HONOLULU by Alan Brennert, 2009.
With a well written, smoothly flowing narrative, Brennert's second novel depicts the lives of four Korean "picture brides" who journey to Hawaii in 1914 to marry men they have never met. Regret (so named by her parents because daughters in Korea were considered unimportant enough for formal names) is the main character of the story. A somewhat feisty and independent girl, she is determined to obtain an education (not usual for girls in Korea) and make a different and better life for herself. A sympathetic relative helps her learn to read in secret. Then, seeing a chance to help her family financially and escape from her strict father, Regret and her childhood friend Sunny decide to make the journey to the island paradise of Hawaii to marry wealthy and handsome men who will give them good lives. All they have are photographs of the men they will marry. On the steamship they meet more girls--Beauty, Wise Pearl, and Jade Moon--all of whom become part of Regret's (now called Jin) circle. When they reach Honolulu, Sunny changes her mind and takes the return ship back to Korea; the other girls are quickly married off to their suitors--none of whom are what they expected. Disappointment, bitterness, backbreaking work, illness, horrific abuse, childbirth, disease, and violence becomes part of their lives, but they are resilient, smart, determined, plucky, and fiercely loyal, and these young girls create a support system which eventually enables them each to find happiness. Brennert follows these women through their triumphs and tragedies, ending the main story in 1937, but includes a 1957 afterword to further tie up loose ends. He is excellent with his historical details about Hawaii, Korea, the various customs and foods and clothes, politics, living conditions in the city and on the plantations, etc., all portrayed realistically and shockingly at times. He weaves through his narrative the stories of the real people who became the characters Charlie Chan and Sadie Thompson, and involves his fictional characters in the sensational scandal concerning rape and lynching known as the Massie case. He includes the racial issues of the time concerning Koreans, Japanese and Hawaiians, the problems of the government, prostitution, workers' strikes, etc., in convincing and interesting ways. Jin is a sympathetic  and believable heroine, and if some of the storylines' resolutions seem a bit too pat, it is still an enjoyable piece of fiction. I would say that it isn't as compelling or as emotionally involving as Moloka'i, his previous book, but a good tale nonetheless.