Looking back on Moloka'i, I would most definitely say that I was satisfied with how the book went; especially the ending. When we were told that our independent reading book was to be historical fiction, I debated over multiple books, but I do not regret choosing Moloka'i at all. I won't give away any spoilers (in hopes that my blogs have inspired you to pick up the book yourself), but I will say that the ending, in my opinion, was perfect.
When I began to read Moloka'i, I was a little apprehensive about reading it, considering it was about a topic completely unfamiliar to me. Before doing some research, I didn't even know what leprosy was. Something that I really liked about the book was that once I started reading, there wasn't much of a need to research on my own. The book explained the historical aspects as it went along. I discovered that I actually found the history of leprosy to be quite compelling. I did end up doing a lot of research, but I found myself coming across much of my outside information in the book.
I'll admit that at first, I didn't really like the author's inclusion of historical context that wasn't related to leprosy. It seemed a little random when he would dedicate 5 pages to talking about the arrival of refrigerators on Moloka'i, or even when he began a chapter describing baseball on the island, which seemed very irrelevant. However, each of the historical aspects did end up affecting the story in some way, as was described in my previous blog. After having finished the book, I realized that these facets contributed to the perception of the Moloka'i island more than the fictional segments of the book. Clearly the island had a huge effect on the story, so it was good that the author established significance there. The last chapter takes place in 1970, and it is easy to see that Moloka'i is a completely different place from the time Rachel had arrived as a little girl. It was while I was reading this that I realized all of those seemingly unimportant historical facts were necessary to include.
I would recommend Moloka'i to anyone. It's likely that it would be enjoyed more by women since the main character is a girl, but I don't see why men couldn't appreciate it too, especially considering the author is a man himself. I did include a lot about the book in my blogs, but Alan Brennert wrote it a lot better than I did, and I purposely left out many details. If you like a heart-warming, inspirational novel that you can learn quite a bit from, you would definitely enjoy Moloka'i just as much as I did.
I think it is awesome that you really enjoyed your book that much, especially because i didn't love mine too much. After reading your posts i definitely will consider picking Moloka'i up when i need a new book, because from what you have written it seems very intriguing. Good idea leaving out details from the book! Glad you enjoyed it!
ReplyDeleteI am glad that you were satisfied with this book. Similarly to you I was concerned with my book choice since I am pretty unfamiliar with the Civil War. This seems like a great book, although slow to start, and I will definitely consider picking it up in the near future.
ReplyDeleteGreat job Dara! I had to read your blog from beginning to end to kinda catch up to where everyone else was, and it was really obvious you liked your book, and understood it! The book sounds like a great read, and I'm definitly going to be picking it up sometime soon!(:
ReplyDeleteIts awesome that you liked your book that much Dara. It seems like a very interesting and fun book to read. The history of the island looks like it would be awesome to learn about. I'll definitely pick it up to read sometimes soon. Good post.
ReplyDeleteDara i'm glad you enjoyed your book so much! Before I read your blog, I thought the topic of this book was pretty interesting. After reading your blog however, I really thought about picking up the book for myself because of the way you reviewed it. By saying it has the perfect ending you have really peaked my interest. There is nothing better in a book than a great ending! Good Post Dara!
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