ficton set in Hawaii, past or present
 

I'll be traveling to Maui next month, and always love to read fiction set in the area I'm going to in order to put myself in the mood!

Can anyone recommend some good novels set in Hawaii?

Molokai. It's the story of a young Hawaiian girl sent off to Kaulapapa because she had leprosy.

Very, very past. But, I can't help but recommend James Michener's "Hawaii". It's detailed, and hardly light. But since I first read it in 8th grade I've been in love. It's a good book!

Ditto Michener's Hawaii.

If you're looking for some really light reading, the Charlie Chan mysteries by Earl Derr Biggers are set in Hawaii of the 1920's.
The House Without A Key is the first one. The House Without a Key (the structure) is now also within the Halekulani Hotel in Waikiki.

Charlie Chan was based on a real Honolulu detective named Chang Apana.
See: http://www.charliechan.net/biggers.html
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Michener's Hawaii will last the entire journey, but is a great read. Keep a pencil and paper handy to keep track of all of the characters and the ancestral lines. It is probably as factual as a novel can be and tells a great historical story of the islands, the good, bad and ugly.

One more vote for Michener's "Hawaii"!!

"Lava" by Pamela Bell gives a melancholy take on life in Hilo...

Yet another "Hawaii" vote.

I read that book laying on a beach in the South Pacific and can tell you from personal experience that reading it in such an environment added to the enjoyment of both reading the novel and of being in such a place.

Personally I most enjoyed the early parts of the book - about the creation of the islands and the migration of Polynesians from Bora Bora to Hawaii.

The novel is truly a masterpiece - however, I do have one word of warning - Michener uses virtually no direct dialogue, with almost the entire story being told in narrative. Personally I don't care too much for that approach. I think it works great in the early sections of the novel but not so well once the Europeans arrive.

Fortunately the book has such a sense of epicness about it that I find it to be a fairly minor complaint.

Definitely worth reading.

Ken

Shark Dialogues by Kianna Davenport. An excellent Hawaii read. Fiction but based on Big Island history during time of leper colony.

I don't know if the book is still available anywhere, but I would recommend "Blood and Orchids" by Norman Katkov (also the title of the inferior movie based upon the book). It deals with the "Massie" trial that shook Honolulu in 1931, involving racial tensions, the threat of martial law over a U.S. territory, murder, rape(?), class distinctions, and the workings and limitations of the judicial system.

I read the book after taking a "tour" in Honolulu by Glen Grant (who has since died, I was sorry to read) - the tour went to various sites including the old courtroom where the rape and murder trials took place, and the building where the "one hour" sentence was "served" by the convicted, having tea with the governor.

A very interesting story.

Lucky Come Hawaii and Middle Son both take place on Maui. LCH is set on the north shore near Jaws and MS is in Puunene sugar camp near the airport. Both written by Maui authors. Both short novels.

"West of Then" by Tara Bray Smith, while not a novel is modern autobiographical and a real page-turner

I also loved Michener's Hawaii. And also, Susanna Moore's Whiteness of Bones. It made me want to slide down a water tube into a sugar cane field.

"Pearl" is a great trashy novel (think Jackie Collins) that was made into a mini-series c. 1980 starring Angie Dickinson. A good read for the beach!

Also, "The Memory of Eva Ryker" one of my all-time favorite mysteries about a woman who survived the Titanic as a child and lives in Hawaii. The hero is a hunky Hawaiian detective and it has lots of local color.

Ditto to "Blood and Orchids" and "Hawaii." Though the latter is sometimes a ponderous read, it really is the classic historical novel about "The Islands."

Wow, Enzian. When I read Mom's question, I immediately thought of "Molokai" - and there was your answer. It's a great book, but long ago since I read it :) Glad someone else liked it.

Wow, what a great list!

I admit that I tried Michener many, many years ago and couldn't get through it. But maybe I'll pick it up again and give it another try.

And take a few of the others along just in case.

fodorites are great!

Also, look into a novel by Paul Theroux. I believe it's called Hotel Honolulu.

I didn't care for the book "Hotel Honolulu" :-<.
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Another "yes" vote for Lava.

But a "no" for Hotel Honolulu (thought it was depressing and not much island-flavor).

Buy some IZ music to listen to as you read. His "Somewhere over the Rainbow" was used on ER a couple of seasons ago. Beautiful music.

Michener's HAWAII. You might want to watch a few episodes of Hawaii-Five-O. I believe the John Ford movie (starring John Wayne and Lee Marvin) DONOVAN'S REEF was filmed in either Maui or Kaui. So was MISTER ROBERTS and ISLANDS IN THE STREAM.

You could also rent the movie "Hawaii" starring Julie Andrews. It basically covers the missionary period of the book. I enjoyed about 3/4 of the book. The rest got too confusing, like he was in a hurry to finish the story.

Also check out old Magnum PI shows.

MY

If I get Michelle's drift, I agree that Michener has a difficult time writing about more modern times. This is true for all the big novels of his that I have read- HAWAII, CENTENNIAL, TEXAS, CHESAPEAKE, ALASKA.

Yes, IZ "is" good, I bought it to read my Hawaii books to.
"ER" used "Somewhere over the Rainbow" when Mark Green went to Hawaii to die. Wow. It was such an emotional show. Maybe the DVD of that season is at Blockbuster. Worth watching.

Has anyone read the "Chicken soup for Hawaii"? soul? I bought it, and of course loaded it before I read it.

I have the big HAWAII by Mitchener
(spelling?) but don't have the
coconuts to start something so big!

Glen Grant's "Chicken Skin Tales: 49 Favorite Ghost Stories from Hawaii" is SO much fun! I love reading these short folkloric hawaii ghost tales. There are lots of interesting historical references re: places where battles were fought and so forth in them...

I second sea_wahine's suggestion of Glen Grant's "Chicken Skin Tales: 49 Favorite Ghost Stories from Hawaii". I was fortunate enough to take one of his Ghosts of Old Honolulu walking tours many years ago (before his passing, obviously). He was a storehouse of Hawaiian Knowledge, and his book reflects this.
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Don't forget the all time #1 Hawaii movie classic, "Lilo and Stitch".:D

Seriously, James Michener's "Hawaii" can't be beat.
((D))8-)

For a quick non-literary or intellectual Hawaii fix, try
"The Big Bounce" movie for some
North Shore Oahu footage and weak
plot....Even Owen Wilson looks bored,
but the scenery isn't bad!

I loved "Hawaii" by Michener. Loved "West of Then". Loved "Molokai'i" All previously mentioned. New book out on the history of Molokai called "The Colony", have not read it yet, looks good. Also a booked called "Makai" about a women raising a family on Maui and Oahu, starts in the 40's and goes to the 70's, I enjoyed it. Also, Traveler's Tales - Hawaii, a collection of short stories/essays by famous writers. Thanks for this post it's given me more ideas for reading material!

Not just about Hawaii but a fun read: Tony Horowitz's "Blue Lattitudes," follows the journeys of Captain Cook. I was reading it while we were renting a house down on Kealakekua Bay- we could see the Cook Monument marking the approximate location where Cook was killed- and didn't want it to end.

Just finished "The Money Dragon" by Pam Chun and loved it. True story of Chun's great-grandfather who was considered the Horatio Alger of Chinatown in Honolulu. The story of his life follows his family (all five wives and their children) and the cultural differences they face growing up in Honolulu turning late 1800's through 1930s.

Hi mom, I think I read the book enzian is talking about. Think it's called "My Name is Loa" or something like that. On our last trip to HI we went to Molokai and hiked down to Kalaupapa (sp?) and bought the book in the book store there. Now that I think of it it was about a young boy sent there b/c he had leprosy and it was the story of his life. Easy read.