Kaaawa: A Novel about Hawaii in the 1850s

This well-crafted historical novel held me captive until I finished it. Descriptions of Oahu, native Hawaiians, haoles (foreigners), and the events of Hawaii in the 1850s seemed entirely authentic. I enjoyed the technique of two complementary stories, each told by the two primary characters (one Hawaiian, one Haole). I recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn more about Hawaii's people and history.

As a native of Hawaii I found this book hard to put down. It's set in Hawaii in the 1850's, during a time when pressure from foreign powers created considerable turmoil within the Hawaiian royal house. What I like best is that the story is told in the person of a Hawaiian priest (and tutor to the Prince Liholiho). He has considerable, intricate, and savy knowledge of what goes on in Hawaii. Yet he too, like the powerful royal house he serves, is subject to political and cutural changes far beyond his control. The descriptions of the influenza and smallpox epidemics, and the manifestations of the rapidly vanishing old culture, are chilling.