Rachel kalama, the main character, is a typical 5yearold growing up in a loving family in honolulu when her mother first sees a sore on rachels leg which will not heal. The novel opens when rachel is a fun loving fiveyearold amid a lively and caring family. Marcus is a twelve years old boy that had just moved to london with his mother, fiona. Brennerts compassion makes rachel a memorable character, and his smooth.
Brennert excels in incorporating actual people and events into his stories. The chronicle of leprosyinfected rachel kalama begins in 1891 in honolulu and ends in the late 1960s on isolated molokai, site of the kalaupapa leprosy settlement. The girl on the train character analysis course hero. With a vibrant cast of vividly realized characters, molokai is the truetolife chronicle of a people who embraced life in the face of death. I think that one of the most important techniques in creating hornbys novel is the idea of. Our reading guide for molokai by alan brennert includes a book club discussion guide. The novels main character is rachel, who is sent to kalaupapa as a young girl. The powerful debut novel from alan brennert, molokai tells the story of rachel kalama, a sevenyearold hawaiian girl who contracts leprosy and is quarantined on the island of molokai during the 1890s.
Molokai book contra costa county library bibliocommons. With a vibrant cast of vividly realized characters, molokai is the truetolife. True to historical accounts, rachel s life, though shadowed by disease, isolation and tragedy, is also one of joy, courage, and dignity. The only son of dinah, remose should probably play a larger role in the book, but hes gone for. Rachel witnesses events at kalaupapa for over fifty years.
Those impacted may experience the gradual loss of their extremities or even the amputation of. Also called hansens disease, leprosy affects a persons skin and peripheral nerves causing a loss of sensation and tissue degeneration. Sevenyearold rachel is forcibly removed from her familys 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. Renefer the queen of shechem, who barely survives the massacre and ends up saving dinah.
Fandom apps take your favorite fandoms with you and never miss a beat. Most of the novel takes place in the kalaupapa peninsula of the island of molokai, a place infamous for being the location of a settlement where people with leprosy were detained. Rachel is entirely a fictional character, but the events and people that shape her life are inspired by actual people and events. Rachel s daughter ruth, taken from her the day ruth was born, is the main character in this family tale that extends from hawaii to california to japanese internment camps and back to california. Philips cousin ambrose who was twentyseven at the time explained to him that jenkyn had been hung for murdering his wife. The novels main character is rachel, who is sent to kalaupapa as a. As a young man, he expresses his confusion by succumbing to drugs and crime. Molokai book tulsa citycounty library bibliocommons. Learn all about how the characters in the girl on the train such as rachel watson and megan hipwell contribute to the story and how they fit into the plot.
However, she does find joy in meeting up with her uncle pono at the island and makes new friends. Aaron is released six months later on the read full character analysis geraldo fernandez. We meet many vibrant characters on the island and watch rachel grow up i laughed and cried. Such is the warmth, humor, and compassion of this novel pdf that few readers will remain unchanged by rachel s story. She has a happy childhood, surrounded by loving family. James mcbride author and main narrator of the memoir, he is artistically inclined.
Brennerts compassion makes rachel a memorable character, and his smooth storytelling vividly brings early 20thcentury hawaii to life. But at the age of seven, rachel and her dreams are shattered by the discovery that she has leprosy. Prior to the beginning of the novel, geraldo tried. Daughter of molokai by alan brennert is a companion novel to the marvelous molokai which told the story of rachel, who was stricken with leprosy and lived on the island of molokai. Because rachel is jewish, vianne sees firsthand the horrors that the nazis inflict on french jews, and her love for rachel is part of what finally stirs vianne out of apathy and encourages. Then one day a rosecolored mark appears on her skin, and those dreams are stolen from her. Detailed analysis of characters in daphne du mauriers my cousin rachel. Pdf molokai book by alan brennert free download 405 pages. Separated from everything dear to her, the heroine of this book, rachel, learns at a young age that life can still provide her with simple joysand profound fulfillment.
The book is divided into three parts where each part follows a different character. Brennerts novel, largely based on historical fact, follows rachel through the quarantine. Speak study guide contains a biography of laurie halse anderson, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. Taken from her home and family, rachel is sent to kalaupapa, the. Rachel kalama, the main character, is a typical 5yearold growing up in a loving family in honolulu when her mother first sees a sore on. As book s committed to his city life and career, rachel would have to give up her commitment to the amish way of life in order to be with him. I really enjoyed this aspect of the book as you really connected and grew up with the character. The book was published in multiple languages including english, consists of 405 pages and is available in paperback format. Fearing what this may mean, not just to rachel but to the rest of the family, she bandages it and makes rachel wear long skirts. Molokai ebook deschutes public library bibliocommons. This richly imagined novel, set in hawaii more than a century ago, is an extraordinary epic of a littleknown time and placeand a deeply moving testament to the resiliency of the human spirit. Molokai is an epic novel that tells much of the history of the leper settlement at kalaupapa on the hawaiian island molokai. When philip was a boy, criminals were hung at a place called four turnings. This book follows rachel as she comes to terms with her condition, how she deals with it and even how she tries to cure it.
In daughter of molokai by alan brennert, the main character is forcibly taken from her mother and put up for adoption because her mother was diagnosed with leprosy. With the character of rachel kalama, the author takes the tragic, misunderstood population of the leper colony on molokai and turns them into sympathetic, relatable people who forged a satisfying life for themselves within the limits imposed on them. The descriptions posted are those that accompany the books on the back covers. James is a writer, journalist, jazz musician, and composer. The novel opens with twentyfiveyearold philip ashley recounting a childhood memory. Molokai book grand rapids public library bibliocommons. Molokai is a 2003 novel by american author alan brennert, which follows a girl named rachel as she grows up with leprosy in hawaii. The authors development of rachels character and of those who lived on the island with her is rich in the understanding of the life of one who suffers from such a debilitating illness. This book follows the life of a fictional character who lives the. Taken from her home and family, rachel is sent to kalaupapa, the quarantined leprosy settlement on the island of molokai. Rachel is the main character of the novel, and it is through the course of her lifetime that the book takes place. Brother dutton, mother marianne, ambrose hutchison. She is only 5 years old when she is diagnosed and her family is devastated.
The in his steps community note includes chapterbychapter summary and analysis, character list, theme list, historical context, author biography and quizzes written by community members like you. In 2002 the book got a movie adaptation of the same name, directed by the brothers weitz. The story follows the life of rachel from her childhood, when she is separated from her family and taken to live in a residence hall on molokai. The shocking revelation that she has leprosy is even more frightening given her age, but it is here that rachel begins to demonstrate some of her most defining character traits. The book is about rachel, who contracts leprosy in the 1890s, and is exiled to the island of molokai. At the beginning of the book, aaron is taken away to the dachau concentration camp on kristallnacht. Growing up in idyllic honolulu in the 1890s, rachel is part of a big loving family until she is forcibly removed from her family and sent to the isolated leper colony on the island of molokai. Rachel was a very genuine and profound main character managing to live a life full of. Rachel has a daughter, named ruth, and daughter of molokai is ruths story daughter of molokai starts off in honolulu, and then soon moves to the.
Free download or read online molokai pdf epub book. The story follows her life, as she grows up, and faces various challenges. The main characters of this historical, historical fiction story are rachel kalama, henry kalama. Throughout this book we see rachel grow up on molokai from the age of 7 all the way up to old age. Daphne du mauriers take on the sinister power of sex du mauriers novel is a tightly plotted, sinuous and undeniably feral piece. Separated from her family and forced to grow up in the leper colony of kalaupapa, rachel experiences intense isolation. The first edition of the novel was published in october 21st 2003, and was written by alan brennert. Rachel kalama, the main character, is a typical 5yearold growing up in a loving family in honolulu when her mother first sees a sore on rachel s leg which will not heal. It was a good story with a look at the personal struggles and moral issues involved around the leprosy in hawaii. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. Like his mother, he places significant emphasis on his christian faith and on family unity. Rachel kalama, a spirited sevenyearold hawaiian girl. Identify an essential technique used in creating about a boy.
I like that the writing style changed for each part to represent each character. Many of the books supporting characters are actual people. The shocking revelation that she has leprosy is even more frightening given her age, but it is here that rachel begins to demonstrate some. Learn all about how the characters in my cousin rachel such as philip ashley and rachel coryn sangalletti ashley contribute to the story and how they fit into the plot. Rachel was a very genuine and profound main character managing to live a life. Rachel feels a responsibility to provide a father and a stable family life for her son samuel. The story focuses on the life of rachel kalama and covers the course of her life.
Molokai is simply a beautiful story in which alan brennert features unforgettable characters. I adored this book when i read it the first time, and just as much when i reread it recently with my book club. Molokai book san mateo county libraries bibliocommons. The pictures painted by the descriptions throughout the book, were both wonderful. April, 2012 by book rags molokai is an epic novel that tells much of the history of the leper settlement at kalaupapa on the hawaiian island molokai. Molokai book the seattle public library bibliocommons. Molokai book washington county cooperative library.
True to historical accounts, rachels life, though shadowed by disease, isolation and tragedy, is also one of joy, courage, and dignity. Young rachel kalama, growing up in idyllic honolulu in the 1890s, is part of a big, loving hawaiian family, and dreams of seeing the faroff lands that her father, a merchant seaman, often visits. Molokai is a period book in hawaii set from the 1890s to 1970. Molokai one of the beautiful hawaiian islands, but in the late nineteenth century, a name synonymous with a desolate leper colony. Aaron is released six months later on the read full character analysis. Brennerts love of hawaii and meticulous research are fully on display throughout the rich tale of rachel who, at the age of 7, is diagnosed with leprosy. Taken from her home and family, rachel is sent to kalaupapa, the quarantined. Philip recalls being seven years old and seeing a dead man named tom jenkyn at four turnings.
1625 75 352 429 1375 1529 584 269 1381 967 1271 178 448 542 232 1179 1006 1417 166 1013 1289 917 110 1330 1484 251 15 1413 1194 1294 1062 1239 1285 963 521