This is book #2 in the Moloka'i series, but this could be read as a standalone. Moloka'i centered on the history of leprosy in Hawaii, and this book follows the daughter who did not have leprosy. It begins in Hawaii and follows the main character, Ruth, to California through the 1960's. It combines Hawaiian and Japanese-American culture with history and makes for a book rich in emotions and heritage.

This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Having loved Moloka'i I was quite excited to read the sequel. The story of Ruth, whose mother Rachel was quarantined at a leprosy community and forced to give Ruth up when she was born. Ruth lives at a home for girls until she is adopted by a Japanese family,, and the story follows her life as she moves to California, spends time at an internment camp during WWII and eventually receives a letter from Rachel, asking if they could meet. This is an engrossing family saga that is wonderfully told.

Loved this story. I was aware this was a second book, didn't read the first one, and it didnt take away from my enjoying it.
The writing was good and I was captivated from the first paragraph. The author has a gift of description of places and emotions that put you right there with her characters. And I Loved the characters!
My heart broke when they were placed in the Japanese internment camps during WW2, How awful! I was ashamed for my country!
Many emotions during this book! It was wonderful and I fully recommend it!
5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley, the publishers, and the author for allowing me to read and review.

Didn't realize this was a second book.
Was a fast enjoyable read. Might have to go back and read the first book.


Thanks to the publisher and Net Galley

This book starts with a very endearing and heart breaking story of a girl separated from her family because of her leprosy. It follows her life in exile with other lepers on an out island. The story is captivating and her adventures as a young rebellious girl to teenager to young woman make for a great read. The downside to this book is that the story goes on for too long. If it were about 20% shorter, particularly on the adult life part, it would be perfect.

This is an incredible story of the life of a young girl, taken as an infant from her parents at the leper colony on Molokai, sent to an orphanage on Oahu, and then adopted by a loving Japanese family. Obviously well-researched, it intimately portrays the life and times as it follows Ruth while she grows up from the early 1900’s, through the war years and into the latter part of the 20th century. Characters are well developed, giving the reader a true sense of Ruth’s personality from a young girl through adulthood. Her adoptive family, and later reuniting with her birth mother are equally well written. Japanese and Hawaiian words are judiciously shared in the conversations, adding to the richness of the story, and really making the reader feel like they are a part of the telling. I strongly recommend this book. I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley. This is my freely given, honest review.

I've decided me and this author just do not click. I loved the beginning of Moloka'i and then it got too long-winded for me. I remembered the beginning of the first book when I picked this one up. It's a beautiful setting and an interesting story, but for some reason it just doesn't click for me. But everyone else loves it so please ignore this review and see for yourself!

I loved "Daughter of Moloka'i" far more than I thought I would. I read the first book and absolutely loved it as well so I went into this worrying that the sequel wouldn't live up to the first and wind up as forgettable as I find some sequels to be.

I loved Moloka'i and was so excited to find a second book! Daughter of Moloka'i is beautifully written. Loved it!

LOVE LOVE LOVE! This book is incredible. It is a fantastic sequel to Moloka'i. It is unbelievably well written and so informative about that time in California's and Hawaii's history. MUST READ.

I have to say I enjoyed this story of Ruth even more so than the original Molokai. The book follows the life of Rachel’s daughter who was given up at birth, adopted by a Japanese family, and lives a life in California. During WWII her story Is particularly compelling as a Japanese family forced into internment camps. It brings to life an aspect of American history we are not proud of and I really did not know much about.
Happily Rachel is here too which gives us the much needed closure for this story. If you liked Molokai you definitely need to finish their journey.

I read this book without reading Moloka'i first, which I was told was okay!
What a poignant story... It was hard to read at times. It follows Ruth after she is left up for adoption and eventually adopted by a Japanese family. It follows her into adulthood, as a married woman with children, when Pearl Harbor takes place and they are placed in internment camps. This is a powerful and beautiful story that is oftentimes heartbreaking. Highly recommend.

Loved the first book, loved this book as well. Such beautiful writing that really tells a wonderful poignant story and creates such vivid visuals.

I was an emotional mess reading this, but enjoyed every moment. I don't really feel this is a stand alone novel, but you do get a little background from the first book.

4.5 huge stars from me.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publishers, and the author for allowing me to read and review.

This is a sequel that totally lives up to book #1 and then some! I loved reading Ruth's story, because the entire time I was reading Moloka'i I kept wishing I could know what happened to her after Rachel gave her up for adoption... so thank you Alan Brennert for delivering!

I was not much of a fan of the first book and unfortunately I liked this one even less. The characterization was rather poor and the entire book felt flat.

An amazing sequel to Alan Brennert's Mokoka'i, telling the story of Ruth, Rachel's daughter from the first novel. Ruth is born on Moloka'i and given up shortly after birth. She is eventually adopted by a Japanese family, raised in Hawaii, then California, survives the Japanese internment camps during WW2, and eventually discovers her birth mother.

Despite not having read Moloka'i before hand, I adored the novel. While I did go back and read the first in the series, the novel does stand alone. However, the background information in the first does make the second a little bit clearer. The story, the family relationships, and the history make it an amazing read. Definitely a 5 star book.

A big thank you to the author Alan Brennert, the publisher St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for giving me an ARC in exchange for my candid review of this book.

First.....I LOVED Moloka'i!!!!! So I was so excited to read the next chapter in this story. I was a little disappointed in this book. Nothing major. It is a compelling story that follows the daughter of two of the lepers who were characters in the first book. It details the transfer of the infant to a Hawaiian orphanage, her subsequent adoption and the new family's move to California. It described some of the horrible racism experienced by Japanese immigrants before and leading up to World War II. It then chronicles the Horrible treatment of Japanese people who were interned in camps during the war. It shines light on what was a horrible time in the history of the US. I thought that it was a well researched and fairly unequivocal portrayal of the terrible treatment received by Japanese immigrants and Japanese Americans.

The book ends up with a reunion of the orphan girl, now grown up with children of her own, and her birth mother. Here is the criticism. I was done with the book at this point. The story was wrapped up and it would have been a good place to stop. But the author had still more to tell about their lives after this and about native Hawaiians. I found myself just wanting it to end. If I had been the editor---I would have cut the story off before the final end and I believe that it would have been better for it.

It is still an excellently researched and poignant portrayal of an important part of US History and the history of Japanese Americans. I recommend it to anyone who enjoyed Moloka'i and those who are just interested in Hawaiian and Japanese history.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4. I was excited to learn of a sequel to Moloka'i, a historical fiction work I had enjoyed very much.

Brennert told a really nice story in The Daughter of Moloka’i, but sorry, it didn’t have a WOW factor for me. I felt the author tried to do too much, covering Ruth’s life in great detail from girlhood to old agehood (and more).

Having read other novels on WWII and the Japanese internment, it seemed like Brennert was overdoing the background information. Detail were solid, but for some reason, I felt distant. (Could have been the saccharine voice of Ruth’s adoptive mother or the narrator’s literal voice.) Perhaps I expected too much. Maybe the characters were too nice (?) Anyway, glad I read Daughter of Moloka’i.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I adored this book. As someone who loved Moloka’i I couldn’t have been happier to see that Brennert was publishing a sequel. It was the perfect mix of embracing the story that had come before and providing a brand new landscape for the new novel, the relocation of Japanese to internment camps during world war 2. Brennert’s new book could be read as a stand alone if needed, but Moloka’i is such a wonderful novel, you would be doing yourself a disservice by not reading it.