The Last Aloha

by Gaellen Quinn

BAIPA Award Best Historical Fiction.
How did Hawaii become part of America? This story, inspired by true events suppressed for nearly 100 years, is the one James Michener never wrote. In 1886, Laura Jennings travels to Hawaii to live with missionary relatives. She imagines she'll live in a grass hut, ministering to savages. When she arrives in Honolulu, she's surprised to find her relatives are among the wealthy elite plotting to overthrow the Hawaiian monarchy. And, far from being savages, the Hawaiians have developed a charming and prosperous Victorian kingdom. To avoid her conniving uncle's control, Laura leaves to work for the royal family and learns her family's prejudices against them are false. The last Queen, Lili-uokalani, wages a tragic struggle to save the Kingdom. Through choices she makes when every avenue is blocked, Laura sees the power that can restore the spirit of a people caught in a turbulent world and discovers how long-hidden secrets of her own family lead the way to reunion.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Book Club, Historical, Audiobook, Cultural, United States

394 pages, Paperback

First published May 15, 2009

Reviews

[Celeste Noelani McLean · Rating 1 out of 5]

I borrowed this book from the library and could not bring myself to finish it before it was due. I didn't feel that it was worth renewing or purchasing since I just could not get invested in the story. And I really ought to have been invested! I am Kanaka Maoli and grew up in Hawaii. I learned a lot about the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy and some of my family members are active in the Sovereignty movement. What I am trying to say is that I wanted so much to love this book and am disappointed that I did not.

However, it should be noted that I am not the target audience for this novel. The target audience seems to be non-Hawaiians or those with less interest in or knowledge of Hawaiian history. Perhaps readers who are simply looking for historical fiction would be able to connect to the characters in ways that I could not.

It's not as if this novel is just poorly written. The author is definitely accomplished, but there were certain details that were not incorporated into the novel, and these details completely disrupted any suspension of disbelief that I was trying really hard to maintain. (I call it "finding the penny".)

The detail that made me return this book to the library rather than renew it or purchase it to add to my collection, was the absence of two critical parts of ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian language). The kahakō (macron) is placed above vowels to lengthen the sound of the vowel, which can completely change the meaning of a word. The ʻokina is a Hawaiian language consonant that looks like a backwards apostrophe (sort of) and indicates a glottal stop. This also completely changed the pronunciation, and therefore the meaning, of a word.

For example, the protagonist Laura is given the nickname of "Malolo" by David, a Native Hawaiian associated with the royal family. This made me alternately roll with laughter and roll my eyes with impatience, because I figured David was actually saying Mālolo, which means flying fish. (There is some great description of a flying fish that lands on the deck of the ship Laura takes to Hawaii, and I assumed that this was the author trying to use foreshadowing or other literary shenanigans to add more dazzle to the Laura / David sequences). However, the word malolo without the kahakō over the first a means either to rest or low, as in a tide. We call my teenage son "low tide" when he hasn't showered. Okay, so I know that's just a personal aside and that could definitely have been ignored if it wasn't the fact that Malolo is the name of a sugary drink syrup sold in Hawaii. We used to drink that because we couldn't afford actual juice. Also another personal aside, but hey. We read books personally don't we?

Maybe the kahakō was removed during printing and if that is the case then this is the fault of the publisher and not the author. Still, it should be noted.

Like I said, it was the that might not even register to other readers. BUT, these are big details to me. I am generally really thrilled that this book exists, because I LOVE seeing books about Hawaii and Hawaiian people. I seek them out aggressively and want to think really highly of any book about my homeland, so it is always a little disappointing to find one that just doesn't sit right.

There were character and storyline factors that kept me from enjoying this novel, so I guess my inability to finish this book, and this one star review, isn't only due to my pedantic ʻŌlelo issues. The writing was at times poetic and stirring, but other passages were extremely distant and reserved. I could not get a "handle" on any of the characters, save the seamstress that appears only in the beginning of the novel. I thought the beginning scene between the seamstress and the protagonist was one of the best one in the part of the novel I read. And when the royal family was introduced, I just couldn't get "into" them. And these are people I have revered since childhood! What a shame. Perhaps it would have gotten better, but I just could not bring myself to find out. And I am super bummed out about that.

I am only giving this book a one star because I did not finish it. I didn't think the passages I did read were only one star passages, and most likely the rest of the book isn't actually a one star book. But this (kind of stubborn) reader gave up on this story, so one star it is. If I ever finish the book in the future and change my mind, I'll let you know.

[Misfit · Rating 4 out of 5]

"And I want my people to know. They should continue to work for justice, but with aloha. It's our essence, like a fragrance is to a flower. Aloha is our spirit, it's who we are. If we don't have that, we're lost, and there is no more Hawaii."

San Francisco late 1880s - Laura Jennings has her whole life in front of her - but tragedy strikes when her father and fiancé are killed in a carriage accident. Laura had hoped to go to medical school, but left alone and with little money she must join her Aunt in Hawaii. Laura finds her *missionary* family quite well to do, although her aunt is bed-ridden and her domineering husband Stephen (who lusts after Laura despite his strong religious views) happily puts Laura to *work* teaching her young cousins. Laura meets and charms members of the Hawaiian royal family and is eventually offered a post as governess to young princess Ka'iulani, and that post eventually leads to another as assistant and lady in waiting to Queen Lili'uokalani. The queen is eventually beset by plots among the Americans Europeans wanting to either control or destroy the monarchy and annex Hawaii to the United States.

And that is the basic run down of the book, although there's a lot more to it - Laura's father had a secret from his past in Hawaii he took to his grave, two men who love her (one white and prosperous, and then David who is hapa haole, half white/half Hawaiian). This book was an entrant in Amazon's Breakthrough Novel Award (ABNA) contest in 2008 and I never realized it had been published until I heard the author mention it on a discussion board. I found six copies in the library's catalog with fifteen other people in line ahead of me (always a good sign) and I (im)patiently waited for my turn. I enjoyed this book a lot and learned quite a lot more than what this former resident of Hawaii was taught back in grade school.

That said, as much as I did like this book and had a hard time putting it down it's not without a few quibbles. Although Laura is the main character, she's a more passive character and doesn't quite come to life - she's more of a conduit the author uses to advance the story of the royal family. Not a bad thing, but just not what I expected. I really got a good flavor of the Hawaiian culture from this book (I'll pass on the poi though), and enjoyed the healthy sprinkling of Hawaiian words in the text - although readers not familiar with them would have appreciated a vocabulary and pronunciation guide. A genealogical chart of the Hawaiian royal family would have been much helpful, as well as a list of the other main players in the plot to overthrow the existing government, I lost track of who was who on occasion and a refresher at the end of a long day would have come in handy.

Those quibbles aside, if you're interested in this period in Hawaii's history this is definitely a book to consider adding to your shelf - this history geek loved it. If you're looking for Laura's story, star-crossed lovers, and true love in the end kind of stuff this is probably not the book for you. 4/5 stars.

[Kathryn in FL · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gaellen Quinn delivers a fascinating fictional account of the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy. The author does an excellent job of using Laura Jennings, a young woman from California as a witness to the events that most never learned in history class.

Laura Jennings is the only daughter of a San Francisco widower, and she is going to marry Andrew in a couple weeks. On their way to pick her up from the seamstress, they are killed in an accident leaving Laura alone and penniless. She writes to her aunt in Hawaii, whom she has never met and she is welcomed into their household. Laura is immediately tasked with the care and education of her two nieces since her aunt is dying from TB. Her cold uncle makes it abundantly clear that he has little interest in Laura's well-being and that her job is to attend gala's in place of her aunt and to host dinner parties for the affluent businessmen and their wives, that he entertains. Laura does her best but she is constantly berated by her uncle for petty offenses.

Laura learns that one of the princesses of the kingdom is looking for a tutor for her daughter, princess Ka`iulani and Laura is selected. Thus Laura becomes not only a trusted employee, who is loved and respected but she is privy to the internal saga of the King's efforts to thwart the wealthy business owners (mainly sugar producers) from various attempts to render his directives as useless. These men first take the king to task by forcing his hand to include people in his cabinet that are not sympathetic to the needs of the Hawaiians. From there they use the legislature to take away the vote from anyone who does not own land (which is the overwhelming majority of the Hawaiians). King Kalalaua is quite savvy but in many ways he is at the mercy of these men because of the wealth they bring to the kingdom. Many that are at odds with the King are descendent's of Christian missionaries, who chose not to become missionaries but instead are business men, who operated sugar plantations employing many Hawaiians, Japanese, Chinese and Portuguese.

The book takes place over 13 year period, when the princess Ka`iulani is sent to England so that she may broaden her education Laura is out of work. Laura is proposed to by her uncle, Stephen, who is now a widower, a man for whom she has tremendous disdain (for excellent reasons). She agrees instead to marry another man, Lucien McBride, who has pursued her almost since the day her ship docked in Hawaii. Laura has no desire to marry Lucien, she captivated by another man, David, half caste person (Hawaiian and Caucasian), which all the whites find scandalous and inappropriate. David too is drawn to her but is reluctant given the mixed signals Laura sends. Princess Lili`uokalani needs a new personal assistant and Laura applies enabling her to stall her wedding. The Princess (heir to the throne) relies heavily on Laura and entrusts with all information regarding kingdom business.

Overtime, in order to assuage the efforts of the businessmen to get the U.S. to annex Hawaii, the King allows the U.S. to use Pearl Harbor as a stop for refueling and purchasing of food and other goods. The businessmen lobby legislators to claim Hawaii as a state instead of a protectorate, while the King continues to plead his case that Hawaii remain an independent kingdom. The king dies while visiting California and Lili`uokalani becomes Queen of Hawaii.

Unknowingly, Lucien discovers information from Laura benefiting the businessmen in their plans of a coup. The Queen is thrown in jail and as are those loyal to the royal family including David. There is talk that all will be tried for treason and in Hawaii the punishment is death by hanging. Eventually, the charges are dropped but the businessmen continue with various maneuvers to dismantle the monarchy for a Republic (very much like that of U.S. where only landowner's and those of a certain income level are allowed to vote) thus blocking any say from the Chinese, Japanese and Hawaiians making them completely disenfranchised. As different efforts are put forth, the U.S. agrees to participate in sorting out the issues. Eventually, the Queen is backed into a corner and Lili`uokalani becomes nothing more than a figure head with no power to rule her people.

I thoroughly enjoyed the background story of Laura Jennings experiences. Laura is useful in her interaction with her family and other elites propelling the reader into the mindset of the Caucasian belief of entitlement and their ruthless conniving actions to protect their interests. Likewise, Lili`uokalani gives us insight into the desires of the royal families desire to maintain the culture of the Hawaiian peoples and the lifestyle that existed before the white people bought all the land to produce sugar a commodity highly desired by the U.S. at that time.

The irony of the unethical acts displayed by these descendent's of Christian missionaries is highlighted throughout the story. The Queen was a very devout Christian. She attended church with many of those who sought to dethrone her until the Pastor began to speak ill of the monarchy during his sermons. Though this takes place in the late 1800's, not much has changed where the term "Christianity" is used as a basis to do evil works. It breaks my heart for the Bible is very clear that such activities are done by "workers of inequity" thus they are not Christian in any way, shape or form because their behavior is the opposite of the teachings of Jesus Christ. Much of the later part of the story focuses on awareness that she must forgive them because that is the teaching of Christ. She says to Laura,

“How do you love those who take everything you have, and it’s still not enough for them?
They’re not happy unless they crush your spirit. And what’s worse, they have no sense
they’re doing anything wrong at all. There’s no awareness, no remorse, no apology, just
arrogance.”

Those who have studied human behavior will realize that she is describing a narcissist. Nor was the Queen racist as she and her sister both married white men.

Gaellen Quinn is an exceptional writer, this is her first published work but hopefully not her last. I enjoyed it so much I read the entire 373 pages in one day.

[Louise · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this novel, author Gaellen Quinn tells the true story of the overthrow and imprisonment of Hawaii's last queen and the resulting annexation of Hawaii to the US. This history is not widely known outside of Hawaii.

It can be debated whether or not the US affiliation was good or bad in the long run, in the short run or the future, but there can be no serious debate on the ethics of those who engineered the US annexation. What they did was totally shameful. This novel captures not only the actions but the attitudes that spawned them. The story unfolds for the reader as it does for the fictional protagonist, Laura, who is a newcomer to the islands.

Quinn does a good job of bringing the characters to life. The descendants of the missionaries prospered and developed a sense of entitlement. She shows the society they developed (fancy balls, formal dinners, carriages and calling cards) and its authoritarian underpinnings. In home-life there is little warmth. Laura's uncle controls his family through "discipline" and tries to control Laura by limiting her options. Through John Dominus's words you understand the the Queen's loveless marriage.

Several times a month, I pass the statue of Lili'oukalani holding her Constitution and a copy of "Hawaii Oe". Each time I pass it, there are different mementos: leis, flowers, a candle or maybe a ribbon. Someone has always placed a piece of something thoughtful in her hand or at the statue's base. I presume these are removed each evening by a maintenanc crew, and each day, something new appears. These are expressions of how much Hawaiians love this queen. At the annual Kamehameha celebration, many dress in black to mourn the end of the Kingdom of Hawaii.

(I still do not understand why the Statue of Lili'oukalani is placed behind the State Capitol building, nor why her home served as the Governor's Mansion for many years and is currently part of the Governor's Mansion complex. Her statue deserves its own place and should not be at the rear of this particular building. Her residence should never have been the home of governors. It is not widely known that tours of the former residence can arranged. This should not be. The home should be open with tour hours posted just like many other homes of other leaders and persons of achievement throughout the US.)

I visited the author's web site and was drawn to the page "Why I Wrote this Book". Gaellen Quinn had visited Hawaii and read James Michener's 1959 novel "Hawaii". Michener skips the overthrow in this epic novel. This is a giant void for a detail oriented writer/researcher such as Michener, a human rights supporter, who often lived in a location for two years before writing an epic novel. Quinn explains on her web site that in this period (as Hawaiians were voting on statehood) the story had been suppressed by the descendants of the missionaries, who became the business and political establishment and held important documents in private collections. Quinn only learned of what is locally called "The Overthrow" through a new Hawaiian in-law.

Hopefully this book will be more widely read. A new movie "Princess Kaiulani" is now in theaters and may spark more interest in this sad episode of Hawaiian history. This book relies on dialog and journal entries to tell the story and could easily be adapted to a film as well.

[Candace]

This book’s pacing is too slow for me. I am dnf’ing it at p. 134. I chose it while looking for a book that would have some Hawaiian history in it as we have a trip planned much later to Kauai’i. But there is more innocent romance than history and it is so boring.

Interesting Fact: the cover painting of the book is Poppies by Princess Ka`iulani, at age fifteen

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

This story had such great potential. Unfortunately it was trying to be too many things at once: Historical fiction, romance, drama, history, political intrigue, etc etc. In the process, the story just tripped over its own feet and didn't succeed in any one category. It dealt too intimately with real historical figures and events to be historical fiction. The romance fizzled out halfway through before croaking a sad and pathetic death. The drama was nonexistent because the narrative was too detached and impersonal. I couldn't put all my faith in the historical events being portrayed, because of all the fiction thrown in and the lack of a list of research references. Likewise with the political intrigue.

There are books out there that can combine many aspects with great success -- the book I'd just finished reading before picking up The Last Aloha, for instance, successfully combined all of the aspects listed above, and tossed in some sci-fi and comedy to boot. Here though, it just fell flat. This is such a shame, because the topic covered in The Last Aloha is such important history for people to be aware of.

My advice, if you are interested in the historical subject matter, is to find a history book instead.


Misc: The narrative jumped around like crazy -- which was really confusing since we'd spent the first fourth or third of the novel following the fictional protagonist. The narrative, even when it was following the protagonist, was so detached and impersonal, and the protagonist herself so flat, that I couldn't get emotionally invested in her. At first I thought this was an intentional artsy thing to portray the depression of the protagonist as she mourns, but it continues this way throughout the entire book, no matter who the narrative jumps to. There was a lot of telling and not showing.

[Tara Chevrestt · Rating 3 out of 5]

This had an intriguing start. Laura loses her father and her fiance both and goes to live with her aunt in Hawaii. Her aunt suffers ill health, her uncle is a pure evil villain, and the care of her two girl cousins falls into Laura's hands. Laura eventually realizes (not soon enough in my opinion) that she needs to get out from under her controlling uncle Stephen's rule. (She actually has to have this revelation slapped into her.) Oppurtunity arrises when the heir to the Hawaiian throne, a young child at the time, needs a new governess.

So off Laura goes to work for the Hawaiian royal family and into the middle of court intrigue she steps. While a group of conniving, nasty white men constantly sit around coming up with ways to usurp the Hawaiian king (or queen or whoever is sitting on the throne at any time) and take all the power and riches of Hawaii for themselves, Laura is being courted by two potential beaus, Lucien and David. Lucien is the kind of fellow her uncle Stephen would choose for her, white, well bred, rich, educated. David is half Hawaiian and if uncle Stephen and Lucien have their way, out of the picture completely and not in the running for the lovely Laura's hand.

Very rich in Hawaiian history, but considering it is mostly court intrigue and melodrama, I think it would have be better told from Lili'uokalani's point of view or "following" Lili'uokalani and eliminating Laura completely. I didn't like Laura. She was too weak, too submissive, and at times too slow witted for my taste.

There is a movie I think people interested in this book may enjoy watching... http://wwwbookbabe.blogspot.com/2011/...

[Nedra · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was awesome!!! I'm so proud to be Hawaiian!! It's amazing what you're not taught in school about the annexation of Hawaii. I already knew Hawaiian history. But growing up on the mainland you get a different version. It's nice to know that somebody is willing to write a book on what really went on behind the scenes. This is a great book and I recommend it for anybody who has the true spirit of Aloha in their heart.

[Thibaud Sanchez · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first historical fiction about the U.S takeover of Hawaii. I saw this book at a museum about the Pomo people in California in 2019. It is a book worth reading. The next book to help tie this one along is by the last queen of Hawaii.

[Julie Failla Earhart · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you thought that one day the United States decided to annex the Hawaiian Islands, then viola they became the fiftieth state, well, you’d be wrong. In The Last Aloha, Quinn illustrates the duplicity and conniving of Hawaiian politicians to become attached to America.
Quinn cloaks her research in a fictional tale of a young woman, Laura, bound for medical school in 1886. The deaths of her fiancée and father in a carriage accident in busy San Francisco force Laura to go to her aunt’s home in the islands. Aunt Katherine and her family are missionaries, Laura believes. Upon her arrival, she finds that her aunt is dying from what sounds like consumption and that Laura will be the governess to her two children. Uncle Stephen is a tyrant and bully, and is a member of the Missionary Party rather than a missionary.
Laura is determined to earn enough money to go to medical school and when the opportunity presents itself, she finds employment in one of the royal households of Princess Likelike. At first Uncle Stephen is furious with her for leaving his household and ignoring his advances.
The Last Aloha is interesting in that it gives readers a wonderful view of what life might have been like during the monarchy.
While well written for the most part and quite interesting, I found that the story lacked tension. When I should have been glued to my seat anticipating what would happen next, I found I was easily able to set it aside for awhile. The story’s frame does not work either. The Prologue is written right after the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor. While an actual is not given, air-raid warnings are mentioned, so that firmly places the time in the early to mid 1940s.
Then there is the last chapter that made me want to throw the book across the room. Quinn skips seventeen years. She never explains what happens after King Kalakaua’s sister,
Lili’uokalanui, is ousted as Queen and the heir apparent, Princess Ka’iulani dies. In that last chapter, it’s apparent that Laura does marry…some guy named Will…completes medical school, and has children. I had gotten to know Laura’s every move and gesture and to have a gap like that was quite disconcerting.
Review originally posted on www.armchairinterviews.com

[Amy J · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting early history of Hawaii’s horrific journey to statehood but the writing was a little dry.

[Caelea · Rating 5 out of 5]

I chose this book, as I sat in a poolside lounge chair at a fancy hotel in Waikiki Beach, because I wondered how such a beautiful, sacred place became a part of the US, and even though I already knew Hawaii was stolen from its people as another example of manifest destiny, I didn't know the story of its people or its royal family. This was a heartbreaking read. Things I still wonder: I wonder if Hawaii's sovereignty was an inevitable done deal, like, if it hadn't been the US annexing it, if it would have been Japan or China or Korea. I wonder if indigenous Hawaiians are as stoic and as forgiving as the queen or if there are circles who still speak of independence. I think The Last Aloha would make excellent required reading for a history course.

[Ken Hunt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hawaii is one of my happy places. This well written historical fiction set during the time that meddling and greedy white descendants of missionaries misled media and played to racial fears fo overthrow the peaceful Hawaiian monarchy and set a course for United States annexation with only power and greed on their minds. A familiar tune for how America was made. Great book, well written, and sad. Would highly recommend to any Hawaii vacationers for shear fascination and a deeper appreciation for what we get to experience.

[Natasha · Rating 3 out of 5]

I started this book on my flight to Hawaii. It was a hard read, being an islander this book hit straight to the heart. This was not my first trip to Hawaii, but I wanted to dig more into the past while there. Still reading chapters along the way this book brought so much more life to the places I was visiting, especially the palace. Many times I found myself in tears, this story is true to what happened & just hurts your heart. Good read, great characters, beautifully written story line & awesome use of tradition throughout.

[Season · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a fabulous book. The history wrapped about this fictional story about Laura and how her life changes from her journey that begins in San Francisco to Honolulu. All the twists and turns were great and most totally unexpected. I totally felt for the Queen and all she had to endure.

This one was a beautifully written story.

[Taryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovers of Hawaii and its history will not be able
to put down book. Via a fictional character who becomes an aid to the young Kaiulani and later to Queen Liliuokalani , the author gives you a personal glimpse into the lives of Hawaiian royalty during a historic time that would change the kingdom forever.

[Encyclopedia · Rating 2 out of 5]

This history has *not* been suppressed for the last hundred years. It's never been suppressed, and it's pretty audacious for a haole author to claim to tell the true history of the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy, especially when telling it through the eyes of a haole witness. The writing is okay, not fabulous. The portrayal of native Hawaiians is colonial and condescending.

[Lee Roversi · Rating 4 out of 5]

i have lived in hawaii for over 30 years. this book reminded me just how wildly wicked the overthrow of the monarchy was. it also reminded me how historical fiction, for me, is my window into real events of the past and a deeper understanding of them. this is a wonderful read of a truly tragic time in hawaiian history.

[Demena · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a difficult one to rate, because my feelings on this book are rather mixed.
On the one hand, I like it or perhaps really wanted to like it. I love books about Hawaiʻi and any work that brings attention to the injustice that was annexation of Hawaiʻi are worthwhile.

At the same time, I struggled to finish this book. The story of the annexation of Hawaiʻi is told through the character Laura, an American woman that comes to Hawaiʻi after the death of her father and fiancé. The first half (or so) of the book is mostly focused on Laura; her ambitions to go to medschool, how she feels trapped in the household of her tyrannical (and sometimes cartoonishly villainous) uncle and a slightly predictable love triangle (which peters out into nothing, and then she finds out that one of the guys is actually her half-brother. Yikes.).

About halfway through the book slowly switches to more and more narration of historical events. In this process, we lose the thread of the story that the author has spent a good portion of the book setting up. Laura is shoehorned into historical events so she can be a witness, which feels a little contrived sometimes and breaks up the narrative because it simply didn't feel beliefable.
The description of historical events and chapters that follow other characters are then sometimes broken up with Laura-chapters as to resolve some plot that was setup earlier. But these wrap-ups feel a little dissatisfactory, as if more of an afterthought.

Perhaps this book tried to do too many things at the same time: to be a work of historical fiction, but also a romantic novel. Personally, I could've done without the Laura-chapters. I found the chapters following Queen Liliʻuokalani or even the conspirators closely the most interesting, and would've liked the book better without Laura as a device for storytelling.

The final chapter seems rather random. There's massive timejump and suddenly there's all these new characters - a husband, kids, a nephew - that are sprung upon you. We learn that the nephew, who we just learned about 5 sentences earlier, has died. Eh?

On a positive note, the author occasionally writes in an almost poetic style. Describing scenes, sounds, fragrances in ways that really seem to transport you to Hawaiʻi. It did much to bring the place to life for me.

So all-in-all, this book was an okay read. But if you're interested in the history of Hawaiʻi (and I strongly believe that it is a history more people should know about) you're probably better off finding a nonfictional account.

[Star Forbis · Rating 3 out of 5]

"The ladies held out their arms to one side and began to dance. Thought they were plump as dumplings, their surprising grace conformed to the wind in the trees and the rhythm of the waves. They danced in unison, each fluid movement of hands and hips flowing into the next, evanescent as mist, their ancient, wrinkled smiles like sunshine streaming through clouds to made everyone happy."

"I do not call by the name of religion that which fills a man with bile."

"You know, I never meet the king but that he has a book in his hand. I applaud his efforts to lift up the people and reinvigorate their spirits with music, art, and dance. If anything would lift a people, it's that. It springs out of the deepest parts of us."

"I want my people to know. They should continue to work for justice, but with aloha. It's our essence, like fragrance is to a flower. Aloha is our spirit. It's who we are. If we don't have that, we're lost, and there is no more Hawaii."

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish I had read this before I visited Hawaii. I learned a little of the history when I was there but this book made it so much clearer. Truly this was a dark spot in US history when wealthy businessmen selfishly put their interests over the rights of the Hawaiian people. In spite of it all, Hawaiian culture has survived quite well enough for us to learn & enjoy as tourists.

[Noel L · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good. Very sad. Reminds me that there are so many parts of American History that we are never told. I plan to read the diary of the last Queen of Hawaii, though I believe that much of The Last Aloha has probably been taken from that diary.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mainland history classes do not explore the annexation of Hawaii by the USA.

This is a book to be read (or listened to). I truly enjoyed the narration of the audio book.

[Georgetowner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating history of how a small sanction of selfish pseudo-Christians stole the Hawaiian islands from the Hawaiian monarchy told in a historical novel. I read this in preparation for my first trip to Hawaii and found it informative and interesting. I was always was eager to pick it up again, though the history is more engaging than the novel. It was perfect for what I wanted.

[Susan L · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not that much historical information about the overthrow of the monarchy & annexation of Hawaii, nor the real people responsible for. James Michener’s book has far more depth along with interesting characters. Not a bad coming of age and light romance story with an interesting twist.

[Cindi Davidson Brashear · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this story, sat in Hawaii in the late 1800s. This Historical Fiction introduces the reader to the historic annexation of Hawaii to the U.S. I loved learning of the history of Hawaii. I hated how women were looked upon as second class citizens by men, but loved their perseverance, humility and strength. This book is highly recommended, especially if you are a history buff.

[Kevin Vrieze · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great piece of historical fiction that tells the true story of the overthrow of the Hawaiian Queen and the end of the Hawaiian Monarchy. Stephen Kinzer, in his book "Overthrow" refers to this action as the beginning of a century of "regime change" as a part of US foreign policy. It is still a period rarely covered in US history. The overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy as the result of missionary/business interests is one of the the most shameful and unethical periods in US history. It was, for all practical purposes a military overthrow of a peaceful and friendly people who had welcomed those who eventually became traitors to that trust and aloha. Quinn has done an excellent job of researching this period and working that factual fabric into a sweet, if sad, story. One can understand Michener's suppression of this period in his epic work. Had this story come out at the time Hawaii's statehood might have been more problematic. The attitudes in the story are as much in play as the characters. The Puritan missionary sense of entitlement/privilege/superiority relative to the non-European people of Hawaii is striking. That coupled with the business interests and the remarkably unethical behavior reminiscent of the Civil Rights era of a later time. One could rant on about this at length. Suffice it that in comparison to the culture and behavior of the King, Queen, and Princess, of Hawaii the contrast is like night and day respectively. One comes away from the story with a sincere lobe for Hawaii, its people, its history, and its culture.

Quinn does a wonderful job bringing the characters to life. I actually found myself doing a google to see if there was a history of Laura Jennings. The lifestyles were beautifully done. The interplay of aloha was delicate and exquisite. The love aspect in personal relationships was also nicely done. As a representation of Hawaii and the realities of life this book deserves all the praise one can give. The historical facts speak for themselves. The human portrayals give the reader hope that tomorrow will be a better day and Aloha Oe will be a song of welcome rather than farewell.

[Alana Pichot · Rating 4 out of 5]

I grew up in Hawaii, and I’ve always been disappointed by the sparseness of fiction written about its past.

This book is a great take on the upheaval the monarchy went through. There were a few times I had to put the book down for a few hours because the emotion I felt from Quinn’s version was so powerful.

I loved the character development, and that fact that a few plot points that I thought I had predicted had ended differently; it’s so easy to fall into comfortable side plots when the main story is so fascinating on its own, but Quinn left me pleasantly surprised on quite a few plot points.

I really loved the overarching ideas of this novel, especially that loss is only permanent, if you allow it to be; it can also be a new start, albeit a painful one.

I look forward to reading more from Gaellen Quinn in the future!

[Patty Fecanin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a 4th generation Hawaiian, born of Portuguese descent... My grandfather was signed into servitude by “those white sugar barons” to work the sugar plantations on the island of Hawaii; eventually moving his Portuguese family to Oahu. He was Augusto Dias one of a couple people known for introducing the ukulele to King Kalakaua and the royal court and eventually the Hawaiian nation. He taught Prince Kuhio and family how to play the instrument and often my grandfather & his daughters were asked to play and dance the hula for the royal family. Needless to say the overthrow of the Royal Family was devastatingly heart wrenching for my family and the peoples of Hawaii. This novel lightly glosses over the cruelty in which this act was taken. Because of that I gave 4 stars. This was an audible book for me, the narrator was very weak; I rated her low...

[Karla · Rating 3 out of 5]

The mother of one of my college friends wrote this and was actually kind enough to sign my copy. If you're interested in Hawaiian history and culture (especially the late 1800s), you will be fascinated. Usually with historical fiction, I'm more sucked in by the personal story than the historical backdrop. In this case, it was the other way around and I was more interested in the actual history than the struggles of the fictional main character, named Laura. In any case, I learned a lot about Hawaii and I enjoyed reading it.