora Bora leading the first expedition to Hawaii. This portion of the book was what I expected and I felt like I learned a great deal during these first two chapters. However, Michener inexplicably skips ahead to the 18th century and the proselytism of the Hawaiian natives. It felt as if the thousand years he skipped over were insignificant, which I found disappointing.

The missionary conversion and importation of various Asian societies seemed to drag on a bit too long. I did find the American corporate coup d'état of the Hawaiian monarchy interesting, but it dragged on endlessly; and then the bombing of Pearl Harbor was hastily written. Further, even though it is a 1000 page book and mistakes are expected, I found way too many grammatical and spelling errors throughout. The book ended on a better note with the notion of the Golden Men and a new age of tolerance, but I was looking forward to finishing the book - definitely not a great book, try Centennial instead.

Rating:
Summary: An awesome and insightful story of a wonderful island
Review: This book starts out a bit slow, but don't give up on it too early. It is a wonderful exploration of the islands of Hawaii, and how it became a great melting pot of different cultures. Along the way we, see how it was originally settled by people from Bora-Bora, changed by missionaries, worked by Japanese and Chinese, and ruled by the sugar trade.

Michner is a story teller, extraordinaire, and one must constantly remind oneself that this is only fiction. The character are so real that we want to believe that this is really the story of what happened on the island. However, if you know the islands, it is easy to see that there is truth buried in the fiction. This book is for anyone whohas ever visited the islands, is planning to, or dreaming to. It is filled with lush prose that paints an interesting fictional picture of Hawaii.

Rating:
Summary: My first Michener
Review: This was my first Michener and most definetly not my last. Michener writes an amazing story with so many different kinds of characters it's amazing and it's the closest you can get to a nonfiction without it being one. If you like Hawaii or want to know more about it you will adore this book. The only thing I didn't like, although it was interesting just not entertaining, was his part on forming the islands. You get so many different aspects here such as the Japanese, American, Hawaiian, and Chinese of Hawaii if you read this book you will know more about Hawaii than I'd say 80% (or more) people in the world. Another cool aspect is the family trees in the back of the book. They tell you a lot about one of the families. All in all this is one of the most entertaining books I've ever read.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful read
Review: Another wonderful book by James Michener. Saga about North American (white) missionaries who arrive to Hawaii to preach Christianity. Cultural shock takes all by suprise both natives and the newcomers in this magic land. And in years and generations to come, inevitable change affects them both...

Rating:
Summary: A long aloha
Review: I have to admit that I'd really only give this book 3.5 stars, but that's not an option... It's a really good book and I do recommend it to anyone interested in Hawaii, but I just couldn't get lost in it like I did with other Michener novels.

The story follows the history of Hawaii from volcanic formation to statehood. Though it is entirely about Hawaii, a surprising amount of the story takes place outside of Hawaii. Aside from the obvious connections to Tahiti, there's also plenty of info on New England, China and Japan. You'll learn about agriculture, politics, religion, and most of all - people.

If you aren't particularly interested in Hawaii but want to experience a great Michener novel, take a look at Carribean, Chesapeak, or Alaska.

Rating:
Summary: Magnificent Journey
Review: This book is an amazing journey through time. The first page grabs as you witness the birth of the volcanoes. As you travel through the book you gain insight on many cultures that become the culture of the Hawaiian Islands. In a book of such length, naturally there are some parts that become less exciting, but stick through them as they are just as important in describing the events that shaped Hawaii as are the parts where you just can't put the book down. Read the book and you will have ideas on what it was like to be a native of the South Pacific in the 800's, a missionary from Boston in the 1800's voyaging to the islands at sea, a "kokua" for the lepers on Molokai, a Japanese living in Hawaii when Pearl Harbor was attacked, and many other not-to-miss events!

Rating:
Summary: Like therapy
Review: Born and raised in Hawaii, I was faced with many issues dealing with race, culture and just who I was as a person. This book was like therapy for me, it helped me to understand much of the reasoning behind different ideas that were instilled in me as a child, both positive and negative, especially when it came to dealing with 'white men' and americans specifically. If you really want to understand a hawaiian, you must read this book.

Rating:
Summary: No kidding -- Among the best books ever written!
Review: One of my favorite books of all time. Just an outstandingly good read. The colors and sounds of Hawaii come to life with the characters he creates. The section on missionaries literally changed my life because it changed how I thought of the whole mission movement. This is presented in typical Michener style, starting with the pre-history of the region and bringing it through time to the present. The stories and characters presented here are among the most interesting he ever created. I have often said I envy anyone who is reading it for the first time. Besides, it's like taking a Hawaiian vacation. Pick up a copy, and have a really good trip!