Rating: 
Summary: A brick of a book, and worth every page.
Review:
Hawaii is 900 pages of fantastic story-telling. From the islands' violent beginnings to the relatively peaceful recent past, the full history of Hawaii develops page by page into a beautiful struggle of life in the tropics
Rating: 
Summary: The first mesmerizing book I ever read.
Review: This book was truly the first book that I just couldn't put down. I would read late into the night in order to finish just one more chapter. The exquisite detail of the places and characters draw you into the drama. The many progressive changes that have swept the islands give us a look, not only at the past, but at our present attitudes toward each other. A definite must read
Rating:
Summary: Master Storyteller!
Review: Having read several books by James Michener, I must say that "Hawaii" is my absolute favorite! It's length may be formidable to those of you who are not used to reading novels beyond 300 pages (this one is over 1,000), but don't let its daunting size scare you! This book is incredible and amazing! It is a fictionalized story that is intermeshed with truthful accounts of the entire history of Hawaii, from the very beginnings of Hawaii as an actual land formation erupting from beneath the sea, to its induction into statehood. This book spans quite a long time period, and it pays homage to the political, social, religious, and commercial workings and atmospheres of and relating to Hawaii during this span. This book touches on everyone and everything from Hawaiian royalty to New England Christian missionaries, from pineapple and sugar cane farmers out in the fields and in their shacks to the unique blending of the Oriental with the Polynesian cultures that make up the people of Hawaiian. It does not take place solely on the island of Hawaii, but travels to the far reaches of China and Japan, as well as to the continental United States and out over the open ocean.It is a historical fiction novel that almost makes you forget that its characters are not real people! This story will sweep you away with its descriptions of the island and its very special history. Many other reviewers said that they found the beginning (where James Michener describes the formation of the island from an underwater volcano to an actual island) to be boring -- this is far from my opinion! I found it incredibly interesting and very educational. After reading this novel, I was so impressed with Michener's writing and the breadth of his knowledge! You will definitely want to read more of his books. Don't miss out on this one, though!
Rating:
Summary: I like it!
Review: I first tackled "Hawaii" as a young boy, partly for the
adventure, partly for the violence, and partly for the
naughty parts, probably what attracts boys to read lots of
books. It taught me a lot about the history of the Pacific,
despite being historical FICTION, as my parents often reminded
me. True, but excellently written historical fiction. Mr.
Michener can write historical fiction like no one else, once
one gets used to his style.
Rating:
Summary: A Compelling Story
Review: Having just arrived back home in Philadelphia from my first trip to Hawaii, I grabbed a copy of Michener's fiction on our 50th state. I loved it! I found the various interwoven stories that make up the history of Hawaii to be absolutely compelling. I couldn't put the book down and finished in record time despite its 900+ pages. The only regret is that Michener writes about "composite" characters, none of whom actually existed in history. I went back and read a few short histories of Hawaii in order to match the historical figures with the fictional characters. Otherwise, the story line was wonderful and made me want to do two things: 1) Return as soon as possible to the beautiful state of Hawaii; and 2) Read some more of Michener.
Rating:
Summary: I like it!
Review: I first tackled "Hawaii" as a young boy, partly for the
adventure, partly for the violence, and partly for the
naughty parts, probably what attracts boys to read lots of
books. It taught me a lot about the history of the Pacific,
despite being historical FICTION, as my parents often reminded
me. True, but excellently written historical fiction. Mr.
Michener can write historical fiction like no one else, once
one gets used to his style.
Rating:
Summary: Michener's best -- Among my top 5 books of all-time
Review: Early in the book, Michener tells a story of how man first arrived on Hawaii. The story is incredibly exciting and dramatic. What makes it so interesting is that his story couldn't possibly be too far from the truth. Hawaii is so distant from any other island. How could anyone have found it except by sheer luck? It's just fascinating to think about the extraordinary circumstances that must have arisen to compel a sufficiently large group of primitive people to leave their home and venture far out to sea. I first read this book about 16 years ago when I was a freshman in college. I stayed up all night reading it right in the middle of finals week, but I couldn't put it down. Since then, I have read most of Michener's books but still rate Hawaii as his best. It is always interesting to follow Michener's overlapping generations of characters. As the protagonists age, we gradually get to know their offspring. Each generation is a wild card. Some children further the good intentions and fortunes of their parents and others set the whole community back generations. The smooth transition between generations is the main reason it is so hard to stop reading. In classic Michener style, he frequently changes perspectives (native Hawaiian, American missionaries, Chinese, Japanese) and the reader can't help but feel compassion and understanding for each side of a conflict. Not that Michener is afraid to cast blame. Because he portrays each side so honestly, his political message has more credibility and is even more effective.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: Terrific book about the populating of Hawaii. From the Bora-Borans, to the stuffy missionaries, to the exploited Chinese, to the equally exploited Japanese, to something of equilibrium, the message is clear; JM was into haole guilt 40 years before it became politically correct to lay all blame on the white race. Apparently, the Hawaiians have a word for Caucasians, "Haole." In spite of JM's insistence that the haoles are the root of all evil, this was a great book about the struggles of the various ethnic backgrounds to make it in a new land. I read it on my way to Hawaii and while I was there. My one mistakes was not reading more of it before my trip. Very rich in detail and extremely informative. I found the view of the Hawaiian Japanese during the bombing of Pearl Harbor to be of particular interest. New perspectives on historical events are always welcome.
Rating:
Summary: spellbinding, great details and background of hawaii
Review: I really enjoyed this 40+ year old book (classic?) by James Mitchener. I was spellbound and kept turning those pages late into the nights. I thought his discussion of the Chinese Hakka woman, the queen mother of the successful Chinese on the islands, to be very interesting and representative of that ethnic group. However, I did have a problem with this woman, particularly at 90+ years old, going through the intricacies of tax loss carry-forwards. The internal and external dialogue was a little out of character. But Mitchener is one of the great masters. I highly recommend this book if your going to Hawaii, if you just want an adventure story, or if you want to read about how different ethnic groups learned to muddle along together. There's a ton of supporting detail that is quite interesting to read, and the book felt that there was nothing extraneous. The pace was very quick and the characters interesting. It was easy to visualize the story as it unfolded. John Dunbar
Sugar Land, TX
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