Honolulu

Written by Alan Brennert

Narrated by Ali Ahn

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.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: Mar 13, 2009
• ISBN: 9781440708558

Alan Brennert

Alan Brennert is a novelist, screenwriter, and playwright. He grew up in New Jersey but moved to California in 1973. His novel Moloka’i was a national bestseller and a One Book, One San Diego selection for 2012. It also received the Bookies Award, sponsored by the Contra Costa Library, for the 2006 Book Club Book of the Year. His next novel, Honolulu, won First Prize in Elle Magazine’s Literary Grand Prix for Fiction and was named one of the best books of 2009 by The Washington Post. Of his novel Palisades Park, People Magazine said: “Brennert writes his valentine to the New Jersey playground of his youth in Ragtime-style, mixing fact and fiction. It’s a memorable ride.” His work as a writer-producer for the television series L.A. Law earned him an Emmy Award and a People’s Choice Award in 1991. He has been nominated for an Emmy on two other occasions, once for a Golden Globe Award, and three times for the Writers Guild Award for Outstanding Teleplay of the Year. Alan's short story"Ma Qui" was honored with a Nebula Award in 1992. His story “Her Pilgrim Soul” was adapted by Brennert himself for the Alan Menken musical Weird Romance in 1992. His novel, Daughter of Moloka'i is a follow-up to Moloka'i that tells the story of Rachel Kalama's daughter Ruth, her early life, her internment during World War II, and her eventual meeting with her birth mother, Rachel. The novel explores the women's 22-year relationship, only hinted at it in Moloka'i.

Reviews for Honolulu

[sandra williams · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I love it. This book shared with me. A part of history that I was unaware it was a very enjoyable read

[micahmom2002 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Enjoyable story a lot like Memiors of a Giesha. However, I felt I was dragging my heels sometimes because there is a lot of history and language thrown in especially towards the end of the book. At times I felt the plot and characters were written just so the history could be told.

[coppers_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was an easy book for me to like. Honolulu is the story of a young Korean ?picture bride? who travels to Honolulu in the hope of escaping the oppression of early 20th century Korea. Not unexpectedly, her husband is not as promised and life in Hawaii is not, initially, as she had planned. I love reading about Hawaii and learning some history along the way. This is a good book to settle in with and enjoy. I would also recommend Brennert's first book about Hawaii, Moloka'i.

[librarycin · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Named “Regret” by her parents, this little Korean girl so wanted an education but it was forbidden. As a teenager, though, she managed to get permission to travel to Hawaii as a “picture bride”. Immediately upon arrival, along with four other Korean girls she met on the ship, and now self-named Jin (meaning “Gem”), they married their new husbands before being allowed entry into their new country. Jin’s hope had been that her husband would be able to get her an education in Hawaii, but she was sorely disappointed (to put it mildly), not only with this, but with many other things, as well.I really enjoyed this. I not only learned about the life of a picture bride, I learned about Hawaii in the early 20th century, and about Korea and the interactions with Japan that I really knew nothing about. I was impressed with how many real-life people Brennert brought into the story.

[bookconcierge · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

3.5*** From the book jacket: The rich, unforgettable story of a young "picture bride" who journeys to Hawai'i in 1914 in search of a better life. Instead of the affluent young husband and chance at an education that she has been promised, she is quickly married off to a poor, embittered laborer who takes his frustrations out on his new wife. Renaming herself Jin, she makes her own way in this strange land, finding both opportunity and prejudice. With the help of three of her fellow picture brides, Jin prospers along with her adopted city, now growing from a small territorial capital into the great multicultural city it is today.My reactions: I loved Brennert’s Molokai’i and wanted to love this one as well. My husband actually read the book a few years ago and thought it was good, but I just had never gotten around to it. A long travel journey prompted me to bring it along and I was glad that I did.Regret / Jin is a marvelous character. She starts out a shy, subservient girl and grows throughout the novel into a strong woman. Yes, she still fills the traditional role of wife and mother, but she refuses to be held down by societal expectations. She finds a way to succeed and thrive, while still upholding the traditional ways she finds so hard to discard. I’ve visited Hawaii several times and could picture many of the settings depicted in the novel, despite the vast differences in today’s Honolulu from that of 1914. I was fascinated by the history lesson and the glimpse into life during that time period. I also really appreciated the author’s note at the end, where he comments on the “real-life” May Thompson and how W. Sommerset Maugham used her life experiences in one of his novels.

[ibkennedy · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Interesting and quite moving

[brangwinn · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I loved this book as much as I loved Brennert's Molika'i. His ability to capture the experiences of many Honolulu,s early residents through the eyes of one Korean picture bride shows his skill as a writer.

[deltaqueen50 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Honolulu by Alan Brennert is an epic story about a Korean Picture Bride who arrived in Hawaii in 1914. The book follows both her and three of her fellow “brides’ that travelled to Hawaii on the same ship. Their lives have many ups and downs throughout the years and the author also includes many historical events that help the reader to envision how Honolulu was evolving.It was interesting to learn about the Korean immigrants that became part of Honolulu’s ethnic soup that has led to the modern multi-cultural city of today. Being introduced to Hawaii as field labourers in the sugar cane and pineapple fields these early workers would save a number of years to have the money to bring a Korean girl over to become their wife. The girls, on their part, thought they were going to a place where they would find a life of less restrictions than they had in Korea.The book is well researched and full of historical facts, but this very information also kept me from totally loving the story and feeling true emotion for the character. She seemed to be conveniently placed to be an observer at so many events that it seemed as if the story was secondary to the history. I would however, certainly read another book by this author as he was certainly able to breathe life into his settings.

[ggilbride-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Very good book, I loved the story of Regret and her traditional (Korean lifestyle). She leaves behind her native country of South Korea and finds comfort in the paradise of Hawaii. Regret arrived as a mail bride in Hawaii with high hopes of a new life. She endures hardship times from working long hours in a plantation, as a tailor and as a wife. The book presents rich history of sugar cane and pineapples and the long hours of working on a plantation. Wonderful characters that are intricately woven throughout the book, that form the circle of friends.

[maryreinert · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Having read Molokai and loving it, I looked forward to Brennert's next novel and was not disappointed. Shorter with fewer "ups and downs" than Molokai, this was still a wonderful story of an interesting life of a "picture bride" from Korea and her new life in Hawaii. I find the characters in the story to be very believable and likable in spite of human foibles. I also found the historical look at the development of Honolulu and Hawaii extremely interesting. Brennert does know how to create memorable characters.

[adriafaye · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I thought that this was a wonderful book. A great story with a wonderful plot and lovable characters. I liked how this paralleled the differences between the Korean culture and the Hawaiian culture as well. I also learned more about the Korean "picture brides" than I knew before. It was wonderful how this women struggled such deception and in Jin's case, abuse, and they were still able to rise above it, and make their own may as successful buisness women in American. I also liked how they did not give up completely on their Korean heritage but were able to take the good parts of it and combine it with their new culture. Perhaps, a little far-fetched, that many of the characters all end up happy, but I am a sucker for a happy ending.

[turtlesleap · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

While I didn't enjoy this book quite as much as I enjoyed "Molokai," I would recommend it to anyone interested in Hawaii's history, or who is simply seeking a good, readable piece of fiction. Brennert does an excellent job of bringing his characters to life and the story and circumstances that are the framework for the story, are interesting enough to keep the reader involved. There is perhaps a shade too much digression into background narrative on the historical aspects of the era in which the story is placed; not enough to be tedious, but enough to be a bit distracting.

[terribooks · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A heart warming story of a woman who, through hard work, "grit" and friends, makes a new life for herself in Hawaii. As a woman in Korea, "Regret" had little hope for a life other than a future practically cloistered behind the walls of her father's - and then husband's - home. So she became a picture bride, traveling to a stranger in Hawaii. The author effortlessly weaves fiction with the history of early 20th century Hawaii, making it a fascinating read. In some ways I was reminded of Michener's Hawaii. I found the story slow in a few places.

[jgoto_4 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Although I don't think it is as good as Moloka'i, Alan Brennert's Honolulu is an engaging story that I would recommend. It is the story of Korean picture brides who come to Hawaii in the early twentieth century and it details their struggles and triumphs, both in Korea and their new country.

[hardlyhardy · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Alan Brennert cleverly melds fact with fiction in "Honolulu," his second historical novel set in Hawaii. The first was "Moloka'i."The story opens in Korea where a girl, named Regret because her parents wanted another son, yearns for an education, something still denied Korean girls early in the 1900s. As a teenager she becomes a "picture bride," exchanging photographs with a Korean man in Hawaii and then sailing to Honolulu with other Korean girls to get married. The marriage, like many such unions, was a disappointment. Her new husband is a poor laborer, older than his picture suggested, who drinks and gambles away his meager income and then turns violent. In one of his rages, he kills their unborn baby.Regret runs away to the city and changes her name to Jin. Over the course of many years, she gets a divorce, marries a man she loves, has three children and becomes a successful businesswoman. Eventually she even gets the education she has wanted all her life.Brennert makes Jin's story the story of Hawaii during the first third of the 20th century. Historical figures play prominent roles. We read about May Thompson, the prostitute whom Somerset Maugham called Sadie Thompson in his short story "Rain." Chang Apana, the Hawaiian police officer who became the model for Charlie Chan, comes to Jin's aid on several occasions. Clarence Darrow, as he did in real life, comes to Hawaii to represent a white family accused of killing a dark-skin man they wrongly believed raped a Navy officer's wife. The Massie case was big news throughout the United States in early 1930s.Although the novel closes in 1957 when Jin turns 60, Brennert makes no mention of the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941. In fact, the 1940s are skipped altogether. Perhaps he is saving that part of Hawaiian history for another book.

[beamis12 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Not quite as heart rendering as Molokai but very good all the same. Starts in Korea with Jin raised in an old school household, she wants and education more than anything but girls are not valued for their book smarts. She signs on to be a picture bride and end up in Honolulu. What follows is a very good story with plenty of the history as she arrives when American businessman have already deposed the last Hawaiian monarch, though not in the peoples minds. Well written and interesting, Brennert really gets into the culture of the island as well as the politics and struggles of the people.

[arjacobson · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Honolulu by Alan Brennert (New York, St. Martin’s Press, 2009. 360 pp)Born in New Jersey and raised in Southern California, Alan Brennert received a Bachelor’s degree in English from California State University at Long Beach. In addition to novels, Brennert writes short stories, screenplays, teleplays, and musicals. For his work on L.A. Law, he was awarded an Emmy in 1991. During his career, Brennert has also won a People’s Choice Award and a Nebula Award.I love Hawai’iHawai’i is one of my favorite places. I visited several times during my childhood, and even spent my honeymoon on the secluded tropical paradise of Kauai. Last year, I read and briefly reviewed Moloka’i by Alan Brennert, and absolutely loved it. To review, Moloka’i was a famous leper colony from 1873-1969. I was enamored with the story of people struggling with Hansen’s disease and dealing with the separation from families amidst the beautiful backdrop of the Hawai’ian paradise and culture.Naturally, I thought Brennert’s next book, Honolulu, would provide another great read. Moreover, I’ve actually been to the city of Honolulu, so I thought I would resonate with its setting more readily. Honolulu is a tale of a Korean “picture bride” (one who is given in long-distance marriage based only on a picture) who escapes to Honolulu in search of a better life, and doesn’t necessarily find it.The Life of a Korean Picture BrideAs the plot unfolds, Regret (the main character’s given Korean name) encounters physical abuse by her given husband in a rural Hawaiian town on the outskirts of Honolulu. She leaves him—only after a miscarriage from a beating—and travels toward Honolulu. There in the city proper, she settles as a seamstress, meets a new husband, starts a restaurant business, and earns an education.And, there you have it. That’s the basic plot of the book. It was a dece t read, but I was extremely disappointed having read his previous book Moloka’i. So, in an effort to explain why this book didn’t work as well, here’s a pointed list of what to do when writing historical fiction.What Not To DoIf your book is entitled “Honolulu” and actually covers the period during the Pearl Harbor bombing, don’t limit the description of the most famous event in the city of Honolulu to a mere single paragraph.Pick a character that is going through extreme struggle (like Regret did with her husband’s abuse) and stay with it for a while. Sure, an abusive husband is an absolutely terrible thing, so don’t dismiss it to talk about being a seamstress for several hundred pages.Spend time on the culture where the book is set. There were times that Queen Liliuokalani (the last queen of Hawai’i) was mentioned, but in truth, not much was described in terms of the surroundings, or the culture of the time. Yes, a few traditional Hawaiian words were given their respective etymologies, but that doesn’t constitute a great description of Hawaiian culture.Small business ventures do not constitute entertaining reading.If you know how to write historical fiction, like Moloka’i, stick to what works—use the gripping stories of the characters firmly based in a historical context. Wide acclaim for one novel shouldn’t equal lazy writing on the next.In synopsis, the book was interesting, but I never felt particularly moved as I did with Moloka’i. Therefore, I know that Brennert can do better, as he does write good historical fiction based in the beautiful islands of Hawai’i. If you, like me, find a fondness for Hawai’i—this book can work. Honolulu does provide some historical and cultural background, and gives you a sense of how the islands functioned in the past, but in comparison to his other novels it ultimately failed. I suggest that if you decide to read one of his books, stick to Moloka’i.Originally posted at wherepenmeetspaper.blogspot.com

[bookwyrmm_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

When I first started reading Honolulu, it really reminded me of Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See. However, the further I got into it, the more different and lush it became. This is a wonderful historical fiction piece about Korean "picture brides" and life in Hawaii in the early 1900s. Brennert's writing brings both Jin and Honolulu to picturesque life making this a must-read.

[njmom3 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I really enjoyed this book. It was a very quick read and shared a lot of the history of the community along with presenting an enjoyable story.

[eenerd · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Really beautiful tale of a young woman who escapes her constrained future in Korea by becoming a "picture bride" to a complete stranger in Hawai'i in 1915. When Regret arrives on the island, it is to a life of hardship she did not expect. But in her newfound country she finds the strength and opportunity to decide for herself what kind of life she will live, and sets off on an adventure in which she will make wonderful friends, have happiness, difficulty, sadness and success. Alan Brennert writes beautifully, and makes turn of the century Hawai'i come alive, as well as his many cultured characters. A great, lush read.

[hellokittyispretty_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was really a beautiful story and a great history lesson. It's inspired me to read more about asian culture and its roots of immigration. A good follow up to Molokai but I think Molokai was a bit better. Thanks for the recommendation Marie! I'm so enjoying this author.

[whitreidtan · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Regret is a Korean girl so named to reflect her parents' disappointment that she was not born a boy. She is also not a child who is eager to submit to the life that has been mapped out for her choosing instead to sign on as a picture bride in Hawaii, a place where girls can attend school. Embarking on a ship with other picture brides, Regret, renamed Jin, quickly realizes that she has exchanged one drudgery-filled existence for another with an abusive, alcoholic gambler of a husband.This tale of Asian immigrants and Hawaiian history is epic in scope. The story sweeps from pineapple plantations to the city of Honolulu in all its grandeur and debauchery in the early and middle years of the twentieth century. There are prostitutes, the detective who inspired the character Charlie Chan, the origins of the Hawaiian shirt, and so much more. And Jin's entirely possible story is woven throughout these historical events as she participates in the events and meets the people involved. The book is peopled with colorful characters but it still takes on difficult topics like discrimination and abuse. Jin is a strong and vibrant character who learns to direct her own life, celebrating the good and enduring the bad.I enjoyed this one but wasn't wowed by it. In some ways it was a bit stereotypical. I appreciated the history woven into it but the weaving was perhaps not as skillfull and seamless as it could have been or perhaps there was just a little too much of it. The plot galloped along (a good thing when a book is a bit of a chunkster as this one is) and I liked the characters well enough. Those people enchanted by the setting in Hawaii or the exotic idea, and decidedly un-exotic reality, of picture brides will enjoy the storytelling here.

[sararush · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Honolulu by Alan Brennert starts in Korea where a young girl named Regret (her parents were hoping for a boy) dreams of better her circumstances. Through some scheming Regret manages to get a limited education. But even when schools are accepting girls, Regret's traditional father forbids it. Eager for something more, Regret re-names herself Jin and lists herself as a picture bride for Korean immigrants in Hawaii. Too the great shame of her family, Jin departs for Hawaii, expecting a rich, handsome husband and a land where the streets are paved with gold and fruit is so plentiful you can just pluck it from the trees. Inevitable disappointment follows and Jin must risk everything she has and defy everything she has been taught to build a life and future for herself.Brennert deftly builds Jin's story around the historical and cultural events happening first in Korea and then Hawaii. He is able to explore the desolate gender disparities, racial tension, Hawaii's annexation, poverty, etc... while telling a coming if age story with only the occasional slip. There are moments when Jin's stories give way to the Hawaii factoids and the narration mimics a brief history lesson. Jin's saga is lushly descriptive, well constructed, and rendered. It should be a delight to historical fiction fans.

[bookwormteri · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Alan Brennert can tell one hell of a story. He writes beautifully and his characters are so well fleshed out that you feel like you really know them and have lived their lives with them. Jin is so complex and strong, human and lovable. She leaves Korea to marry a man she has never met and move to Hawaii. Her life does not turn out the way she expected, but I was in love with her story. Don't think that this is some "oppressed woman" book, beacause it is not. It is a beautiful story of one woman's life with it's heartbreak and joys laid bare for everyone to read. Please keep writing, I will read your grocery list if you choose to publish it.....

[manintheironicmask · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I thoroughly enjoyed Honolulu. It was quite an epic, filled with both hardship and triumph. Although it was almost 500 pages, I read it in only a few days. The years flowed easily and it was easy to sympathize with the character and her picture bride friends. Brennert clearly researched the time frame and did an excellent job in portraying the early settlement and struggles of a young Hawaii.

[amandacb_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I rather liked this easy-to-digest novel about a group of brides immigrating from Korea to Hawaii. They meet their soon-to-be arranged husbands in Hawaii; some are surprised, and not in a pleasant way. What follows is a very courageous tale of survival in a time of upheaval in Hawaii itself.

[lildrafire · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Historical fiction has never been my first choice as a genre. Brennert's masterful story tells of a lowly Korean girl's struggles, which are set against the backdrop of the country's occupation by Japanese at the turn of the 20th century. The girl, unfortunately named Regret, decided to escape her predestined fate and travel to the USA as a picture bride. The brutal reality of life for a picture bride is soon revealed to her and her friends. While expecting respect and wealth with new husbands in Hawaii, they instead find poverty and abuse. This story grasped me and didn't let go, convincing me to look at the genre in a new light. The novel was set against famously historical events, with characters developed so brilliantly that they were indistinguishable from the real people portrayed in the novel. The author masterfully intertwines fact and fiction to create something this reader has never experienced before. An exceptional story and a little bit of interesting history lead me to believe that you won't "regret" reading this one. I certainly didn't.(As submitted to Elle Magazine's Grand Prix 2009)

[suuze_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I truly enjoyed reading this book, though not as much as I did Moloka'i. I bonded more with the main character in that book than I did with Honolulu's 'Regret'. I did admire her pluckiness in all sorts of nasty situations, and her loyalty to friends and family. The narrative winds it's way with 'Regret', following her from Korea to Hawai'i where she starts life in a new country as a 'picture bride'.I was saddened to read about the treatment of Hawaiian natives by the American corporate leaders who invaded Hawaii. There was no respect for the native people of Hawaii, and it even carried over to immigrants who weren't white and wealthy. It reminded me of the way the Native Americans were discarded when the land they lived on was desired by colonists. Having been to Hawaii quite a few times, I saw some of that disrespect myself, and it disgusted me.This is a book you can read quickly, and won't want to put down once you start. Although my review sounds as if it's a sad book, it really isn't and will leave you with a smile on your face.

[smilee306 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I just finished Honolulu by Alan Brennert, and I thought it was absolutely brilliant. It was well-written and well-researched while still enticing with great characters and stories. Brennert weaves the lesser-known bits of Hawai'i's early 20th century into a moving story about a Korean girl. I stayed up late too many nights because I really wanted to know what would happen to these characters, and I'm still thinking about parts of the book now. I want to purchase this book, and will look for his earlier book about Moloka'i as well.

[kc9333 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Young girl dreams to leave oppressive life in Korea, where girls cannot receive an education. She travels to Hawaii to marry - only to discover her betrothed and Hawaii are not what she expected. The book does a wonderful job of bringing turn of the century Honolulu to life. Racial tensions and poverty are examined. We are also reminded that one's choices in life have far reaching consequences. Well Done and not to be missed!