≡ Read Gratis Hawaii James A Michener Steve Berry 9780375760372 Books

Hawaii James A Michener Steve Berry 9780375760372 Books

Download As PDF : Hawaii James A Michener Steve Berry 9780375760372 Books

Hawaii James A Michener Steve Berry 9780375760372 Books

I read this book as a college freshman years ago. All I remembered was that first long chapter describing the formation of the islands. Since I have a vacation trip coming up to the islands I decided to read the book again. As daunting as such a big book was, I found I couldn't put it down. I was transported to another world and lived through the fantastic Polynesian voyage to the islands, the grim era of the missionaries, the amazing histories of the Chinese and the Japanese and finally the beginning of today's Hawaii. At one point I had to double check that this is actually a fiction, because I found myself wanting to look up the same buildings and businesses described in the novel when I get to Hawaii. Alas, this is a fiction, but I know when I arrive in Kauai and Oahu I will have a much deeper appreciation for the true history of those islands. My advice: don't be scared off by the size of this book, inside is a rich story that you won't want to put down.


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Hawaii James A Michener Steve Berry 9780375760372 Books Reviews

Michener's "Hawaii" pulls no punches when relating the cruel and painful side of the islands' settlement and religious/cultural development.

Michener describes the events and people of the story vividly, with heavy emphasis on struggles and suffering of the people involved. For some reason, though, none of the characters were appealing, apart from a feeling of sympathy for their terrible ordeals.

The almost uniformly dark events portrayed in exhaustive detail eventually became too depressing. I gave up about half way.
Michener usually offers a great read, and this was no exception. A few of my favorite quotations

In later years it would become fashionable to say of the missionaries, "They came to the islands to do good, and they did right well."

And then the trustees, appointed by the courts, reason 'Best way to keep a Hawaiian in line is keep 'em in debt.'

Captain Janders, tugging at his red beard, was adamant. "Only one way to make money in this world," he judged. "My motto 'Own nothing, control everything..."

For a long time Hale stood at the edge of his fields, contemplating this new concept, and after that he viewed people like Filipinos and Portuguese in an entirely different light. "What vital thing do they add that keeps our society healthy?" he often wondered.

(The book was published in 1959.)
This was obviously early Michener and predicts a novelist of clout and power. However, he had not yet learned the art of separating essential information from noise, an art he absolutely mastered as his career progressed. So the novel seemed to go on and on and on endlessly. All the characters and groups and individuals were interesting independently and in combination. However, some points were beaten to death for pages when they could have been more effectively covered with parsimony.

I have thoroughly enjoyed other (always comprehensive and well-researched) Michener novels such as Texas and Chesapeake Bay and admire him and his body of work very much. Had Hawaii been my first experience, however, I might have been less open to another such daunting reading commitment. That said, I am glad I persevered and glad that Hawaii is now a more meaningful place because of Michener's ability to share his understanding and love of it -- even with the extra words, pages and sometimes chapters.
I read EVERY Michener book I could between my high school years and college graduation---and that was a long ago. I decided to revisit this one, Hawaii. My interests have changed since my years in school but I have traveled to Hawaii in the interim and have friends who live there so my own knowledge base was more than just movies and other books about Hawaii. And I was not disappointed when I re-read this. Much of the stress and strife that surrounded the islands when the missionaries arrived still exists in transmuted forms. Many of Michener's insights are still valid, which is amazing. I did laugh when I started reading and encountered the currents, rocks, dirt, who are sort of unnamed characters in the VERY long start to the book. That is one of Michener's tricks--it seems hokey but it adds to your understanding of the place of the characters in a world long gone. And he pulls it off. Some of the characters flit though my mind --maybe not as well-rounded as one would want but unique and intriguing. Now I'm contemplating re-reading "Chesapeake"--
An amazing book - and a must read if you are headed to Hawaii. The descriptions of the land and the historical events leading up to establishment of Hawaii as a state leaves you wanting to learn more about the incredible cultural gem that is now one of our 50 states. Gave it only 4 out of 5 stars because the end of the book was slight less well developed than the rest of the book which left me a tiny bit disappointed (but only in the ending). Still a must read. The way in which Michener layered this multi-generational story was so clever. I immediately started another Michener classic - The Source - after I finished Hawaii.
I picked this book up after having read Tales of the Sound Pacific (which I loved). A friend recommended that I read this book next since I enjoyed my first Michener novel. He warned me that it was long and he wasn’t joking...almost 1200 pages. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and highly recommend it to anybody. After the brief initial explanation of the island formation all of the subsequent chapters intertwine perfectly to produce this awesome work. Michener does a masterful job of making you feel you’re in the places with the characters.
A must read if you ever plan to journey to the islands.
I read this book as a college freshman years ago. All I remembered was that first long chapter describing the formation of the islands. Since I have a vacation trip coming up to the islands I decided to read the book again. As daunting as such a big book was, I found I couldn't put it down. I was transported to another world and lived through the fantastic Polynesian voyage to the islands, the grim era of the missionaries, the amazing histories of the Chinese and the Japanese and finally the beginning of today's Hawaii. At one point I had to double check that this is actually a fiction, because I found myself wanting to look up the same buildings and businesses described in the novel when I get to Hawaii. Alas, this is a fiction, but I know when I arrive in Kauai and Oahu I will have a much deeper appreciation for the true history of those islands. My advice don't be scared off by the size of this book, inside is a rich story that you won't want to put down.