logo
Wrong email address or username
Wrong email address or username
Incorrect verification code
Honolulu - Alan Brennert
Honolulu
by: (author)
4.33 15
From the bestselling author of the “dazzling historical saga” (The Washington Post), Moloka’i, comes the irresistible story of a young immigrant bride in a ramshackle town that becomes a great modern city “In Korea in those days, newborn girls were not deemed important enough to be graced with... show more
From the bestselling author of the “dazzling historical saga” (The Washington Post), Moloka’i, comes the irresistible story of a young immigrant bride in a ramshackle town that becomes a great modern city “In Korea in those days, newborn girls were not deemed important enough to be graced with formal names, but were instead given nicknames, which often reflected the parents’ feelings on the birth of a daughter:  I knew a girl named Anger, and another called Pity.  As for me, my parents named me Regret.”Honolulu is the rich, unforgettable story of a young “picture bride” who journeys to Hawai'i in 1914 in search of a better life.Instead of the affluent young husband and chance at an education that she has been promised, she is quickly married off to a poor, embittered laborer who takes his frustrations out on his new wife. Renaming herself Jin, she makes her own way in this strange land, finding both opportunity and prejudice. With the help of three of her fellow picture brides, Jin prospers along with her adopted city, now growing from a small territorial capital into the great multicultural city it is today.  But paradise has its dark side, whether it’s the daily struggle for survival in Honolulu’s tenements, or a crime that will become the most infamous in the islands’ history...With its passionate knowledge of people and places in Hawai'i far off the tourist track, Honolulu is most of all the spellbinding tale of four women in a new world, united by dreams, disappointment, sacrifices, and friendship.
show less
Format: paperback
ISBN: 9780312606343 (0312606346)
ASIN: 312606346
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Pages no: 431
Edition language: English
Bookstores:
Community Reviews
Retiredbear
Retiredbear rated it
5.0 Honolulu
I picked up this book because of the author's first book, the excellent Molokai. I truly enjoyed that book, and since I was raised in Hawaii, I sought out Honolulu.Honolulu is a fine example of a tragic historical fiction novel. I did find myself occasionally sipping over various part f the book b...
Book Love
Book Love rated it
Just purchased this one at Big Lots for $3!! I also have Moloka'i on my bookshelf. Now I need to read both by this author; I'm moving them up on my list!
A Book and A Review #2
A Book and A Review #2 rated it
5.0
This is my favorite Alan Brennert book. It is heartbreaking and uplifting at the same time.
Telynor's Library, and then some
Telynor's Library, and then some rated it
4.0
This was my first outing with Alan Brennert's work, and I liked it very much. The writing is vivid, full of energy, and mixes in a lot of historical details about Honolulu, and a Korean woman's life there as a 'picture bride' or mail order wife. Very much recommended for those who want something a b...
A Book Addict's Musings by Readinghearts
A Book Addict's Musings by Readinghearts rated it
5.0
I would highly recommend this book, and the first Hawaii book by this author, titled Moloka'i. Both books helped to satisfy my hunger for books about the mix of cultures that make Hawaii unique. This fascination began in high school when I read James Michener's Hawai'i. Unlike that book, these bo...
Other editions (15)
Books by Alan Brennert
On shelves
Share this Book
Need help?