Rachel knows my heart - "On the return voyage Rachel had ample time to consider her future and what shape it might take; and as she neared Hawai'i she now discovered something else her father must have felt on his many voyages. As the green palisades with their white skirts of sand appeared in the distance, Rachel could not imagine there was any place on earth more beautiful, any sight more welcoming, than these magnificent islands. And like Henry she knew that no matter how far she might roam, she would always come back to them."
This review says it best...
"Spanning nearly 80 years from the late 19th Century to 1970, it is a story of epic proportions. Young Rachel Kalama is taken from her home at the tender age of 7 and by age of 8 is interred at Kalaupapa on Molokai, more commonly known as Father Damien's Leper Colony. Apart from an uncle who is already there, she is all alone. Yet even with her sadness, with her little girl sweetness, she quickly charms everyone she comes in contact with and makes several very special friends along the way including two women who takes on motherly roles who couldn’t be more different from one another. From Rachel’s friendships with the other young girls – who are all there as if the were orphaned, to romances, to mischief she gets herself into, Brennert breathes such life into this wonderful character. So much so that when you read historical accounts of Father Damien’s Colony you fully expect to read her name among the former residents.
Rachel quickly gets into the reader's heart in such a special way, taking a hold of it and not letting go, not even after the last page is turned. If you love a good story with characters that simply stay with you for a long time, if you love the Hawaiian Islands, if you are more interested in reading a bit more about Hansen’s Disease (as leprosy is now more correctly called) or are simply just wanting a good book that you can’t put down than I urge you to give Molokai a try."
This review says it best...
"Spanning nearly 80 years from the late 19th Century to 1970, it is a story of epic proportions. Young Rachel Kalama is taken from her home at the tender age of 7 and by age of 8 is interred at Kalaupapa on Molokai, more commonly known as Father Damien's Leper Colony. Apart from an uncle who is already there, she is all alone. Yet even with her sadness, with her little girl sweetness, she quickly charms everyone she comes in contact with and makes several very special friends along the way including two women who takes on motherly roles who couldn’t be more different from one another. From Rachel’s friendships with the other young girls – who are all there as if the were orphaned, to romances, to mischief she gets herself into, Brennert breathes such life into this wonderful character. So much so that when you read historical accounts of Father Damien’s Colony you fully expect to read her name among the former residents.
Rachel quickly gets into the reader's heart in such a special way, taking a hold of it and not letting go, not even after the last page is turned. If you love a good story with characters that simply stay with you for a long time, if you love the Hawaiian Islands, if you are more interested in reading a bit more about Hansen’s Disease (as leprosy is now more correctly called) or are simply just wanting a good book that you can’t put down than I urge you to give Molokai a try."
