The Last Aloha

Reviewed by Cherie Fisher for Reader Views (12/09) This book does a wonderful job of capturing what really happened when the Hawaiian empire was overthrown over one-hundred years ago. My grandparents settled in Hawaii and absolutely loved it and I had the good fortune to spend several years there in the 90s. As a Social Worker, I spent an extensive amount of time with local families on all the islands and found them to be some of the most loving, caring people I have ever met. I learned a lot about the islands' history through this book and was captivated by the story that was interwoven into it from the first page forward. The story begins in 1886 and Laura Jennings was on top of the world. She was accepted into Medical School in San Francisco and was about to marry the love of her life. When tragedy struck, taking the two people she cared about most in the world, her father and fiancé, she found herself alone and without means to support herself. It was then that she learned about her father's family in Hawaii and moved to O'ahu to live with them. When Laura left San Francisco, she thought she was leaving civilization and going to a land where she would live in grass huts on the beach. What she found instead was a beautiful, welcoming Hawaiian culture that she immediately embraced. Unfortunately, forces were at work to overthrow the Royal Family and annex the Hawaiian Islands to the United States, not by missionaries, but rich landowners and businessmen who wanted more power and money. When Laura's uncle, a very powerful and cold man, begins to make his plans known to her, she realizes that she must leave his household. She does this first as governess to the last Hawaiian Princess Ka'iulani, and later by working directly for Queen Lili'uokalani. From this perspective, the author is able to give us a very intimate look into the life in the Royal Family and their feelings and reactions to what took place. I highly recommend "The Last Aloha" by Gaellen Quinn to anyone who enjoys a good historical novel and especially to anyone who has a love for the Hawaiian Islands. Mahalo to Gaellen Quinn for writing such a captivating and informative book.

I live in two worlds, one I know and one that leaves me baffled. I was raised by my native Hawaiian grandmother who was born in 1887. She was 6 years old at the time of the overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom. I was 5 when we became the 50th State of America and on that day I learned the most important lesson of my life. I went to my white grandparents home in Kahala for a 4th of July like picnic celebration and was dropped off later that day at my Hawaiian grandmother's home and witnessed the other truth, the mourning. 24 years after the overthow Liliuokalani wrote, " I could not turn back the time for the political change, but there is still time to save our heritage. You must remember never to cease to act because you fear you may fail. The way to lose any earthly kingdom is to be inflexible, intolerant and prejudicial. Another way is to be too flexible, tolerant of too many wrongs and without judgment at all. It is a razor¹s edge. It is the width of a blade of pili grass. To gain the kingdom of heaven is to hear what is not said, to see what can not be seen, and to know the unknowable, that is Aloha. All things in this world are two; in heaven there is but one." (Liliuokalani 1917) On that day in 1959 I saw two truths and I have spent a life time trying to tell the other side, but with each side bunkered down behind their truth it is too painful to hear the other. The subject of the overthrow has been obscured by a hundred fifteen years maybe heaven will open up and Queen Liliuokalani's truth will be heard through a historical novel called, "The Last Aloha". E waiho `ia me ka ha'aha'a a me ke aloha palena `ole.

Most people come to the Hawaiian islands and see the beautiful landscapes but know nothing about the tragic past that broke the hearts of the Hawaiian people. This book,though it contains fictional characters,is based on sound research and it paints a tremendous picture of the actual happenings that caused the Kingdom of Hawaii to be stolen away from its people. I truly could not stop reading from start to finish. Hawaii is known throughout the world as one of the most beautiful places on earth. It is time the world heard the story behind the beauty.

In the blink of an eye, what might have been an ordinary life for an ordinary woman is tranformed by tragedy into an extraordinary journey. By not dwelling overly-long on the tragic events that precipitate our heroine's travel to the Hawaiian Islands, Ms. Quinn gets right to the heart of the matter and grabs our attention, showing us that Laura (like many people of her time) has no idea what the words "Hawaiian Nation" really mean, nor does she know what awaits her at the end of her voyage. She thinks she will be living amongst "savages," and quite possibly, cannibals. She will find that she is very much mistaken. This excerpt is engagingly written. The characters of "The Last Aloha" are vivid and believable, as are the settings, and the use of journal entries affords a wonderfully intimate view into the mind of our main character. The hint of a family mystery is compelling. What is the real story of the beautiful pearl ring Laura wears on a chain around her neck? Ms. Quinn promises to lead us through a story rich in intrigue, passion, and courage, revealing truths about Hawaii's history thus far hidden from the public eye. If the first two chapters are any indication if what's to come, I can't wait to read the rest of "The Last Aloha."