Hawaii: A Novel | James A. Michener

Hawaii: A Novel | James A. Michener | Classic

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Hawaii: A Novel

	Hawaii: A Novel James A. Michener Random House Trade Paperbacks, 2002 - 960 pages average customer review:based on 105 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

In Hawaii, Pulitzer Prize?winning author James Michener weaves the classic saga that brought Hawaii?s epic history vividly alive to the American public on its initial publication in 1959, and continues to mesmerize even today.

The volcanic processes by which the Hawaiian Islands grew from the ocean floor were inconceivably slow, and the land remained untouched by man for countless centuries until, little more than a thousand years ago, Polynesian seafarers made the perilous journey across the Pacific and discovered their new home. They lived and flourished in this tropical paradise according to their ancient traditions and beliefs until, in the early nineteenth century, American missionaries arrived, bringing a new creed and a new way of life to a Stone Age society. The impact of the missionaries had only begun to be absorbed when other national groups, with equally different customs, began to migrate in great numbers to the islands. The story of modern Hawaii, and of this novel, is one of how disparate peoples, struggling to keep their identity yet live with one another in harmony, ultimately joined together to build America?s strong and vital fiftieth state.

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How to read Michener

I've read almost all of Michener's books. Hawaii was the first, and I read it years ago. However, I discovered how to read the book without boredom that can set in when you're struggling through the pre-historic background. After several false starts, I finally started reading starting with the 2nd (and sometimes the 3rd) chapter. After the book was concluded, then I went back and read the first one or two chapters. With Michener, this technique has never failed me.

Classic

Michener's "Hawaii" is still the best book about Hawaii on the market. It is indeed a classic.

Editor of Laurie Birnsteel's Kahala

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One of Mitchener`s finest!!

Although, as with other Mitchener novels, "Hawaii" had some sections that could have been shortened, or even eliminated, I still enjoyed most of the historical adventure of this wonderful area. The fact that I had been to the Hawaiian Islands twice made it even more interesting!

my favorite book of all time

I bought this for my daughter in law. I have read and re-read this book many times, my copy is so old and dog-eared that i decided to buy a new one for her.

Dorothy Harper

Fantastic Fictional Tour of Historical Hawaii

Mr. Michener's wonderful historical novel on the 50th state masterfully weaves together many smaller individual stories that allow the reader to appreciate this amazing and diverse island group. Hawaii was settled in waves, and book begins with the original human settlement by brave seafarers who could read the waves and locate dots of land in a vast seascape. The reader experiences the later impacts of famous explorers, Christian missionaries, far-away countries seeking to colonize, businessmen and sailors, Chinese, Japanese, and Filipinos. One of the gems of the book is the amazing story of young Japanese-American men and their wartime valor on behalf of their adopted country.

Once you get past the beaches, hotels, and shops, Hawaii is an absolutely fascinating place - culturally, geologically, and historically. Despite the danger of learning facts from a historical novel that is fictional in its details, I believe Michener's research and accuracy allows the reader to acquire a good feel for the essence of Hawaii, and engender more reading on the same topic and perhaps on-site exploration. That aside, though, reading through this extensive book is a great experience. It is really a compendium of many sub-stories, each special in its own way. The book moves along at a good pace, and in the end provides a marathon of fascinating tales and images.

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