Honolulu

By: Alan Brennert

Narrated by: Ali Ahn

Length: 15 hrs and 27 mins

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

Auwe! Mispronunciation of too many Hawaiian names and words.

Descent listen if you like historical fiction. But, the reader/listener has to suspend belief that Jin could have befriended so many famous/infamous characters.😮
As a native of Hawaiʻi, I cringed every time the narrator mispronounced a Hawaiian name, word, or place. (I almost stopped listening because of this, but decided to stick it out.) In my opinion, the book should be rerecorded by someone who can properly pronounce ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi.

Place names - oh, why don't readers ask?

Would you listen to Honolulu again? Why?

Probably not. I rarely listen to books twice.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Honolulu?

I was fascinated by the entrances of historical figures into the story. Detective Chang Apana and Henry Kahahawai were already familiar names to me. Even after living in Hawaii for almost 40 years, I had not heard of "Panama Dave" Baptiste and May Thompson, who were also real residents of Honolulu.

What aspect of Ali Ahn’s performance would you have changed?

Ali Ahn was a good reader, but her mispronunciation of Hawaiian place names drove me to distraction. Like most mainlanders, she pronounces the name of this city, "Hahnahlulu" instead of "Honolulu". Ewa is pronounced "Ehvah", not "ee-wah". When she read "Palama" and "Waimanalo" I had to pause to figure out where she was talking about. How I wish readers would ASK a local resident how to pronounce place names.

If you could rename Honolulu, what would you call it?

The Picture Bride

Not Really Honolulu

The most important thing to know about Honolulu, since the title may be why it has hit your radar, is that is not about Honolulu or Hawaii. Hours 11-13 are about a series of crimes and trials that proved pivotal in the social history of Hawaii, but otherwise, Hawaii functions solely as a generic setting -- any locale with plantations, factories, and exploited immigrants would have sufficed.

The book would have been better had it stayed in Korea, where it begins. Hawaii only enters into the equation when the protagonist/narrator elects to go there as a picture bride, paid to marry a man she has never met in order to escape a culture that devalues women and to emigrate to what promises to be a land of paradise and wealth but is not. It is an interesting story and would have been better told within Korean society, as an historical novel of Korea.

Other than the two hours about the Massey trial, there are virtually no Hawaiians in the story, and few Americans (haoles). The characters are almost all Korean or other Asian ethnicities. The non-Asians are merely placeholders for the trial phase. Even that section is out of place -- other than telling us about it and how she felt, the narrator's story does not advance during that part. It reads like the Wikipedia page about the trial (yes, I read the Wikipedia page).

The main character. She is a saint. Seriously, she's up there with Mother Teresa. Hard to dislike her, she does go through some hard times (paling in comparison to typical historical dramas, cf. The Joy Luck Club). But you need a little moral ambiguity to drive character development. There is scant conflict to drive the plot, even fewer plot complications -- what little there is usually resolves quickly with positive outcomes. Her tale is charismatically read by Ali Ahn, though others point out her poor Hawaiian pronunciation. Alan Brennert's writing annoyingly forces her to use I and we instead of me and us in the objective case to make her sound foreign.

None of this makes this a bad book. It's just slightly above average, but falsely advertised as being about Hawaii. Not that I wanted a sanitized story from the tourists' eye view of Hawaii, not that oppression and discrimination did not take place, but this depiction of Hawaii as hell does not jive with the reality that I've seen and studied. Nor does it jive with the protagonists' real story except as a location.

If Hawaii is what you want, I recommend The Descendants or Hotel Honolulu, or one of a number of books, fictional and non-fictional, about the Massey Trial. Even James Michener's Hawaii. Or, as an alternative, try Brenner's Palisades Park -- an excellent book that lives up to its title, a similar story (solid if unspectacular) about an immigrant family and social and racial injustice, set around the amusement park once located on the cliffs overlooking the Hudson River and New York City (where I went as a child).

A great introduction to Brennert

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes. I enjoyed the look into both Korean and Hawaiian culture. Brennert is a skillful writer, depicting the feelings and thoughts of women, the moores of Korean culture, and the ups and downs of female friendship with grace and skill.

As other reviewers have said, knowing that the place names are mispronounced does take away from the joy of the narration, but the narrator otherwise did a very good job.

I have purchased Moloka'i, and look greatly forward to reading both is, and Brennert's new book Pallisades Park. I recommend Mr. Brennert's work to any of my friends who have interest in Hawaiian history, historical fiction, and character-driven plots.

Have you listened to any of Ali Ahn’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I first heard Ali Ahn in Heather Gudenkauf's These Things Hidden, where she has one of three narrative parts. Honolulu was a better narrative performance by far.

Who was the most memorable character of Honolulu and why?

With the exception of Gin, I have to say Ahn's portrayal of Beauty, as a kind but flighty woman, was well-done. Brennert's portrayal of many types of female characters are skillful. I wish Gin's husband had been more drawn-out, but I did like how he grew throughout the book.

Any additional comments?

Great book, great introduction to a talented author.

One of the best!

Alan Brennert never disappoints. It was very difficult to put this book away. I loved it so much I am sad it ended. Brennert is an outstanding writer and sets the scene so the reader feels like they are there. Brilliant and no words good enough to describe his talent.

The performance was wonderful and Ahn did a great job. Keeping me intrigued the entire time.

Another hit by Alan Brennert

This is my third book by Alan Brennert. I love how much detail that he putsinto his research. He is able to keep your interest from beginning to end. Spoiler alert, although there is hardship in each novel, there is always a happy ending.

Great Book

I Really enjoyed the book. My mother in law is from Korea born in 1935. It really helped me to understand her better

Meh

This book is a dry read....tedious at times.

I struggled to finish it but I did!

Great Honolulu story.

Slow to start…starting getting interesting about chapter 4. Then I really started to enjoy it. Love all of the Hawaiian references of culture and history. Fun transportation to the streets of Honolulu. Over I really enjoyed it. Although I would have preferred a different narrator.

Fantastic story and performance

MOLOKA'I is one of my favorite books of all time, so it was with a little trepidation that I embarked upon HONOLULU. I needn't have worried. Mr. Brennert is a master storyteller, and the narration by Ali Ahn was spot-on. I loved this book ! In addition to an engaging story, I learned a tremendous amount about Hawaiian culture and history. The characters are memorable, and the story is unforgettable. Highly recommended !!!