Paradise of the Pacific: Approaching Hawaii

by Susanna Moore Narrated by Kaipo Schwab

Overview

The history of Hawaii may be said to be the story of arrivals-from the eruption of volcanoes on the ocean floor 18,000 feet below, the first hardy seeds that over millennia found their way to the islands, and the confused birds blown from their migratory routes, to the early Polynesian adventurers who sailed across the Pacific in double canoes, the Spanish galleons en route to the Philippines, and the British navigators in search of a Northwest Passage, soon followed by pious Protestant missionaries, shipwrecked sailors, and rowdy Irish poachers escaped from Botany Bay-all wanderers washed ashore, sometimes by accident. This is true of many cultures, but in Hawaii, no one seems to have left. And in Hawaii, a set of myths accompanied each of these migrants-legends that shape our understanding of this mysterious place.


In Paradise of the Pacific, Susanna Moore, the award-winning author of In the Cut and The Life of Objects, pieces together the elusive, dramatic story of late-eighteenth-century Hawaii-its kings and queens, gods and goddesses, missionaries, migrants, and explorers-a not-so-distant time of abrupt transition, in which an isolated pagan world of human sacrifice and strict taboo, without a currency or a written language, was confronted with the equally ritualized world of capitalism, Western education, and Christian values.

Editorial Reviews

The New York Times - Michiko Kakutani

Paradise of the Pacific…provides a fascinating history of [Hawaii]…It is an elegantly written and conscientiously researched book—interesting in its historical and anthropological particulars…

The New York Times Book Review - Jan Morris

[Paradise of the Pacific] is…an astonishingly learned summation of the Hawaiian meaning, elegantly written, often delightfully entertaining and ultimately sad.

Publishers Weekly

06/01/2015
Novelist and memoirist Moore (The Life of Objects) takes inspiration from her childhood in Hawaii to craft an insightful history of the archipelago, from its first wave of settlers in the 6th century through its annexation by the U.S. in 1898. She focuses largely on the tumultuous years following Capt. James Cook’s 1778 discovery of the islands and how contact with the outside world disrupted everything. As cultures clash, several major narratives emerge. The first is the effect of trade and commerce: “The chiefs acquired new desires, which demanded a different kind of labor from their people.” Though island culture was transformed through industry, it was radically upended with the introduction of Christianity: “The fixed world of the Hawaiians, governed by a hereditary ali’i and priesthood with a distinctive system of kapu , suddenly became one of flux, if not chaos.” Moore is honest about the peculiarities of the old ways—“to be Hawaiian before the overthrow of the old gods in 1819 was to live in an unending state of terror”—and she’s equally upfront about the devastation wrought in the aftermath. This is a fascinating and well-balanced look at how a unique culture came to be and the heartbreaking manner of its end. Illus. Agent: Stephanie Cabot, the Gernert Agency. (Aug.)

From the Publisher

“Paradise of the Pacific, Ms. Moore’s new nonfiction book about Hawaii . . . provides a fascinating history of that Pacific archipelago . . . It is an elegantly written and conscientiously researched book.” —Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times

“[Paradise of the Pacific is] an astonishingly learned summation of the Hawaiian meaning, elegantly written, often delightfully entertaining and ultimately sad.” —Jan Morris, The New York Times Book Review

“[A] fascinating account . . . The power of Paradise of the Pacific, then—as well as its bitter beauty—resides in Moore's ability to lay out this progression as a set of turning points, inevitable from the standpoint of the present, but in their own time more a matter of human ambition and fallibility.” —David Ulin, The Los Angeles Times

“ Paradise of the Pacific, a superb telling of the Hawaiian story from the earliest voyages, is immensely satisfying on so many levels-as a detailed history, as a startling drama, as a cultural heritage of bellicosity and beauty. Susanna Moore, a brilliant novelist, a scrupulous researcher, gives this complex history an astonishing vitality.” —Paul Theroux

“Just when I think I know all there is to know about Hawaiian history, Susanna Moore (once again) proves me wrong. With a voice of friendly authority and wit, she translates meticulous research into gripping prose.” —Kaui Hemmings, author of The Descendants

“This is a fascinating and well-balanced look at how a unique culture came to be and the heartbreaking manner of its end.” —Publishers Weekly

“Moore digs deep and delivers a thoroughly researched account of Hawaii's distinct culture and history . . . Moore's background in storytelling radiates throughout this work, creating a quick-paced and well-crafted narrative. Highly recommended for the armchair historian and those intrigued by Hawaiian history, maritime exploration, and the history of Christian missionaries.” —Library Journal

“Paradise of the Pacific is a work of scholarship, sympathy, and, as with all Susanna Moore's books, literary elegance. It is also a long amazement. One figure after another steps from the shadows in a world that sometimes seems as remote as Homer's.” —Alec Wilkinson, author of The Ice Balloon—Library Journal

From the Publisher - AUDIO COMMENTARY

"Moore's background in storytelling radiates throughout this work, creating a quick-paced and well-crafted narrative." —Library Journal Starred Review

Library Journal

★ 06/01/2015
Moore delves once again into the subject of Hawaii, a setting that has served as a backdrop for several of her novels (The Whiteness of Bones; My Old Sweetheart, etc.). The author's memoirs Light Years: A Girlhood in Hawaii and I Myself Have Seen It: The Myth of Hawaii provided looks at life in Hawaii beyond the tourist haunts and staged luaus. With this latest offering, Moore digs deep and delivers a thoroughly researched account of Hawaii's distinct culture and history. Of note are the examination of traditional religious beliefs and the introduction of Christianity and Western ideals to the islands, the unification of the area under one monarch, and, finally, the annexation of Hawaii by the United States. VERDICT Moore's background in storytelling radiates throughout this work, creating a quick- paced and well-crafted narrative. Highly recommended for the armchair historian and those intrigued by Hawaiian history, maritime exploration, and the history of Christian missionaries. For readers with a continued fascination in the development of the Hawaiian Islands, perusing Julia Flynn Siler's Lost Kingdom might also prove a rewarding endeavor. [See Prepub Alert, 2/23/15.]—Crystal Goldman, Univ. of California, San Diego Libs.

OCTOBER 2015 - AudioFile

Kaipo Schwab narrates this history of Hawaii from the late eighteenth century, when it was discovered by Captain Cook, to the late nineteenth century, when it was annexed by the United States. Schwab is from Honolulu, and it shows in his reading of the Hawaiian words and names that pepper the text. His melodic voice is even and precise throughout, providing a solid foundation for Susanna Moore’s eloquent text. However, his careful pacing is not accompanied by changes in tone or volume for the historical stories of Hawaii’s native people. Overall, however, Schwab delivers an appealing reading. E.N. © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine

Product Details

BN ID:	2940170493340
Publisher:	Tantor Audio
Publication date:	08/18/2015
Edition description:	Unabridged

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