• Honolulu

  • By: Alan Brennert
  • Narrated by: Ali Ahn
  • Length: 15 hrs and 27 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (628 ratings)

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Honolulu  By  cover art

Honolulu

By: Alan Brennert
Narrated by: Ali Ahn
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Publisher's summary

Best-selling author Alan Brennert blends history and fiction to showcase Hawaii's dynamic past in this captivating novel.

Set in the 1920s and 1930s, Honolulu explores the stark contrast between the image of the glamorous Hawaiian paradise portrayed to the mainland and the harsh reality of life on the island. With characters as vivid and richly descriptive as the history of Hawaii itself, this novel is sure to enthrall listeners.

©2009 Alan Brennert (P)2009 Recorded Books, LLC

What listeners say about Honolulu

Average customer ratings
Overall
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This is a great listen

A friend recommended this book to me and I usually don’t listen to book with less than a few thousand reviews. I gave it a chance though and it is a great book and a great listen. Definitely going to be expanding my horizons!

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fun story, unfortunate narration choice

I enjoyed the story as a light read/listen. If you can tolerate the offensive mispronounced words it's worth a listen

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Fantastic narration!

The story was beautiful and insightful it gave me all the feels, happy, sad,frustrated and now excited to go on my trip to Oahu as I now know so much more about the culture.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Honolulu

I really enjoyed this book. I purchased it to listen to before taking a trip to Hawaii to acquaint myself with the culture and background. It was a great story.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Great historical novel

I learned so much about turn-of-the-century Hawaii. Great story. Amazing that some of the prejudices of the day are still in existence now in the U.S.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Educational, enjoyable, and entertaining.

This is one of the best books I've read in a long time. However, because of the cover picture I assumed it was about a nightclub performer and probably would not have read it if my daughter hadn't recommended it. I'm glad she did.
To me, the title, "Honolulu," is a bit misleading. As one reader suggested, "The Picture Brides" would be a more descriptive title. I loved reading about the courageous Korean picture brides and their part in Hawaiian history.
Ali Ahn's voice was so perfect I didn't let a few mispronunciations bother me.
I would highly recommend this book.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Beautiful HI

Entertaining and enlightening about the early days of the HI Islands. Very enjoyable reader and easy to follow the many colorful characters.

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    4 out of 5 stars

Never expected this to be this good!

I was drawn into the story immediately and it never let me go. It’s an epic tale that is well written, thoroughly interesting, and quite enlightening.

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Fantastic!

What a great story! I loved the historical weavings and character development. There was so much I learned about the various cultures and about Hawai’i and Honolulu in particular. Also, learning a little about Korean culture and the adaptations, atrocities, and perseverance of humans everywhere. Loved it and would recommend it.

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A life and a journey

This story had so much rich history interwoven in telling of a young woman’s journey from Korea to Oahu. It was such a riveting retelling of her life full of joys and sorrows, her troubles and growth, her many life experiences that brought her to a successful career. Hard work and dedication along with close ties to friends nurtured her journey, causing her to realize she was worthy and had been an important part of so many peoples’ lives.

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