The Ohana

by C.W. Schutter

A child is dying. Her life depends on an explosive secret her grandmother has kept from their Ohana (family). As Mary Han wrestles with the toxic revelations, she must finally face the past she fought so hard to forget....

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction

316 pages, Paperback

First published September 12, 2013

About the author

I'm originally from Hawaii where I grew up listening to fascinating stories of my family and the people around them from my mother. As far back as I can remember, I loved books. I wrote in a notebook at the age of eight, "I want to grow up to be an author."
I loved everything from fairy tales to historical fiction and non-fiction. Books were my passion and my best friends. I preferred reading books to playing with toys. It took me around the world to places I yearned to go to and places I wanted to see. I could be anyone and do the impossible. I became a princess, an equestrian, an adventurer, a warrior, or a ballerina.
As an author and a woman who has lived a roller coaster life, my desire is to bring this magical world where everything is possible to anyone who dreams. I want my readers to fall in love with my characters, get mad at them, cry with them, laugh with them, and become a part of their lives. I'd like to take my readers on a journey they will never forget so at the end of the story, the readers will feel like they were part of my made-up world. I wish for them to learn something new and discover new ways of looking at people and situations. I hope to challenge my readers to think in a way they've never thought before. Most of all, I want my stories to resonate in the hearts of everyone who reads my books. And, of course, I wish to entertain. Thank you and Aloha for reading my stories.

Reviews

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this book,learnt more about the history of the islands,that I did not know,this books is full of characters and the story is strong and somehow the writer has written the book, so the reader does not loose site of who is related to whom,I found that the book made me look at my own family and put into perspective some of the decisions that I have made over the years and how my ancestors would view them today.

[Lauralee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novel sets in Hawaii, and it expands three generations of an immigrant family. The story begins with a young girl dying, and there is nothing to save her except a secret that her grandmother, Mary, has kept from the family. As Mary ponders whether to tell her family the secret, she surfs through her memories of a past that she wants to forget, but she knows that she must face it in order to save her granddaughter.

The novel begins with the story of three different people from different families and cultures. The first person is the story of a Korean warrior who is arrested by the Japanese army. He escapes to Hawaii where he works as a plantation farmer. The second person is an Irish immigrant, who fought in the Civil War and ends up running a ranch in Hawaii. The third person is a Japanese samurai woman, who flees to Hawaii with her lover to escape an advantageous and loveless marriage and she can marry for true love. While it seems that these three people from different backgrounds and race are so random, it becomes clear that they are intricately connected and they are part of a family.

The story is told from both the male and female’s perspectives, but it is clear that the central character is Mary. Mary’s mother is a Japanese widow, and she has a lot of siblings. At first she seems to be hopeful and naive, but she is forced to give up her hopes and dreams in order to support her family. Her mother sends her off to work for a cruel family, and it is there that Mary loses her innocence. Mary then endures many trials in order to support herself and her family.

Overall, this story beautifully captures the hardships of the immigrant families. The novel has issues with racism and class. It also deals with tradition versus modernity.The novel also shows the diversity of the culture and ethnicity in Hawaii. The story explores the true meaning of family and love. I recommend this novel to anyone who is interested in Hawaii. I also recommend this story to anyone who wants to read powerful stories about a strong family.
(This was given to me by the author in exchange for an honest review.)

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

I want to say how much I am enjoying this book. I am starting Part III. The first couple of pages were a little awkward for me, but once the story picked up, and I got my bearings, I was sucked right in-always what I am looking for in a book. The story has a good pace, and stays very interesting, throughout. I like the way the lives of the different characters are interwoven. It's as good as Alan Brennert's books about Hawaii. Maybe a little better. I don't want to give away much, as I hate reading spoilers, but give this book a try, if you like reading the history and cultural heritage of Hawaii.

[Larry · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wonderful book! I tend to pick up every book that takes place in Hawaii that crosses my path, and I don't really have high expectations of them. But this book completely surprised me with it's depth of character development and saga of relationships reflecting different aspects of life in Hawaii across several generations. One of the best books I've read this year.

[Lynnette Phillips · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just finished The Ohana -- I found it to be reminiscent of James Michener without the detailed geological backgrounds. Too bad it was so poorly copyedited because the story was captivating and compelling.

[Ruth Phillips · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great

A wonderful book about war, loss love, and most importantly family. It doesn't matter where the family comes from, it only matters that you love each other. Wonderful storyline, great characters!

[Tom Heckley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed reading this book

A good story with some history thrown in so I learned something new. It was time well spent doing something I really enjoyed.

[Judy Galindo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed the twists of family making full circle.

[Al · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Ohana (ohana means family in Hawaiian) is just what the description claims, a story of a family entwined with “the social, political, and economic history of Hawaii.” The family has branches originating from varied backgrounds and cultures. The story spans a time that was rife with cultural change and upheaval for all of the US. I suspect this change was more extreme for Hawaii with multiple waves of immigration as well as changes brought about from becoming a territory of the US not long before the tale starts. The story was compelling and the backdrop was just as interesting.

However, I also found myself struggling at times with the dialog of some characters who used convoluted syntax and while I could intuit what they were saying, it also didn’t make for smooth reading, as in this snippet of dialogue.

“’Sorry, brah,” Moki patted his back. “Da Silva don’ believe in letting anyone go for nothing. So he when show you what he can do. He when do that with his left hand. Pretty good, ‘ey?”

I interpreted examples such as these as done on purpose, a non-error. The number of actual grammatical and other proofing issues outside of dialogue was higher than I like to see, but not excessive. Combined, the two made for sometimes rough reading, but not enough to abandon a story I wanted to see through to the end.

**Originally written for "Books and Pals" book blog. May have received a free review copy. **

[Joyce · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were many great features to this book which tells the story of 4 families in Hawaii with very different origins---Japan, Korea, Ireland, and Hawaii. It dates back to the 1850's and moved up to the 1990's. The families from Japan, Korea and Ireland had left those countries under desperate circunstances in the hopes of finding a better future in Hawaii. One of the families is in the highest social class in Hawaii and descended from the first white missionaries. The characters are interesting but I didn't really connect with any of them or even like them. The writer's style was easy to read but there were so many characters from the 4 different families that I couldn't keep track of them and found myself struggling to remember who was who.

[Mandy Tanksley · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting look at the history of Asians in Hawaii and their struggle to find their place in the beautiful island paradise. The Ohana features a large cast of characters who are brought together through the unusual circumstances of their times. We meet three generations of the ohana (family) the book is centered around. It's confusing at times because there are so many people to keep track of some go by multiple names. The story itself is okay. Sometimes I felt as though I was never going to reach the point of the book, but then something would happen to make me want to read as much as I could. All in all I'd give it a 2 1/2 stars.

[Dee Miller · Rating 3 out of 5]

Only Got Half Done

The research this author put into this valuable work of historical fiction is something I admire and sincerely appreciate. Her characters are outstanding, too. Perhaps if I had started out by keeping notes on all of them, I would not have given up trying to sort out the ever-changing cast of foreign names--all new to me. Add to that the complications of keeping up with the various ethnic terms on a kindle, where getting to the glossary is cumbersome along with multiple careless errors. So I'm throwing in the towel, wishing that the story had been in two volumes, perhaps with less frequent character changes.

[Belinda Fogarty · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found the story entertaining and the history behind it about the Korean, Japaneses and Hawaii relations before and during the second world war very interesting. It was hard though to keep track of all the characters and try to find the main one was almost imposable. Well written with colorful descriptions of the people and the world around them. I would have like to see it broken into two books maybe with more historical information.

[Patricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Four families from different parts of the world settle (Ireland, USA, Korea, Japan) in Hawaii and the lives of their descendants intertwine in the 20th century.

Interesting characters

No graphic sex or violence

[Winni Mattos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed this book from start to finish! I highly recommend this book!

[Lucy Zambrano · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as good.

I don't know. I think I was looking for some action and thrill in this book and didn't find it.

[Cchelles · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was ok. There were a lot of characters and a lot to follow.