Kuhina Nui, about Queen Regent Ka'ahumanu is good companion book for a visit to Hawaii. King Kamehameha's favorite wife must revisit the Islands.
In this novel Queen Ka'ahumanu is required to explain and justify her actions as Kuhina nui and Queen Regent from 1819 to 1832. She is also required to view modern day Hawaii and evaluate whether her political decisions resulted in benefit to or disaster for native Hawaiians in the long run. The result is an exciting adventure story that takes place in past and present day Hawaii as the three main characters, Kiana Pukui, an attractive assistant-manager of a hotel, her suitor, Maury Kekela and a native Hawaiian bag lady from Kuhio Beach are forced to travel through the Hawaiian islands at the beck and call of an unknown voice. The voice has placed two friends of Kiana who are members of the Sovereignty movement into the past and won't release them until it's survey is complete. In this novel Queen Ka'ahumanu is required to explain and justify her actions as Kuhina nui and Queen Regent from 1819 to 1832. She is also required to view modern day Hawaii and evaluate whether her political decisions resulted in benefit to or disaster for native Hawaiians in the long run. The result is an exciting adventure story that takes place in past and present day Hawaii as the three main characters, Kiana Pukui, an attractive assistant-manager of a hotel, her suitor, Maury Kekela and a native Hawaiian bag lady from Kuhio Beach are forced to travel through the Hawaiian islands at the beck and call of an unknown voice. The voice has placed two friends of Kiana who are members of the Sovereignty movement into the past and won't release them until it's survey is complete.
Excerpt
"I wonder what we've stumbled onto here, Maury?"
We couldn't go any further down the road so Kiana, Kapeka and I went toward some people gathered beside a bay on the oceanfront. The sound of chanting could be heard coming across the bay. Some of the people on the shore answered the chanting.
"What's going on here, Brah?" I asked a burly Hawaiian fellow that seemed to belong to the group.
"It's another eviction, Brah. We can't believe it. There's a family here that's taken care of this place since before the turn of the century and the Land Department is turfing them out. We thought negotiations were going well. That the state government was going to let the ohana stay on as caretakers of the new historical park, but all of a sudden there's a SWAT team moving the ohana and their belongings out."
"A SWAT team? I questioned, astonished.
"Yeah, one helicopter, two patrol boats, fifty armed agents and a special task force flown in from San Francisco. All to evict religious and cultural practitioners from their ancestral land. When will it end?"
Professional Reviews
Writer's Digest Self Published Book Awards Score Sheet.
I was impressed most by this author's encyclopedic knowledge of Hawaiian culture, customs and history. I also liked the political conscinece that guides the novel. This is a book written for a reason. Of the characters, I was most interested in Kapeka and the Voice she hears. And - it goes without saying - this novel has a very strong sense of place, communicated not only in visual detail, but in a well-crafted sense of mood and atmosphere.
If you're planning a vacation in Hawaii, this historic novel is the perfect read while you're there. If you can get around the mediocre literary writing and editing, you can easily be transported back in time - literally time travel - with the help of several Hawaiian gods, Queen Ka'ahumanu, and a homeless lady from Waikiki Beach. The author very creatively weaves history, current socio-economic issues, and a sweet romance story together, keeping the reader engaged and wondering what happens next. It's a quick lesson on the who's who of Hawaiian Royalty during the reigns of Kamehameha I-IV(1800's). I especially enjoyed the use of Hawaiian words in context to give a more authentic flavor and appreciation for the local culture. This book taught me a lot more in 10 days about Hawaii than I would otherwise learned from the mostly touristic destinations of the islands. And it left me hungry for more.
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