Moloka'i

Locations
Call Number: Fiction / Brennert, Alan, Adult Book / Fiction / General / Brennert, Alan, Adult Book / Fiction / Historical / Brennert, Alan, Adult Book / Fiction / Historical / Brennert, Alan.
On Shelf At: Downtown Library, Westgate Branch

Location & Checkout Length	Call Number	Checkout Length	Item Status
Downtown 2nd Floor 4-week checkout	Fiction / Brennert, Alan	4-week checkout	On Shelf
Downtown 2nd Floor 4-week checkout	Fiction / Brennert, Alan	4-week checkout	On Shelf
Pittsfield Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Fiction / General / Brennert, Alan	4-week checkout	Canceled Transit
Westgate Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Fiction / Historical / Brennert, Alan	4-week checkout	On Shelf
Westgate Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Fiction / Historical / Brennert, Alan.	4-week checkout	On Shelf
Malletts Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Fiction / General / Brennert, Alan	4-week checkout	Due 05-24-2024
Traverwood Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Fiction / General / Brennert, Alan	4-week checkout	Due 05-01-2024

Seven-year-old Rachel is forcibly removed from her family's 1890s Honolulu home when she contracts leprosy and is placed in a settlement, where she loses a series of new friends before new medical discoveries enable her to reenter the world.

REVIEWS & SUMMARIES

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COMMUNITY REVIEWS

Moloka'i submitted by leighsprauer on August 14, 2018, 8:47pm 'Moloka'i' tells the story of a 7-year-old girl, Rachel, who is sent from her native Honolulu after having contracted Hansen's disease (leprosy). She never sees her mother again, and only occasionally is visited by her father, but establishes a family for herself among her fellow patients and caretakers. Although not based on a true story, the author takes pains to make it as historically accurate as possible.
I found that I was drawn in to the story; it was compelling and I looked forward to reading it each day. (I should say, however, that I generally read non-fiction, so I'm easily entertained when I do read fiction.) It was not as well-written as it could have been: many of the plot elements were formulaic, and several of the characters lacked depth. I don't know if Brennert was trying too hard, or not hard enough, but either way it fell flat. If I were a better book reviewer I could convey this idea better: that I can almost picture the author thinking, "Oh ho! I'm going to add this detail so that the character doesn't seem one-dimensional!" There is probably a German word for that, but since I don't know it, I'll have to just use the word "Nope."
But I did give it three stars, mainly for its detail, its historical accuracy, and the simple fact that I continued reading it despite its flaws.