I found Molokai to be a very moving book. Throughout the book, Rachel Utagawa, the main character, grew a lot, the author expanded her character from a little girl that was made into a strong woman. The author kept me flipping the pages and never wanting to put the book down.

A beautiful tale of a Hawaiian girl who is isolated I'm a leprosy colony in the late 19th century. But, her story doesn't end there and it's filled with a new kind of family.

A hawaiian island Molokai is where lepers are sent to be isolated. The book follows Rachel from her childhood in Honolulu through her diagnosis of leprosy at age 6 or 7 and her life on Molokai until her death. It's a beuatiful book, historical fiction and from the research I did, accurate about leporasy in the late 1800's though to about 1940 or so.

Excellent read about some history most of us don't have any idea about.

I loved this book.

I don't remember why i read this book
I didn't like it all
Yicky

In paradise there was a horror--Graves disease or leprosy. This is an incredible story about the island of Molokai which became known as the island to which lepers were exiled.

Enjoyed this read a lot! Didn't know about the leper colony on Molokai and enjoyed learning the history through a novel. The story was well written and intriguing.

Moloka'i captivated me from the first page. I found myself emotionally invested in Rachel's journey to the point of tears early on in the book, and this continued to the very last page. Brennert's breath-taking descriptions of Hawaii and its culture were as compelling as the relationships that were developed between the residents that had been exiled to Moloka'i.

One of the best books I've ever read! I definitely will be reading this one again and I never reread books. The knowledge I gained reading this was immense and the characters I grew to care about and hope the best for. Such a sad part of our history, yet I'd never heard about it until I picked up this book. A definite read for all historical fiction fans or anyone who wants an amazing read that is full of life, adventure and the human spirit one doesn't normally see.

This book was so entertaining to tread. I learned things I didn't know. I thought leprosy was terminal and it is not. Great story.

My mom introduced this 1963 novel (historical fiction) to me. It is the story of people in the leper colony on the island of Molokai, back in the mid-late 1800s. The book has 3 sections that correspond to the narrative of three people- Dr. Newman, the German physician who studies leprosy but lacks humility, compassion, and love; Malie, a beautiful woman with leprosy who falls in love with Keanu, the subject of Dr. Newmans' study to determine the transmission of leprosy; and Caleb, a half white-half Hawaiian bachelor lawyer who is tormented by his inability to find reason and meaning in his affliction with leprosy. The three stories are separate but intertwined, and each viewpoint adds to one's understanding of life on the island.
There is much discussion about the role of God, free will, science, and Hawaiian traditional religion. Besides the 3 central characters, the resident priest, Father Damien (a real-life figure) has a large role as leader of this island of sequestration. He is there to offer emotional support, nursing care (he routinely changes bandages for the lepers), and de facto governance over the island. Dr. Newman and Caleb are scientists who believe leprosy is a natural phenomenon that can be controlled with knowledge, while Father Damien, Malie, and, to a lesser extent, Keanu all believe God has a plan and those afflicted with leprosy are so for His divine reasons.
The book has a little bit of everything- science, love, medicine, religion, murder, soothsaying, infidelity, ethical decisions, devotion to the poor and sick, hatred for the poor and sick. It was a long read, and the beautifully descriptive language is sometimes a challenge to focus on, but still it was a good read.