An excellent, well-told primer on Hawaiian history.
Bill Fernandez’s novel of Hawaii deals with the struggle to find a humane belief system.
We open with a kind of origin story. Centuries ago, life on what would become Hawaii was truly Edenic. Everyone got along amicably, and simple goodness reigned under Io, their god of peace and equality. Then came Paoa, a high priest from Tahiti who declared that the Tahitian gods, most notably Ku, the war god, would be in charge. Now the ethos would be “kapu,” royal edicts where the slightest misstep could get one killed. And of course there would be chiefs and high priests—and human sacrifice. Fast-forward to the early 19th century. Kalani Tana is a chief, a title and status bestowed upon him for his valor fighting alongside the great Kamehameha, a renowned war chief who united all of the Hawaiian Islands. Spiritual seeking is in the air: There has to be something better than this insane cruelty. Perhaps it is Confucianism? Christianity? Kaahumanu, the late Kamehameha’s favorite wife; Hewahewa, the high priest; and others decide that the old gods must go. Even the feckless young king, Liholiho, is reluctantly on board. Keaoua, the priest of Ku, and cousin of Liholiho, leads an ill-fated rebellion. Meanwhile, Kalani simply wants to return to the village where he is chief and help them prosper again. He is also wracked with guilt over his teenage daughter, Lehua, because he was an absent father to her, and now she rejects him and leads a wild life. He wants to regain her love, but first he must find her. Ultimately, missionaries from New England arrive.
Author Fernandez tells a good story, and Kalani is an admirable hero, great in hand-to-hand combat but also complex and thoughtful. (We do have a rather cartoonish villain, Kalani’s nemesis, the arrogant Kamuela; other villains are usually riffraff from the outside.) The book opens with a bang—an exciting sea battle with Malay pirates in which, as always, Kalani distinguishes himself as a fighter and a leader. We are reminded that he is well traveled. He has even lived in Boston and speaks English well. Another important character is wise Kaahumanu, the widowed wife who becomes regent when Liholiho ascends the throne. She is probably the most forward looking of the Natives and had almost persuaded the dying Kamehameha to abolish kapu. Hawaii is hardly isolated, of course. Trading ships, whaling ships, and others are common visitors and definitely a mixed blessing. The islanders need the trade, but the ships bring all sorts of vices (and diseases), and, even allowing for the open sexual mores of the islanders, the women’s throwing themselves at the sailors in exchange for trinkets is cause for alarm, which is where the story of Lehua gets complicated: The concept of “aloha” always included free love, but where is the line between aloha and prostitution? (Needless to say, the sight of all these naked women paddling out to their ship gives the missionary wives the fantods!) These and other issues must be wrestled with. The author is a Hawaiian Native who came home after his retirement from being a judge in California. His latest book is illustrated with photographs and sketches by Judith Fernandez and maps.
An excellent, well-told primer on Hawaiian history.Pub Date: Sept. 7, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-63944-358-1
Page Count: 318
Publisher: BookBaby
Review Posted Online: Oct. 18, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2021
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A moving, realistic look at one woman’s post-divorce family life that manages to be both poignant and funny.
A recently divorced writer juggles a chaotic full house, a struggling career, and a confusing romantic life.
Lila Kennedy thought she had the perfect family—a loving mother, a doting stepfather, two wonderful daughters, and a great husband. She even wrote a self-help book about repairing a marriage, which was published a mere two weeks before her husband left her. After her own mother’s sudden death, Lila finds herself an unexpected single mom with her health-nut stepfather, Bill, for a roommate. When her long-absent actor father, Gene, moves in, things go from crowded to chaotic. When Gene isn’t talking about his memories of starring on a Star Trek–like television show, he’s starting fights with Bill. Perhaps the worst part is that Lila’s supposed to produce a new book about the unexpected direction her life has taken. She quickly finds that writing about her real-life romantic exploits (including the kind gardener Bill hired and the sexy single dad she lusts after at school pick-up) and the actual heartbreak that upended her family is easier said than done. Moyes creates a world that is believable and funny. It’s hilarious to read about the distinct characters in Lila’s life—such as her lentil-loving stepfather and egocentric biological father—interacting with each other. There’s plenty of drama here, but none of it feels forced. It all comes from flawed people doing their best to coexist and making plenty of mistakes along the way. Moyes combines the warmth of an Annabel Monaghan rom-com with the humanity of a Catherine Newman novel, creating a story that will provoke tears and laughter.
A moving, realistic look at one woman’s post-divorce family life that manages to be both poignant and funny.Pub Date: Feb. 11, 2025
ISBN: 9781984879325
Page Count: 464
Publisher: Pamela Dorman/Viking
Review Posted Online: Nov. 9, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2024
A dramatic, vividly detailed reconstruction of a little-known aspect of the Vietnam War.
A young woman’s experience as a nurse in Vietnam casts a deep shadow over her life.
When we learn that the farewell party in the opening scene is for Frances “Frankie” McGrath’s older brother—“a golden boy, a wild child who could make the hardest heart soften”—who is leaving to serve in Vietnam in 1966, we feel pretty certain that poor Finley McGrath is marked for death. Still, it’s a surprise when the fateful doorbell rings less than 20 pages later. His death inspires his sister to enlist as an Army nurse, and this turn of events is just the beginning of a roller coaster of a plot that’s impressive and engrossing if at times a bit formulaic. Hannah renders the experiences of the young women who served in Vietnam in all-encompassing detail. The first half of the book, set in gore-drenched hospital wards, mildewed dorm rooms, and boozy officers’ clubs, is an exciting read, tracking the transformation of virginal, uptight Frankie into a crack surgical nurse and woman of the world. Her tensely platonic romance with a married surgeon ends when his broken, unbreathing body is airlifted out by helicopter; she throws her pent-up passion into a wild affair with a soldier who happens to be her dead brother’s best friend. In the second part of the book, after the war, Frankie seems to experience every possible bad break. A drawback of the story is that none of the secondary characters in her life are fully three-dimensional: Her dismissive, chauvinistic father and tight-lipped, pill-popping mother, her fellow nurses, and her various love interests are more plot devices than people. You’ll wish you could have gone to Vegas and placed a bet on the ending—while it’s against all the odds, you’ll see it coming from a mile away.
A dramatic, vividly detailed reconstruction of a little-known aspect of the Vietnam War.Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2024
ISBN: 9781250178633
Page Count: 480
Publisher: St. Martin's
Review Posted Online: Nov. 4, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2023
PERSPECTIVES
BOOK TO SCREEN
SEEN & HEARD
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
