Paradise of the Pacific

Approaching Hawaii

De: Susanna Moore

Narrado por: Kaipo Schwab

The history of Hawaii may be said to be the story of arrivals - from the eruption of volcanoes on the ocean floor 18,000 feet below, the first hardy seeds that over millennia found their way to the islands, and the confused birds blown from their migratory routes to the early Polynesian adventurers who sailed across the Pacific in double canoes, the Spanish galleons en route to the Philippines, and the British navigators in search of a Northwest Passage, soon followed by pious Protestant missionaries, shipwrecked sailors, and rowdy Irish poachers escaped from Botany Bay - all wanderers washed ashore, sometimes by accident. This is true of many cultures, but in Hawaii no one seems to have left. And in Hawaii a set of myths accompanied each of these migrants - legends that shape our understanding of this mysterious place.

In Paradise of the Pacific, Susanna Moore, the award-winning author of In the Cut and The Life of Objects, pieces together the elusive, dramatic story of late-18th-century Hawaii - its kings and queens, gods and goddesses, missionaries, migrants, and explorers - a not-so-distant time of abrupt transition in which an isolated pagan world of human sacrifice and strict taboo, without a currency or a written language, was confronted with the equally ritualized world of capitalism, Western education, and Christian values.

©2015 Susanna Moore (P)2015 Tantor

Reseñas de la Crítica

"Moore's background in storytelling radiates throughout this work, creating a quick-paced and well-crafted narrative." ( Library Journal)

Understanding Today's Native Hawaiians

New to island, this was enlightening historical background. Author incorporated just enough details to make story engaging without bogging down its pace.

Excellent

For people that are more interested a good timeline history of the people of Hawaii this is the book.

Kind of boring

I got lost several times as there didn’t seem to be a main story line

History of Hawaii

Good, but a little dry. Narration was rapid and precise. History told at a rapid pace.☺

Excellent Overview

I enjoyed this book. It was fair, balanced and interesting in its approach. It didn't take a simplistic and judgmental view; rather, it was able to convey the strengths and weaknesses of all parties involved with Hawaii's past. It was a relaxing listen. Occasionally, I did slow the narration down which is something I rarely do, but it was helpful to more fully appreciate the pronunciation of Hawaiian words. If you looking for a broad overview containing significant events in Hawaii's history, this book does exactly that.

Amazing Chronicle of the last place on earth

Moores mix of entries from the ships log, Hawaiian scholars, missionary diaries and merchant transactions of Hawaiis history along with her own spare prose make for a riveting read about the most isolated islands in the world