A review by saralynnburnett
Daughter of Moloka'i by Alan Brennert
4.0
There's a line in the author's note at the end of this novel that reads, "details about the lives of real people in this story were confirmed through Ancestry.com, surely the greatest boon to historical novelists ever." And this was truly a great historical novel, so rich in details I found myself down an internet rabbit hole after every chapter looking up images of everything mentioned, especially the Japanese internment camps.
Daughter of Moloka'i is the long-awaited, fan-requested companion novel to Moloka'i. It kicks right off with the story of Rachel's (from Moloka'i) baby Ruth arriving to the Kapi'olani Home for Girls in O'ahu and then follows Ruth's adoption into a Japanese family, their move to California, and their interment during WWII. I definitely don't want to give anything away but for fans of the first novel, there's a satisfying conclusion provided here for all of our beloved characters.
If it has been a while since you've read Moloka'i I'd suggest reading a plot summary before diving into this one. If you haven't read Moloka'i you can read this one without it, it definitely can stand alone however, going in reverse and reading 'Daughter of' before Moloka'i won't be as satisfying.
On the back cover of this ARC there is a very confusing quote from George R.R. Martin: "Alan Brennert is a brilliant scriptwriter. He's an even better novelist." Confusing until you google Brennert and it turns out he's written episodes for Stargate Atlantis and Star Trek Enterprise among others and won a Nebula award for a short story in 1991. Very cool :)
Daughter of Moloka'i is the long-awaited, fan-requested companion novel to Moloka'i. It kicks right off with the story of Rachel's (from Moloka'i) baby Ruth arriving to the Kapi'olani Home for Girls in O'ahu and then follows Ruth's adoption into a Japanese family, their move to California, and their interment during WWII. I definitely don't want to give anything away but for fans of the first novel, there's a satisfying conclusion provided here for all of our beloved characters.
If it has been a while since you've read Moloka'i I'd suggest reading a plot summary before diving into this one. If you haven't read Moloka'i you can read this one without it, it definitely can stand alone however, going in reverse and reading 'Daughter of' before Moloka'i won't be as satisfying.
On the back cover of this ARC there is a very confusing quote from George R.R. Martin: "Alan Brennert is a brilliant scriptwriter. He's an even better novelist." Confusing until you google Brennert and it turns out he's written episodes for Stargate Atlantis and Star Trek Enterprise among others and won a Nebula award for a short story in 1991. Very cool :)