The Color of Air

A Novel

De: Gail Tsukiyama

Narrado por: Brian Nishii, Natalie Naudus

From the New York Times best-selling author of Women of the Silk and The Samurai's Garden comes a gorgeous and evocative historical novel about a Japanese-American family set against the backdrop of Hawai’i's sugar plantations.

Daniel Abe, a young doctor in Chicago, is finally coming back to Hawai'i. He has his own reason for returning to his childhood home, but it is not to revisit the past, unlike his Uncle Koji. Koji lives with the memories of Daniel’s mother, Mariko, the love of his life, and the scars of a life hard-lived. He can’t wait to see Daniel, who he’s always thought of as a son, but he knows the time has come to tell him the truth about his mother, and his father. But Daniel’s arrival coincides with the awakening of the Mauna Loa volcano, and its dangerous path toward their village stirs both new and long ago passions in their community.

Alternating between past and present - from the day of the volcano eruption in 1935 to decades prior - The Color of Air interweaves the stories of Daniel, Koji, and Mariko to create a rich, vibrant, bittersweet chorus that celebrates their lifelong bond to one other and to their immigrant community. As Mauna Loa threatens their lives and livelihoods, it also unearths long held secrets simmering below the surface that meld past and present, revealing a path forward for them all.

©2020 Gail Tsukiyama (P)2020 HarperAudio

Well developed characters I came to love

Another Gail Tsukiyama story I thoroughly enjoyed. Well developed likable characters with depth. I found it difficult to put down and tougher to finish reading because I grew attached to the characters and their rich culture .

Very good

This was a very nice book to listen to. It definitely kept my interest until the end! Thank you

Beautiful, just beautiful!

Narration was fantastic. The nuanced expressions took me right to Hilo Town! Beautifully written story!

Nothing special.

I anticipated too much, I guess, but it was rather boring. Some parts were just stupid like Daniel saving his uncle from the lava flow. No one who lives in the island would do such a dumb tourist trick. I couldn't wait for it to end. So much potential but nothing came to fruition. Sad.
I will always buy books written about the place I was born and lived, but sadly very few achieve the essence of this sacred land. And shame on you, Brian Nishii, for mispronouncing "Kamehameha". I was truly startled.

Not what I expected

I really wanted to love this book, as the story seemed to complement the other books recreating Hawaii’s history (including Mitchener’s “Hawaii”) but it was one of the few that I struggled to finish.

There were too many subplots that never quite resolved, muddied the story and dragged the main plot, such as why the Japanese immigrant field workers were so dedicated to the ancient Hawaiian god Pele. The volcano, as experienced by “locals”, was more surreal than believable.

While local dialect adds character to conversations, the addition of “Yah?” at the end of every sentence uttered was grating!

It was tedious and I was glad when it was finished.

The Heat, the Heart, and the Land

The Color of Air: A Novel by Gail Tsukiyama exceeded my expectations. I most appreciated the overall atmosphere of the book and the carefully drawn characters. The book is set against the backdrop of an important era of Hawaii’s history and culture. The author successfully weaves together the actual events with the lives of the fictional characters. I truly cared about the characters and I wanted to know what happened next. However, at the same time, the book probably could have been even better with a little more tightening. At times, I felt a bit overwhelmed by the sheer number of storylines.

The narration performances by Brian Nishi and Natalie Naudus were very compelling and strongly supported the material, which made all of the various threads easier to follow. I am grateful to one of the other reviewers here who pointed out that in his solid performance, Mr. Nishi mispronounced Kamehameha. I am relieved to know that the way I learned to pronounce that name is the Hawaiian pronunciation. I have since learned; however, that the Japanese pronunciation is in reference to a signature energy attack in Dragon Ball Z and not the Hawaiian King. Perhaps Mr. Nishi chose the Japanese Dragon Ball Z pronunciation as a deliberate choice?

This received a four star rating from me because of the novel’s overall impact and the solid narration performances. The story lost focus at times but the writing was always compelling in terms of character throughout.

I would recommend this book to fans of Hawaiian culture and history, people who would like to learn more about the Japanese American experience, and readers who enjoy expansive novels.

Really enjoyable easy listening

Overall, I really enjoyed this book, and it was easy to listen to. I loved the tone of the book and narration—rather than feeling like there are so many details to keep track of, it felt like I was in the stories of the lives of the characters.

It was okay ...

Narrator's voice was soothing.
Story was too predictable.
Details about the Hilo area were a bit "off" so it became hard to relate to a sense of place.

A story about labor

A rich story about immigrant workers. We need more about labor and families. Outstanding narrators.

Being There

Listening to this story is an experience of being there...in the community, with the characters, in that time. You really care about them .

Wonderful narration as well.