Kaaawa: A Novel about Hawaii in the 1850s
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Book Overview
"As beautiful as Hawaii itself, This novel approaches epic magnitude. The narrator is Hiram Nihoa, through whom the author pours his love for Hawaii. Nihoa tells the story of his travels around the island of Oahu a century ago, evoking the scene and the people as he saw and loved them. Nihoa's narrative is taken up by a strange New Englander in the second half of the book. Saul Bristol, a sad and bitter man, reveals Hawaii through the eyes of a newcomer. The two narratives embody the conflict between the old and the new which has had so much to do with the way Hawaii has developed.... In some ways ... a lament, but overall a mele aloha, a song of love." --Publisher's Weekly
Format:Paperback
Language:English
ISBN:0824807294
ISBN13:9780824807290
Release Date:July 1980
Publisher:University of Hawaii Press
Length:520 Pages
Weight:1.00 lbs.
Dimensions:1.3" x 4.8" x 8.3"
Customer Reviews
2 ratings
Compelling and engrossing reading
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 20 years ago
This well-crafted historical novel held me captive until I finished it. Descriptions of Oahu, native Hawaiians, haoles (foreigners), and the events of Hawaii in the 1850s seemed entirely authentic. I enjoyed the technique of two complementary stories, each told by the two primary characters (one Hawaiian, one Haole). I recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn more about Hawaii's people and history.
1st Rate Historical Fiction
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 25 years ago
As a native of Hawaii I found this book hard to put down. It's set in Hawaii in the 1850's, during a time when pressure from foreign powers created considerable turmoil within the Hawaiian royal house. What I like best is that the story is told in the person of a Hawaiian priest (and tutor to the Prince Liholiho). He has considerable, intricate, and savy knowledge of what goes on in Hawaii. Yet he too, like the powerful royal house he serves, is subject to political and cutural changes far beyond his control. The descriptions of the influenza and smallpox epidemics, and the manifestations of the rapidly vanishing old culture, are chilling.
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