Honolulu

By: Alan Brennert

Narrated by: Ali Ahn

Best-selling author Alan Brennert blends history and fiction to showcase Hawaii's dynamic past in this captivating novel.

Set in the 1920s and 1930s, Honolulu explores the stark contrast between the image of the glamorous Hawaiian paradise portrayed to the mainland and the harsh reality of life on the island. With characters as vivid and richly descriptive as the history of Hawaii itself, this novel is sure to enthrall listeners.

©2009 Alan Brennert (P)2009 Recorded Books, LLC

Fantastic Vacation Read

I purchased this book in preparation for a trip to Hawaii with my husband. It was perfect to get me in the mood for our trip as well as a great beach read. It was very interesting to get a taste of the history of the island of Oahu before visiting and definitely helped me to see the island and its people in a different light. I think the book was well researched and really gave me a view into a completely different world than my own. I would highly recommend it.

Korea to Hawaii

I really enjoyed this immersive historical story of a young Korean woman finding a life for herself in Hawaii. There is a lot of interesting detail about Korean culture, as well as some history of Honolulu in the 1920's-1930's. There are some great characters, too, some funny (Jade Moon and Maisie) and some poignant ( Little Sister ). If you like the books by Lisa See, this has a similar feel, although more history and less character-driven. I don't agree with the negative comments about the narrator, I thought she was excellent.

absolutely loved!

I love all of Alan's books, he's such a way of drawing you in from the very beginning and keeping attention throughout. The story truly spoke to me, and educated me about the struggles in Hawaii and Japan. highly recommend!

In depth look at an immigrant to Hawaii

Slow start but what a story. I loved how it wove pieces of Hawaiian culture that has evolved to current day.

Such a beautiful story!

I have to say this is the best book I've read this year and the second best book I've ever read.

I love historicals with rich views on other countries and cultures. I also love books about family. But this book was so much more. This was a book about a strong woman, who despite every single obstacle she was faced with, rose above. And it's important to know that not only did she continue but she accomplished so much more than anyone could have ever imagined. Her road was difficult and filled with so many twists and turns, rights and wrongs, and happy and sad moments.

The author had a wide group of side characters that quickly became very important. He brought them all alive and gave them strong roles in the story. He was able to bring out so much emotion in me that I hadn't sobbed or laughed this much since I read The Shoemaker's Wife by Adrianna Trigiani.

Not only did the author succeed in throwing us into the lives of these characters, but he took us on a tour of Korea and Oahu. His descriptions were vivid and amazing and made me feel that I was there seeing it with my own eyes.

This is one of those books that will "stick" with me forever and I recommend this for anyone that wants to be a part of a rich vivid tale of a strong woman.

The audio performance was okay ... pronunciations were not the best and that is important in audio books but the story was so good it was almost forgivable.

A good read

I liked this book, which tells the story of a group of immigrants to the US (Hawaii) and how they are frowned upon by so called better people (ordinary Americans and other immigrants). How they fight for their lives and how they survive and finally suceed (in a way) by sheer perseverance and doggedly hard work is a very good story, not lacking in suspense. Well told and well worth listening to.

Interesting

Glad I got this one. It was very interesting about the history of the introduction of Asian people into the fabric of the Hawaiian culture.

Fantastic Read

I absolutely loved Moloka'i and was excited to pick this up. Brennert did it again with Honolulu. Fantastic read and again learned more about a part of history I was unfamiliar with. Loved the story and loved the performance!

Good, not great, but worth beach reading

I listened to this book on a long road trip with my husband. It started off strong but a little over half way it went from a historic romantic novel to a historical mystery, which you can either appreciate or not, I was not a fan.Overall, I enjoyed it and I could envision that era. I was thankful that it did close the loop at the end.

Excellent Story

I was pulled into the story line from the very start! Awesome narration, I couldn't wait to return and hear more.