I actually don’t remember the exact date I read this book. I do remember I picked it for book club and it is a great read. Fascinating historical fiction about one of the small Hawaiian islands being a place for a leper colony. I’m about to read the next book (it’s 2019 now) called daughter of Molokai

This book broke my heart and I was forced to cry more than several times. But I still found this book heart-touching and absolutely amazing. To feel the persons losses and pain, it’s amazing. It was also heartbreaking to read the perspective of a young girl sent to an island, isolated, because she has leprosy. This is truly the most amazing book I have ever read.

Really interesting historical fiction about the life of a girl diagnosed with leprosy at the age of 6 and banished to the island of Molokai. I learned a lot.

Great book and learned a lot of history.

I loved this book! The history of this island has always been fascinating to me, but I learned so much more from this book because it's a very personal account of life there. I have a whole new perspective on this island and the era of leprosy.

Holy cow. One of the best books I have read in 5 years. Intense, compelling storytelling with historical base. So much taken from so many. Based on true events. Will never forget this story.

This is a powerful story of historical fiction that takes place on the Hawaiian Island of Molokai. This is where people diagnosed with leprosy were sent to live out their lives in exiled quarantine from their families and society during the late 1800's and early 1900's. Rachel is 7 years old when she is ripped from her family and sent to live out her years in exile. This is a heart wrenching portrayal of tremendous loss but also of tremendous love. Definitely recommend it.

This was very interesting in how it relates to the actual history of those with leprosy in the Islands. So hard and sad. What I disliked about this book is the male perspective on a female character. I feel like men write their female characters and lose sight of the differences in men and women. Women do not feel and think the same way as men particularly concerning sex. So I felt this book was tainted. It could have been much better had he written it from a male perspective or tuned in to the way women think and feel a bit more.

This is probably one of the most beautiful historical fictions I’ve ever read

Excellent writing style: clear, sincere, unsentimental. The story is told through three different characters, and their voices and thoughts are distinct from one another. How does the author understand the humanity so well? He must have had a high level of curiosity, imagination, and empathy. Yes, this author has empathy like no other. These characters, especially the two males, are troubled and unsympathetic... yet by the end, we see humanity in them, too. Bravo.
Too long, though.

Excellent historical fiction read about Leprosy and the Hawaiian island of Molokai. Hard to believe that we treated the victims of this illness by totally removing them from their families!

Having lived in Hawaii and knowing about Molokai, it was like returning to the islands. I thought the book was a little long; however, overall, I really liked it. I learned a lot about Hansen's disease since I knew little about it when I began the book. The concept of quarantining those who had the disease I guess was the result of the medical field not knowing much about it. When science discovered medicines to treat the disease and that quaratine was not the solution, I was excited to see Rachel was releaed and could travel to Honolulu. The love and determination exhibited by Rachel throughout the book from when it was discovered she had leprsey and was taken from her family, to the death of her uncle; from her marriage and birth of her daughter Ruth to having Ruth taken from her, to finding Ruth and finally coming to know her grandchildren showed character despite the hardships she had been handed. I enjoyed the way the author wove the history of Hawaii into the story line. It was interesting to see it happening through Rachel's eyes, especially the bombing of Pearl Harbor. It seemed that time stood still on Molokai until Rachel got involved in "politics".