Book Club: Moloka'i Review {book six of my 2014-2015 reading list}

Moloka'i is the sixth book of our reading list, although one of the books from our list is actually an 8 book series, I've been reading Outlander at night and got my Moloka'i a bit late, I should have ordered the kindle version for my ipad but I thought I'd read Moloka'i during the day and Outlander at night, but I've fallen behind, because night reading while everyone else is sleeping is the BEST time for me to read.  Anyway, the book is about a young girl named Rachel, her father is a trader, and he leaves for months at a time to sea.  The book starts with his return to Honolulu and at the same time as the death of the Hawaiian King Kalākaua.  As a child she doesn't understand death and is sad that her king is gone but also believes that he will return, just as she is sad her father leaves, but he always comes back.  As she bids him farewell at the docks she hears people cyring as they did for their king, but these Hawaiians are crying as they say goodbye to Leapers headed for the island of Moloka'i.  The story follows Rachel as she carries on through her life, after her diagnosis, and as historical fiction offers a unique view point to the history of how disease and illness were handled in the 1800s.  It was hard to read at some times, because she diagnosed at such a young age.  I can't imagine my daughter being taken from me in just a few short years, from a disease I couldn't treat.  But, she does live a full life even with heartbreaks and loss, and I'm glad I pushed through the sad parts.

I'm really interested in the history of the Hawaiian Islands, as I am the history of anywhere I travel.  Hawaii is a more meaningful place to me as we plan to live there, off the land.  I'm always interested in the lifestyle of the people whose land I inhibit or explore.  And while this book doesn't necessarily offer plant or medicine knowledge it does explore the daily life of Hawaiians in the early 20th century and it was also an easy read.  The hawaiian vocabulary was a nice challenge and the plot simple enough to follow.  I would highly suggest this book to anyone interested in a historical fiction taking place in a true paradise.