Hawaii

A Novel

937 pages

English language

Published Nov. 10, 2002 by Random House Paperbacks.

ISBN:
978-0-375-76037-2
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5 stars (4 reviews)

Michener gives us a broad scope of Hawaii, from the formation of the islands to modern day. I read this as a teen and am looking forward to reading it again, now many years later.Each chapter gives us a history of a different ethnic group, the Hawaiians, then the Chinese, Japanese ect, and how they contributed to the formation of something profoundly beautiful and profoundly sad, as the native Hawaiians don't stand a chance of hanging on to their paradise.The book has wonderful people, many based on real persons. The Calvanist missionaries who devote their lives to bringing the white man's God. Over the years the people I met in Hawaii have had a very real influence on me. But it also colored my understanding of big buisness, politicsand religion.

18 editions

Review of 'Hawaii' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

A magnificent story that traces the origins of modern Hawaii. The only thing I missed was any real background on old Hawaii - the monarchy (already in decline by the time the book gets going), the old gods - but their absence doesn't detract from the force of the book overall. Thoroughly enjoyed reading this... now I want to find out who the characters are based on, so I can learn more about the real people whose stories contributed to Michener's account.

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Subjects

  • Hawaiians -- Fiction.
  • Immigrants -- Fiction.
  • Missionaries -- Fiction.
  • Hawaii -- Fiction.