From the Bookshelf of Around the World in 80 Books…
Find A Copy At
Group Discussions About This Book
No topics in
Group Reads Nominations
yet.
Start one now »
What Members Thought
I loved this compassionate epic tale of a young girl diagnosed with leprosy in 1891 and sentenced to live out her life on the island of Moloka'i. I thought the subject might make the novel sad, depressing, but it was absolutely the opposite. The Hawaiin history and mythology gave the story greater depth. I loved all the characters in this book; the good and the bad. This book gave me a lot of joy.
...more
3.5 stars rounded up
Rachel Kalama is 7 years old living in Hawaii in the 1890's when she contracts leprosy (currently known as Hansen's disease). To prevent the spread of the disease Rachel is forceably sent to the leper colony at Kalaupapa on Molokai. The book covers the span of Rachel's life though more time is spent on her childhood than later years. The author does a good job telling the history of Hansen's disease and of the colony at Kalaupapa. What I thought the book was lacking was much ...more
Rachel Kalama is 7 years old living in Hawaii in the 1890's when she contracts leprosy (currently known as Hansen's disease). To prevent the spread of the disease Rachel is forceably sent to the leper colony at Kalaupapa on Molokai. The book covers the span of Rachel's life though more time is spent on her childhood than later years. The author does a good job telling the history of Hansen's disease and of the colony at Kalaupapa. What I thought the book was lacking was much ...more
I really enjoyed the audio version of this book. The author's voice was perfect. I would never have picked up this book because I would have not been interested. But I loved every page. Instead of just being a book about the horrors of leprosy, it focused on how people learned to live with the disease.
The author was so descriptive in his love for Hawaii. It incorporated various historical events into the fiction and there were so many wonderful characters who loved and supported our heroine thro ...more
The author was so descriptive in his love for Hawaii. It incorporated various historical events into the fiction and there were so many wonderful characters who loved and supported our heroine thro ...more
Enjoyed this book more than any other for a long time. This is a great historical fiction novel that tells the 20th century (mostly) history of Hawai’i and the leper colony of Moloka’i through the life of an extraordinary girl and then woman. It isn’t lost on me the parallels between the way Hansen’s disease (which is the current name of leprosy) tore families apart and caused people to die without family there and the way our current pandemic is keeping people apart. Maybe that’s why I’ve taken
...more
Incredibly moving story! The setting fascinated me-I didn't know much about Hawaii in the early 1900's.
...more
It took me sooo long to get over the hump in this book—I had a hard time staying engaged and trudging through much of the middle. But I read the last 30% or so in one day and ended up really loving how sad/beautiful the story was, especially with the history woven in.
Feb 11, 2012
Jennifer
marked it as to-read
Sep 03, 2012
Rebecca
marked it as to-read
Apr 19, 2013
Chantal
marked it as to-read
Jul 18, 2014
Samantha
marked it as to-read
Sep 01, 2014
Mary
marked it as to-read
Sep 14, 2014
Amina
marked it as to-read
Sep 28, 2015
Neila
marked it as to-read
Feb 24, 2019
Camilla Cluett
marked it as to-read
Sep 04, 2020
Kim DeCina
marked it as to-read
Sep 04, 2020
Anisa
marked it as to-read
