Our Hawaii by Charmian LondonMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
In spite of the fact that the language is archaic I enjoyed experiencing Charmian’s experiencing Mrs. London’s POV. She and Jack London were hosted by Hawaiian royalty all over the Islands and were privileged to enjoy in a way that few have. They were hosted everywhere they went with lavish luaus and princely accommodations in a Hawaii that does not exist today. When they arrived in the early 1900's Hawaii had been annexed by the United States and the royal families were in decline. The Missionary families owned huge tracts of land and lived as royals themselves. The horse was the favorite mode of transport and the London’s rode throughout the Islands sometimes in less than comfortable conditions, but they were troopers. Their years in the Islands were some of the happiest for the London’s and they both wrote fondly of their time there. I researched heavily for my historical novel Wai-nani: A Voice from Old Hawaii. I only saw a few discrepancies in this precious rendering of the Islands by Charmian London. She states that Kamehameha the Great died at 82. I read that he only lived to be 69, but in almost all matters of Hawaiian history and legends she was accurate. This book is not for everyone, but if you are a Hawaii aficionado like myself it is a delight. Note: There are numerous errors in formatting and misspelled words that are very distracting. It might be because it is an old book and hard to translate into kindle format, but I think a proofreader would have helped.Wai-nani: A Voice from Old Hawaii
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