Friday, November 14, 2014

Rainbows on the Moon by Barbara Wood, a lively journey through early Hawaii

The enticing setting for Barbara Wood’s latest entertaining epic, the tropical splendor of old Hawaii, is a strong selling point. Her heroines’ linked stories are tightly woven into the islands’ cultural and political history, and while the narrative is packed with detail, the flowing prose style makes for smooth reading. Her characters grow and change over time, and the light tone doesn’t lessen the impact of the tragedies the Hawaiians experience.

Emily Stone is a new bride who settles at Hilo in 1820 with her priggish missionary husband, Isaac, to minister to the natives and improve their moral standards by eradicating promiscuity and incest. Unhappy with her grass hut of a home and her distant marriage, Emily finds herself attracted to a handsome sea captain who visits on his trade stops. While she makes inroads with educating the people, changing their behavior proves harder than expected. Earnestly devout and set in her ways, Emily is also a compassionate woman who has a tough life, isolated from family and familiar comforts in this lushly verdant, alien land.

The switch over to 1850s Oregon partway through comes as a surprise, but the story loops back to Hawaii soon enough. Anna Barnett is a determined young woman whose passion for nursing leads her to convert to Catholicism, become a nun, and travel to Honolulu, where competent medical care is sorely needed. Her path draws her to the prominent Farrow family, who appear to be cursed. The Hawaiians’ perspective is shown via a powerful chiefess, Pua, and her daughter, Mahina, who struggle to keep their beliefs alive amid rapid industrial development and an ever-shrinking native population. The broken English they speak in dialogue feels overdone and distracting, however. With its adventurous women, island lore, and stunning scenery, this is a lively read for anyone thinking or dreaming of visiting Hawaii.

Rainbows on the Moon was published by Turner this fall in paperback ($21.95, 460pp).  I read it from an Edelweiss e-galley.  This review first appeared in November's Historical Novels Review.

I appreciate Barbara Wood's willingness to venture into less familiar settings in her novels.  Other books of hers which I've reviewed here previously are The Divining, set in the 1st-century Roman world, and Woman of a Thousand Secrets, set in 14th-century Guatemala and Mexico.

11 comments:

  1. I have always enjoyed Barbara Wood's books since I discovered her at our local library. She seems to always have a medical theme in them but aside from that, her writing flows and she has such a wide range of times and themes. I look forward to reading this one.

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    1. I've noticed the consistent medical theme in her books (this one's no exception). I've only read four or five of them so have many more to look forward to.

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  2. Anonymous7:24 PM

    Hi Sarah,
    I love your blog and really value your opinion on what to read! I was wondering if you have any suggestions for what I am 'craving' right now... a fat historical novel along the lines of MM Kaye, Zemindar, GWTW, etc. Any ideas?
    Thank you!

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    1. Thank you so much!

      Here are some ideas of big, fat historical novels along the lines of Zemindar to tempt you. Many of these are out of print now but are easily available via Amazon/Paperbackswap/the library.

      - Rebecca Ryman, Olivia and Jai, set in 19th-century India. Adventure and deep, angsty romance between a young Englishwoman and a mysterious man of half-Indian heritage. Lots of unpredictable twists and turns, too.

      - Pamela Belle, The Moon in the Water. This is set during the English Civil War and is a huge epic about star-crossed lovers and a family torn apart during the strife.

      - Reay Tannahill, A Dark and Distant Shore. An epic story about a woman determined to reclaim her family's Highland castle that also covers about 100 years of British history. Nearly 900 pages long! The author's The World, The Flesh, and the Devil is set much earlier (in late medieval times) but is another winner.

      - Alison McLeay, Passage Home. Also set in the 19th century, from Newfoundland to America to England, the story of the first half of the 19th century and of a woman who falls in love with an older man and drops everything to follow him - and their relationship changes considerably over time.

      - Anya Seton, Avalon. The story of a wandering French prince and the Cornish peasant girl he loves but who constantly eludes him. This is set the furthest back in time (10th century) but has great descriptions of life in England at that time.

      - Jennifer Donnelly, The Tea Rose. A woman gets involved in the tea trade in late 19th-c London and New York. There are two sequels/related novels if it strikes your interest.

      Curious if you've read any of these already and what you thought!

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  3. Anonymous9:46 PM

    I have actually read most of them, except for Avalon by Anya Seton! And I LOVE Olivia and Jai. One of my favorites! I wish the author had been able to write more than the three she did. The Tea Rose is also a favorite of mine.
    Thanks so much for the suggestion! If you think of any others, let me know!

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    1. I'm not surprised - the ones I listed are some of the classics of that type. At least it shows I was on the right track :) Olivia and Jai is one of my favorites too.

      Let me try to think of some others - have you read Susanna Kearsley's The Winter Sea, Karleen Koen's Through a Glass Darkly, Ann Moore's Gracelin O'Malley, and/or Sharon Kay Penman's Here Be Dragons? Along the same lines, I've also heard recommendations for Celeste de Blasis' and Kate Furnivall's novels but haven't read them myself.

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    2. And two more meaty epics I'd recommend - Jules Watson's The White Mare, set in early Scotland, and Brian Wainwright's Within the Fetterlock - a medieval novel set in the 14th century, which you don't read much about.

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  4. Anonymous8:11 PM

    You and I definitely have the same taste! And I fully recommend ALL of Kate Furinvall's novels, but her first one (The Russian Concubine) is my favorite! Run to the nearest store to pick that one up!
    Thanks and Happy Reading!

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    1. I've owned a copy of Russian Concubine since it was published and really ought to get to it. Thanks for the recommendation!

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  5. I wonder how you would compare it to Michener's Hawaii.

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    1. I haven't read Hawaii, but from what I've read about it, this one has a much shorter time frame and different format (not episodic); Wood also focuses on women's experiences.

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