Review

Beautifully and insightfully written, The Last Aloha shines a light on a dark part of Hawaii s history, and challenges us to see each other with both our minds and our hearts the true aloha spirit. Quinn reminds us that this spirit has always been in the hearts of the Hawaiian people, giving us hope that it is within reach of us all. --Q Orianka Kilcher, actress, star of The New World and Princess Ka`iulani (2009)

I was caught up in the drama and spectacle from the first. Quinn knows her history and is skilled at bringing it to the page. I highly recommend this novel, not just to those with an interest in the Hawaiian Islands, but to all who can appreciate a good yarn. Knowing that much of this one is true made it all the more compelling. --Eileen Goudge, best-selling author of Garden of Lies and Such Devoted Sisters

Product Description

How did Hawaii become part of America? This story, inspired by true events suppressed for nearly 100 years, is the one James Michener never wrote. In 1886, Laura Jennings travels to Hawaii to live with missionary relatives. She imagines she'll live in a grass hut, ministering to savages. When she arrives in Honolulu, she's surprised to find her relatives are among the wealthy elite plotting to overthrow the Hawaiian monarchy. And, far from being savages, the Hawaiians have developed a charming and prosperous Victorian kingdom. To avoid her conniving uncle's control, Laura leaves to work for the royal family and learns her family's prejudices against them are false. The last Queen, Lili-uokalani, wages a tragic struggle to save the Kingdom. Through choices she makes when every avenue is blocked, Laura sees the power that can restore the spirit of a people caught in a turbulent world and discovers how long-hidden secrets of her own family lead the way to reunion.