Exciting and heartwarming!

Daughter of Molaka'i centers around Ruth, an orphan of a couple quarantined with leprosy on the Hawaiian island of Moloka’i. It follows Ruth's life through the orphanage, adoption to a Japanese family, internment in US camps for the Japanese during WWII, and being reunited with her Hawaiian mother. The characters are richly developed and the story is very engrossing. You are drawn in quickly and it’s hard to put the book down. The real draw for me was the close family relationships and the cultures of both the Japanese and the Hawaiians.

Not having read Moloka'i, I wondered if I had missed too much background to enjoy this book. I should not have worried. This book is great and works easily as a standalone story! I highly recommend Daughter of Molaka'i!

In full disclosure, I was given an advance copy of the book for review. That in no way influenced my review.

An absolutely fantastic book! I grew up on Oahu and this book was like a tiny piece of my childhood home. I enjoyed learning more about the culture I was blessed to live among.

Will be updating this post with link to fulsome review in days coming.

A young Hawaiian girl is adopted by a Japanese couple and then grows up in California. Life is very different for the immigrant family than what they knew in Hawaii and they work hard to overcome obstacles until Pearl Harbor changes their lives forever. They lose everything and are forced to live at the internment camps. It is only years later that Ruth learns of her birth mother and why she and her husband were forced to give her up. This is historical fiction at its best. Alan Brennert is a master at giving us the lush beauty of Hawaii and the forced internment of the lepers contrasted to the harsh climate of the Japanese-American internment camps and the racism and fear in both. A true story of immigration and the difficulties they faced - the quest for a better life for yourself and your family where hard work and allegiance to your new country was met with fear and ignorance. It is also the story of the love of two mothers and the courage of one hapa woman to understand and embrace her dual heritage. This is book two in the series but can easily be read as a standalone. My thanks to the publisher for the advance copy.

I loved this book.I found it even better than the first it has great character development really hoping for a third book in the series

If you loved Molokai you will not be disappointed. Once again the author provides an insightful telling of a life, following Ruth,s path. The story takes us from her childhood in the orphanage to adoption by a Japanese american family. The events of World War II have an obvious impact on her and her loved ones but she preservers. She is indeed the “Daughter of Molokai”, indomitable and tough like the mother with whom she eventually is reunited. This will be a great book for book groups and for people looking for a story that is more uplifting than thrilling.

This is a beautifully written book. I absolutely wish I would have been told about the first book so I could have read that one first. It would have helped me understand this one better. I did go back and read Molokai and then this one made so much more sense. So I recommend reading that one first. This book however is a story of woman who is faced with being taken from her her first love, her mother. Then put through so much as a child to an adult that she really can’t believe in love or humanity. It’s really quite the story of what our country did to people. So very touching and makes you think about so much. Yet Ruth comes to learn how love her mother and forgive others. It’s truly a great story. But please read the first or you will struggle with this one.

Thank you to NetGalley for a free eARC in exchange for an honest review. Daughter of Moloka'i is a very poignant story set during World War II and the Japanese Internment camps within the United States. Although I thought the story was a little slow at times, I was still very enthralled with the story and highly recommend it.

I received this ARC from the publisher and netgalley for my honest review.

This is a wonderful continuation of the story of Rachel and her daughter Ruth. Incredibly well researched and written. A great epic family spanning many generations.

I requested this book because I read Moloka’i years ago and really enjoyed it. I was excited to see what else Brennert could do with this particular story seeing how the first was a really well thought out, well written novel that really transported you to Moloka’i and all of the pain of being ostracized. This book has none of that same emotional resonance for me. It doesn’t connect in the same way that Moloka’i did. It felt different from the very beginning and the more I read of this sequel the less I enjoyed of it. I made it a third of the way through before deciding that I simply wasn’t enjoying the story or the writing and decided it was time to stop.

Part of the problem with this novel is that there really isn’t a connection between this story and Moloka’i. The main character, Ruth, is the daughter of a woman in the leper colony. She is sent to an orphanage after a year of not showing any signs of leprosy. Ruth is half Hawaiian and half Japanese, also known as hapa. That’s about it, for at least the first one hundred pages. She doesn’t know anything about her biological parents besides their race. After being adopted by a Japanese family she struggles with being hapa and begins to hate her Hawaiian blood. But there is little to no impact on much of her life outside of her anger at being hapa. In fact, I kind of feel like Brennert wanted to write a novel about being a hapa in the 1920s into the mid 1900’s and decide to piggy back off of the success of Moloka’i to do that.

Beyond the plot, which I didn’t feel was well executed, the pacing on this novel is off. There is no rhythm to the way time passes. The world building suffers because of that as well. It never felt like we were in Hawaii and very little changed when the family moved to San Francisco. Now, I didn’t mind the characters so much. I thought that for the most part they were well developed but the rest of this novel suffered in so many areas. When talking about the culture I also couldn’t stop myself from thinking about how incredible this novel could have been in the hand of someone who was really entrenched in the culture. By that I mean a Native Hawaiian or Japanese or Hapa. Someone who understands and can translate the subtle nuances of the culture. Brennert wasn’t able to do that with this novel and that’s one of the reasons the novel suffered.

Amazing and heartbreaking, much like Moloka'i. Brennert takes Rachel's story and refocuses it on Ruth, her daughter. While we know at least part of her story from the first book, this one really provides a different piece of the puzzle. While tough to read at times, this is a great story for learning about Japanese-Americans in the 1920-1940s and an excellent introduction for those possibly unfamiliar with this side of American history. All in all, a fantastic follow-up worth the wait to read.

Thank you to the publisher for providing this ARC through Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley, Alan Brennert and St. Martin's Press for the ARC of this novel.

A beautifully written story that tugs at your heartstrings. I love historical fiction, and this is one of my new favorite books.

I enjoyed this book tremendously. I actually felt like I was right beside Ruth the whole way. I could feel what she felt and see what she saw. Thank you Alan Brennert for this fabulous book.

Rating: 4 stars

The Good: Daughter of Moloka'i does an amazing job painting the scenery and thus truly transporting the reader into the setting. This is a very good, very well researched historical fiction book with such a poignant story.

The "Why Not 5 Stars...": To me, the character development lagged a little. There were so many people in this book who I felt like I did not know any better on the last page than I did on the first.

The Bottom Line: A truly beautiful, well-painted story within a very difficult time in history.

Don't Read This If...: If you are not entirely ready to confront some difficult times in U.S. history.

Thank you to Alan Brennert, St. Martins Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review Daughter of Moloka'i: A Novel.

Thank you, St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley, for the opportunity to review!
I’m ashamed to say that I didn’t know much about American internment of Japanese people and American people of Japanese descent during World War 2. It’s an utter atrocity and I wish I had known much more about it sooner. It should be taught in every American school. It feels especially poignant today and I’m grateful to this book for bringing this blight on our past to life for me. For that reason alone I feel like everyone should read this book.

All of that said, I did find the dialogue at times stilted and felt that a lot of the story was being recited and not shown to the reader so they could feel it—particularly in the second half. The characters felt like they were held at arm’s length and the story felt more informative than like a novel. I enjoyed it nonetheless and recommend it if you want to learn more about Japanese interment camps in America in the 40s. I don’t live too far from Manzanar and am now planning to visit. These stories need to be told.

PS—I didn’t read the first book, Moloka’i, that introduced some of these characters. You don’t need to, as this book stands alone, but now I want to.

I was so excited and nervous when I heard that Alan Brennert had written a sequel to Moloka'i. Having read Moloka'i when it was first published, I had not envisioned a sequel. Moloka'i was and still is one of my favorite books. Therefore, I was a little apprehensive about reading Daughter of Moloka'i, wondering if it could possibly compete with the feelings I had when I read Moloka'i. Based on my rating I gave Daughter of Moloka'i by Alan Brennert, I am sure you guessed that it did. Once I began reading Daughter of Moloka'i I could not put it down. I actually finished reading it about a week ago but am just now getting to write my review. Hats off to Alan Brennert for a brilliant sequel to Moloka'i. It also is one of my favorite books now. I am so grateful to St. Martin's Press for giving me a complimentary copy of Daughter of Moloka'i through Netgalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Daughter of Moloka'i began as Rachel and Kenji's daughter, Ruth, was taken away from her parents so she would not be exposed to leprosy and with the help of a Sister, was placed in an orphanage, Rachel and Kenji had only one hour with their new born daughter before she was whisked away. Ruth spent several years in the orphanage and grew to be a defiant child with a mind of her own. She had a special love for all animals. Then one day a Japanese couple came to the orphanage and met Ruth and adopted her when Ruth was five years old. The couple had always wanted a daughter but learned that they could not have any more children. Ruth answered their dreams. Ruth was brought home to meet her two brothers and get acquainted with her extended family and all the Japanese rituals that she would be expected to learn and make her own. Several years after her adoption, Ruth and her family move from Hawaii to California. Ruth's father's brother had a farm in California and wrote to ask her father to come and become his partner on the farm. However, Ruth's father's brother was not entirely honest about the success of the farm. When Ruth's family arrived in California at the farm, her father realized he had been deceived by his brother. The farm was suffering economically and Ruth's uncle was in debt. Although Ruth's father felt tricked and betrayed, he helped his brother turn the farm around in a positive way. Ruth was confronted with discrimination for the first time in her life. The people in California did not look favorably upon their Japanese neighbors. As Ruth grew to womanhood she fell in love with Frank and they had two children, Don and Peggy.

Ruth's life was not easy but it was full of love. Then Pearl Harbor was attacked and Ruth and her family's lives were about to change drastically. Bigotry became even more widespread. Ruth and her family were forced from their homes and placed in internment camps. It was a pitiful existence that Ruth and her family had to endure for several years. Ruth had to learn how to face numerous challenges over these years. The hardest was losing her father because of neglect and exposure to the elements. Then the war ended and as quickly the internment camps were dismantled. Ruth and her family moved back to California only to be met with more bigotry but Ruth and Frank re-built their lives and raised their children. Then Ruth received a letter from Rachel, her birth mother. She was being treated with sulfa medication for her leprosy and was no longer contagious. Ruth and Rachel met and slowly Rachel developed a warm and loving relationship not only with Ruth but with her grandchildren, Ruth's husband and with Ruth's adoptive mother.

Daughter of Moloka'i by Alan Brennert was one of the best books I have read this year. It was full of warm feelings of love and family. I could not put this book down. If you never read Moloka'i, I would suggest reading it first but it is not essential. What a wonderful book. I highly recommend it.

I read Moloka'i so was quite pleased to be approved to read the sequel. BUT not feeling the love or joining the fans who did. Just didn't do it for me. Certainly readable and somewhat informative but not enough. In fact, sometimes bored. Covers 1917 [Prologue] to 1970 [end of story].

What did I like? I loved Etsuko. Cared for Ruth, Taizo, and Rachel. And the rest of Ruth's adopted family. Story about being Japanese in Hawaii was quite informative [the first part of book--prior to relocating to California]. However, this follow-up just didn't have the impact of the first book. Some of the peripheral characters seemed like cardboard caricatures. Thought enough--could have [and did] read Farewell to Manzanar [which Brennert cites--among other books--in the extensive Author's Notes]. Didn't really learn anything new about the Japanese internment camps.

The book is about family, self-discovery, and Japanese internment camps. I did learn something about strawberry farming [and the Japanese and farming in California]. And the political climate in the US at the time. A bit about leprosy--harkening back to the first book and having to deal with Ruth's eventual reuniting with Rachel [no spoiler alert needed--it's all in the blurbs].

And though there were some "oy," syrupy moments; there were also a [very] few instances where I really liked the prose:

"But letting go of life was not the same as embracing death."

So, if you liked the first book, you will probably want to read this one. And, you may be in the majority of those who loved it.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in return for an honest review.

Previously, I read and reviewed Book No. 1, Moloka’i, which is Rachel’s story of contracting leprosy, being wrenched from her family and sent to live at Kalaupapa, the quarantined leprosy settlement on the island of Moloka’i. Book No. 1 was full of emotions, from one end of the spectrum to the next, a roller coaster of a ride with happiness and joy marred by heartbreak. Unfortunately, I didn’t get the same emotional impact from Book No. 2. It just really fell flat for me. It was a good story with a lot of potential, but it just didn’t engage me as the first book did.

Book No. 2 is the story of Ruth, Rachel’s daughter. While Kalaupapa may have been a quarantined island, the residents were still free to live in their own homes, fall in love, marry and have children. With dire consequences, I might add. Rachel fell in love with Kenji, who was Japanese. They married and their daughter, Ruth, was taken from them at birth. I think this is the part of the book that deserves 5 stars for making me think. Imagine how devastating it would be to have a child taken from you immediately after birth. Would it then be less traumatic to never see them again, or to see them for a year and then have them whisked away to an orphanage on another Hawaiian island? Until Ruth’s first birthday, Rachel and Kenji can see their daughter, albeit from behind glass and never being able to touch her. I really wrestled with which option was the lesser of two evils and still haven’t been able to decide.

On with the story, which now becomes Ruth’s story. She spends five years or so in a Catholic orphanage before being adopted by a Japanese family. We follow her through childhood, adolescent and teen years, into her marriage and as a new mother. We also follow her and her family into a Japanese internment camp. The writing style of Book No. 1 was simplistic, but in a good way. There wasn’t a lot of flowery prose, just raw emotion that clearly conveyed. Book No. 2 is just simplistic and lacks any depth to the plot or the emotions. There is so much anger and hatred towards the whites that interred the Japanese, yet it is never fully examined. Please don’t think I am condoning this, I just felt there was a lack of story behind the actions to help me better understand what each side was feeling. I do understand feeling anger and hatred towards those who imprison you unjustly, but felt there would have been more complexity and depth to those emotions which I just didn’t pick-up from the writing. At the same time, there are some family rifts which I would have loved seen explored more from a Japanese cultural perspective of family, honor and shame.

There were things mentioned in the book which I needed to go look up for myself to see what the author was referring to, see if they were true and to learn more about them. I would have loved to have seen more of that explained in the book, but they were just glossed over.

There was also a large section of the book which was taken directly from Book No. 1. I guess if it’s been a while since you read the first, or if you didn’t read the first, to be able to recap. Since I read them back-to-back, it dragged down the pace of the book.

This book is a the second in a series but I didn't read the first and I can attest that this book stands well on its own (although I am very intrigued to go back and read the first book now). I highly recommend reading this book as part of a book club as there will be plenty to talk about. It is a well written story of adoption, love, nation and loyalty all imbedded within a family saga. The book was well researched and has great depth; I also learned more about Hawaiian culture and Buddhism.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an early release in exchange for an honest review.

What I love about this book and Moloka'i (the first) is that Brennert takes readers on an intimate journey through a part of American history most people probably hadn't studied before. In the first novel, it was about Moloka'i, the Hawaiian leper colony of 1866 to 1969. In Daughter of Moloka'i, Brennert takes us through the U.S. internment of Japanese Americans during WWII. It wasn't until I was an adult that I even heard about this and the terrible living conditions and continuing racism Japanese Americans faced during and after the war. I think these two books are a must read for anyone with a passing interest in our history. My only complaint about this second book is that it was about 5 chapters too long. I felt Brennert dragged a good bit of the ending out in an effort to bring closure for her characters, which wasn't entirely needed for the reader.

Vivid, wrenching, emotional. I could not put it down.
Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author. All opinions are my own.