Review: Molokai by Alan Brennert

I didn't know when, if ever, a book would ever attempt to overtake Katherine as my favorite book of all time and although Molokai by Alan Brennert hasn't quite succeeded, it has come darn close and I am afraid has taken over the #2 slot from Outlander. When one cries tears of joy and sadness for the last 150 pages of a 388 page book, you know it has touched a chord. Spanning nearly 80 years from the late 19th Century to 1970, it is a story of epic proportions.
Young Rachel Kalama is taken from her home at the tender age of 7 and by age of 8 is interred at Kalaupapa on Molokai, more commonly known as Father Damien's Leper Colony. Apart from an uncle who is already there, she is all alone. Yet even with her sadness, with her little girl sweetness, she quickly charms everyone she comes in contact with and makes several very special friends along the way including two women who takes on motherly roles who couldn’t be more different from one another. From Rachel’s friendships with the other young girls – who are all there as if the were orphaned, to romances, to mischief she gets herself into, Brennert breathes such life into this wonderful character. So much so that when you read historical accounts of Father Damien’s Colony you fully expect to read her name among the former residents.

Rachel quickly gets into the reader's heart in such a special way, taking a hold of it and not letting go, not even after the last page is turned. She will stay with me for a long, long time. The story is one that made me for once glad for my insomnia as I was able to stay up until 3:30AM finishing. Then I couldn’t wait to discuss it with my husband and fellow readers the next day. I simply can’t recommend this book highly enough. If you love a good story with characters that simply stay with you for a long time, if you love the Hawaiian Islands, if you are more interested in reading a bit more about Hansen’s Disease (as leprosy is now more correctly called) or are simply just wanting a good book that you can’t put down than I urge you to give Molokai a try. My only regret is that I didn’t get it to it sooner. It had been recommended to me about four years ago and had been on my TBR pile for nearly three years. Don’t make that mistake. Read this book and have your heart deeply touched.

Review: Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah

I usually begin my reviews with a brief synopsis, but in the case of Firefly Lane, I want to get the important stuff out there first: HIGHLY RECOMMENDED – Kristin Hannah is at the top of her game with this emotional three hanky read!

Just what is a friend? And what would you do for your best friend? What kind of sacrifices would you make? Many of us will never find this out. But some of us will. Some of us already know. Kristin Hannah shows us with this outstanding novel what friendship really is and how it can endure over the years. She shows us the power of friendship.

Now for the a few details – without revealing so much as to rob readers of discoveries they should make themselves. Kate Mularkey and Tully Hart meet when they are in junior high – both felt they were outsiders. Tully comes into Kate’s life a low point. She is the most beautiful, classiest person she has ever met – and she has moved right across the street. But Tully has a secret, one she hides with a lie. Eventually Kate learns to trust Tully and they become best of friends with a friendship that lasts through college and as their lives take very different paths. But this doesn’t mean everything is always easy between the two. And it doesn’t mean that one isn’t jealous of the other, but it does mean that they are there for one another. Which, as the story evolves, reveals itself in a powerful way.

Those who grew up in the 70s will love the references to the songs as the decades go by. Those who grew up in the Pacific Northwest will enjoy all the references to familiar events and locations that make everything come to life and lend an air of authenticity to the novel.

I have followed Kristin Hannah’s writing career from the beginning. From its start with a romantic hero with the unusual name of Stone Man McKenna to a wonderful time-travel set in the San Juan Islands (Once in Every Life) to the gut-wrenchingly emotional If You Believe to her breakout novel On Mystic Lake and then several bestselling novels that have made her a favorite with readers everywhere. Now with Firefly Lane she has simply reached the summit of the mountain. Make yourself comfortable – set yourself by the fireplace, grab a cup (or two or three) of your favorite beverage, a box of tissues, and put your feet up. You’ll be there for a while because you won’t want to put this book down once you’ve started. Oh – and you’ll probably want to your best friend’s phone number handy for you’ll want to phone her as soon as you finish.