What readers think of Honolulu, plus links to write your own review.

The book was great I put myself in the heart of Regret and I followed the path she took it made the book come alive and the experiences so emotional to me. I experienced many different emotions while reading the book. I am in a cultural book club and we read about woman of different cultures and the trials and tribulations they endure. our club meets today and I have so much to share with the club about all of the mail order brides and their relationships they shared with one another as sisters.

A colorful book and filled with true emotions. A must read!

I loved this book. It was entertaining and informative -- I couldn't put it down. Appreciated the chance to learn about early Hawaii. Will look for more by this author.

Honolulu was very compelling and extremely well researched. I especially enjoyed learning more about Hawaii (Honolulu) in its early years through the eyes of a picture bride. Alan Brennert has been added to my list of favorite authors. His earlier book Molokai was a favorite read of mine in 2008.

This book has what I look for in a book: it took me to a time and place not well known to me in the company of people I care about. Even the bad guys are more than cardboard people.

The story follows Gen,an extremely restricted traditional young Korean woman who escapes to Hawai'i by becoming a "picture bride" in 1914. On the way she travels with four other picture brides, and we follow them for several decades as they make lives for themselves and mostly thrive in the slums of Honolulu. Real historical figures from Queen Liliuokalani to the cop that inspired the Charlie Chan character and a native Hawaiian lynched for allegedly raping a white officer's wife are unobtrusively woven into Gen's story.

My favorite of these is a wise-cracking whore that Somerset Maugham based his character Sadie Thompson on. Even Maugham himself has an (unflattering) walk-on part.

This novel was so interesting and involving that I intend to read Molokai as well, and I look forward to what Brennert produces next.

This story started out as Jin's (Regret) story and I thought, why did he name it Honolulu. Of course that changed. I love reading historical novels; they put a face to the place. I very much enjoyed how the author headed to Honolulu by way of other places. Much was sad and that same prejudice exists in our world today. What does that say about America's people? We are all from elsewhere, except for tribal Americans and yet, we haven't learned much.

Great book. But it suddenly jumps ahead to the 50's, as I remember.
Did the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hickam Field and Honolulu never happen? How did the main character and others in the book react to that?