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Summary: FANTASTIC
Review: A beautiful story, extremely well-written, filled with great historical information. A great read!
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Summary: Another time, another place
Review: Brennert pens an incredibly touching tale of a little girl condemned to a terrible hell, and of her own struggle to find a life of her own within that prison. Brennert's characters shine through the difficult burdens placed on them to display a moving humanity, hope forging through even the darkest pit. A beautifully written (and well-researched) tale of another time and another place, brought to a very absorbing life. More, please !
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Summary: Moloka'i - A Stunning Surprize
Review: I bought Moloka'i on a whim not knowing a thing about the storyline. I was drawn into the lives and feelings of the characters during the first chapters and became involved and immersed, in every sense, in their world. I can not remember having such an emotional stake in the lives of the characters of a novel, but Mr. Brennert's creation became reality for me as I read. Absolutely stunning and the best book I've read in a long time.
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Summary: Moloka'i
Review: I found this book hard to put down. I didn't want it to end. Alan Brennert's Rachel was so real. A very young girl taken away from her family because she had leprosy lives her life among many other victims of the disease. She is fortunate in some aspects as she could live on the island of Moloka'i and have contact with an uncle who also had the disease. It was fascinating to read about her growing up, falling in love and coping. I hope Mr. Brennert is working on another book.
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Summary: An incredible story with a wide range of emotions
Review: I visited Molokai and the Kalaupapa peninsula in 2000. This book is a must-read for anyone who has been there, plans to go there, or even is just interested in it. This book brought back all my memories of that visit. It truly is "sacred" ground for Hawaiians.
The author captures all of the emotions, stories, and cruel ironies of those unfortunate people who contracted this terrible disease. Rachel sees her family torn apart, faces constant discrimination, and sees her emotions ride a never-ending rollercoaster as one after another of her friends die of Hansen's Disease. The suffering these people felt is unimaginable and the emotional pain of being forcibly separated from their families is horrific. But the story is uplifting, as Rachel and the others find ways to be happy with what little they have, take pleasure in helping others, and are always hopeful of a cure which thankfully, eventually came.
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Summary: An extraordinary epic of a little known time and place
Review: I've been a fan of Alan Brennert's ever since I read Kindred Spirits and Time and Chance, but he's outdone himself with his new historical novel Moloka'i and has again proven himself to be a masterful storyteller. This is a poignant story that I knew very little about-Hansen's disease (a.k.a. leprosy) and the Hawaiian people. Rachel, the main character, is a lovable, spunky Hawaiian girl who is banished to a leper colony in the late 19th century. Her life there, though difficult, is also filled with adventures, friends, love, and hope. The story spans nearly 80 years (from the 1890s to l970s) and is full of twists and turns I never expected. At times I laughed out loud and at times I cried. I always cared about the people. I couldn't put the book down and was sorry when I finished it. It's rich in universal emotions as well as Hawaiian mythology, culture, and history. Fast-paced, full of warmth, humor, tragedy, and characters so real and affecting that I fell in love with them all. I now want to go to Moloka'i to see where they lived. Moloka'i is a masterpiece of narrative skill, empathy, and brilliant prose, and it honors people who lived not only with a terrible disease but also with dignity and humanity. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT.
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Summary: Molokai
Review: Molokai is a sweeping narrative that pulls together all the elements that make a compelling story--characters who come alive with Brennert's descriptions and whom the reader truly comes to know and care about; a setting that is exotic to most; an historical perspective that is well researched; and a plot that keeps moving with twists and turns to hold the reader's attention right until the end. There is a message in Molokai of hope and kindness and endurance that refreshes and inspires.
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Summary: An inspiring and uplifting book!
Review: One day as a young adolescent, while browsing at the library, I came across the book Miracle at Carville by Betty Martin. This book, which told the story of the author's diagnosis of leprosy in her 20's, also described the years she spent receiving treatment for this disease at a hospital in Carville, Georgia. Of the many books I have read since then, few have made as much of an impression on me as this title. When I learned about the sequel, I immediately rushed to borrow No One Must Ever Know and felt the same way about this title too. Recently I chanced upon the book Moloka'i by Alan Brennert and recognized the name of this area in Hawaii that was a former leprosy colony. I immediately had to read this book, and while no longer impressionable adolescent who once read about leprosy, this book once again filled me with compassion and love for the people who lived and suffered from this dreaded and alienating disease. In the late 19th century surrounded by the beauty of the islands of Hawaii, 7 year old Rachel Kalma lives an idyllic live surrounded by family members who adore her. While her father travels the world for his job, Rachel listens attentively to her father's stories and hopes one day to see the places her father vividly describes to her. Although there are some in their area who contract leprosy and are removed from the surroundings like Rachel's uncle, nobody ever thinks this disease will affect Rachel. Then she begins to show signs of a lesion which doesn't' respond to any of he mother's ministrations or medicine from the doctors. Eventually the authorities receive word that Rachel may have this disease and when they investigate Rachel, her families fears confirmed, she must leave her family to live among other lepers. Separated from her family except for occasional visits by her father and the company of her afflicted uncle, Rachel must make a new life for herself surrounded by an unusual cast of loving people. Adversity strengthens her as she comes to know the kind sister who cares for her, a fellow leper who hides a dark secret and the love of a good man whom she marries and even becomes a mother. By the end of this book, we weep with Rachel as friends die and cheer for her when she is able to fulfill some of her dreams. But the best part for me was that these were no longer characters in a book but people who I considered good friends, so vividly were they portrayed by the author. Told over six decades, Moloka'i tells the gripping story of adversity and the triumph of the human spirit. As I neared the end of the book I couldn't help but think of how we once viewed AIDS sufferers isolating them in many of the same way lepers were also once isolated. The author has written a compelling book and one worthy to take its place among other titles on this subject like Betty Martin's books and The Samurai's Garden by Gail Tsukiyama.
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Summary: Not a "debut novel"
Review: The description calls this book a "sweeping debut novel," but that's inaccurate. At least 10 years ago, Alan Brennert wrote one of my favorite twist-in-fate novels, "Time and Chance," in which a man gets to trade places with an alternate version of himself and see how his life would have turned out if he'd made different choices.
That book was so marvelous that I'm eager to read "Moloka'i," and I encourage readers of this book to seek out "Time and Chance."
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Summary: Fifty Years on Molokai
Review: This amazing story caught me up in the first few pages. We meet seven-year old Rachel Kalama, youngest child in her Honolulu family. When she is discovered to have a small leprous sore on her leg, Rachel is snatched from the bosom of her family and sent first to be "cured" in the Kahili hospital in Honolulu. After a year in Kahili, she is then sent to the Kalaupapa leper colony on Molokai. The story of Rachel and her new family on Molokai is beautiful, inspirational and very uplifting.
Character development is very strong in this story. The figure of Sister Catherine Voorhies was perhaps my favorite of the whole story, as she deals with her own personal demons as well as her own doubts of "Why does God give children leprosy?" This story is so wonderful as Rachel and her new-found 'ohana (family) rise above their disease and find dignity and love in their isolated home.
Simply one of the most moving and enjoyable books I've read in a very long time.
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