The Last Aloha

Gaellen Quinn
Lost Coast Press (2009)
ISBN 9781935448006
Reviewed by Cherie Fisher for Reader Views (12/09)

 

This book does a wonderful job of capturing what really happened when the Hawaiian empire was overthrown over one-hundred years ago.  My grandparents settled in Hawaii and absolutely loved it and I had the good fortune to spend several years there in the 90s.  As a Social Worker, I spent an extensive amount of time with local families on all the islands and found them to be some of the most loving, caring people I have ever met.  I learned a lot about the islands’ history through this book and was captivated by the story that was interwoven into it from the first page forward. 

The story begins in 1886 and Laura Jennings was on top of the world.  She was accepted into Medical School in San Francisco and was about to marry the love of her life.  When tragedy struck, taking the two people she cared about most in the world, her father and fiancé, she found herself alone and without means to support herself.  It was then that she learned about her father’s family in Hawaii and moved to O’ahu to live with them.  

When Laura left San Francisco, she thought she was leaving civilization and going to a land where she would live in grass huts on the beach.  What she found instead was a beautiful, welcoming Hawaiian culture that she immediately embraced.   Unfortunately, forces were at work to overthrow the Royal Family and annex the Hawaiian Islands to the United States, not by missionaries, but rich landowners and businessmen who wanted more power and money. 

When Laura’s uncle, a very powerful and cold man, begins to make his plans known to her, she realizes that she must leave his household.  She does this first as governess to the last Hawaiian Princess Ka’iulani, and later by working directly for Queen Lili’uokalani.  From this perspective, the author is able to give us a very intimate look into the life in the Royal Family and their feelings and reactions to what took place. 

I highly recommend “The Last Aloha” by Gaellen Quinn to anyone who enjoys a good historical novel and especially to anyone who has a love for the Hawaiian Islands.  Mahalo to Gaellen Quinn for writing such a captivating and informative book.

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