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Cher 'N Books's Reviews > Hawaii
Hawaii
by
by
1.5 stars - I didn't like it.
Sigh…� I have heard such marvelous things about Michener that I have acquired quite a few of his books over the years as I found them on sale here and there. Yet, this was the first one I settled in to read, eagerly anticipating it as I have an extended trip to Hawaii coming up just around the corner.
The first chapter was interesting, as he discussed the geologic formation of the Hawaiian islands and what was going on elsewhere in the world at the time. And then characters walked on to the page and they brought oh so much disappointment with them for this reader.
I found the dialogue to be painfully stilted, an utter lack of setting the scene (I knew the plot was currently in Bora Bora because it was stated over and over and over, but I sure didn’t feel like I was armchair traveling), completely forgettable characters and a level of disengagement that required a forced focus to continue paying attention to what I was reading.
"Will you go north with me?"
"Yes."
"Are you hurt?"
"My shoulder."
"Broken?"
"No."
"Wait for me at the canoe." He thrust her toward the shore and then caught her again, muttering, "We have come to kill your father. Do you still want to go?"
"I’ll wait at the canoe," she said. Now he heard Mato shout, "We've found him!�
Keep reading, I said to myself. It’s going to get better. But at 125 pages in, the thought of continuing for another 1000+ pages does not appeal even one iota to me, and I will be setting this one aside. I like to think that one day I will pick up one of the other dozen or so works I have acquired by this author, but honestly, it’s difficult when you have such a long TBR list to give them another go when the first impression was so dissatisfying. Might, might not.
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First Sentence: Millions upon millions of years ago, when the continents were already formed and the principal features of the earth had been decided, there existed, then as now, one aspect of the world that dwarfed all others.
Sigh…� I have heard such marvelous things about Michener that I have acquired quite a few of his books over the years as I found them on sale here and there. Yet, this was the first one I settled in to read, eagerly anticipating it as I have an extended trip to Hawaii coming up just around the corner.
The first chapter was interesting, as he discussed the geologic formation of the Hawaiian islands and what was going on elsewhere in the world at the time. And then characters walked on to the page and they brought oh so much disappointment with them for this reader.
I found the dialogue to be painfully stilted, an utter lack of setting the scene (I knew the plot was currently in Bora Bora because it was stated over and over and over, but I sure didn’t feel like I was armchair traveling), completely forgettable characters and a level of disengagement that required a forced focus to continue paying attention to what I was reading.
"Will you go north with me?"
"Yes."
"Are you hurt?"
"My shoulder."
"Broken?"
"No."
"Wait for me at the canoe." He thrust her toward the shore and then caught her again, muttering, "We have come to kill your father. Do you still want to go?"
"I’ll wait at the canoe," she said. Now he heard Mato shout, "We've found him!�
Keep reading, I said to myself. It’s going to get better. But at 125 pages in, the thought of continuing for another 1000+ pages does not appeal even one iota to me, and I will be setting this one aside. I like to think that one day I will pick up one of the other dozen or so works I have acquired by this author, but honestly, it’s difficult when you have such a long TBR list to give them another go when the first impression was so dissatisfying. Might, might not.
-------------------------------------------
First Sentence: Millions upon millions of years ago, when the continents were already formed and the principal features of the earth had been decided, there existed, then as now, one aspect of the world that dwarfed all others.
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Reading Progress
February 3, 2013
– Shelved
July 9, 2018
–
Started Reading
July 20, 2018
–
Finished Reading
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by
JanB
(new)
Jul 21, 2018 08:07AM
You're right...too many other great books and the tbr is long. How interesting it was the characters and not the geological info that bogged the story down.
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I haven’t read Michener in decades. Based on your review, it seems as if his work has become dated. Nice review, Cheri
In spite of the glowing reviews and loyal fans, somehow these books' descriptions never appealed to me. I probably won't ever give them a go. Good of you to try.
Thanks for commenting, ladies. Happy reading to you all.
I so remember being mesmerized by that first chapter when I first read this long ago. I loved the book but wonder what I'd think now. Better not to re-read I think. I recently was reading Poland and had similar feelings as those in your review.
You might like The Drifters more - at least it's shorter!
