My girlfriend Pat recommended Alan Brennert's first novel in this series "Molokai" to me but, I ended up downloading Honolulu. I don't believe the series of books are connected so, hopefully it is ok that I am listening to them out of order. This book starts off with young Regret, whose name speaks volumes of her value in turn-of-the-20th-century Korea. Emboldened by her desire to be educated, Regret commits herself as a mail-order bride to a prosperous man in Hawaii, where girls are allowed to attend school. But when she arrives, she finds her new husband is a callous plantation worker with drinking and gambling problems. Soon, Regret (now known as Jin) and her fellow picture brides must discover their own ways to prosper in America and find that camaraderie and faith in themselves goes a long way. This was very a very interesting book in explaining the history of Honolulu and the cultures but, for me, this book was a little too 'sweet' in Jin's outlook and went on too long.
Rating: 3.1 OK
Rating: 3.1 OK
