The spirit of aloha is found in Hawaii’s fresh ocean air, the flowers, the trade winds . . . the natural beauty that smooth the struggles of daily life. In 1922 Honolulu, unhappy in the adoptive family that’s raised her, Dolores begins to search for that spirit early on—and she begins by running away at sixteen to live with her newlywed friend Maria. Trying to find her own love, Dolores marries a … love, Dolores marries a young Portuguese man named Manolo His large family embraces her, but when his drinking leads to physical abuse, only his relative Alberto comes to her rescue—and sparks a passion within Dolores that she hasn’t known before. Staunch Catholics can’t divorce, however; so, after the Pearl Harbor attack, Dolores flees with her two daughters to California, only to be followed by both Manolo and Alberto. In California, Manolo’s drinking problems continue—and Alberto’s begin. Outraged that yet another man in her life is turning to the bottle for answers, Dolores starts to doubt her feelings for Alberto. Is he only going to disappoint her, as Manolo has? Or is Alberto the embodiment of the aloha spirit she’s been seeking?
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Set in Old Hawaii, The Aloha Spirit delves into the complicated and fraught history of the Portuguese in early Hawaii through the eyes of Dolores. We follow her from 1922 as she a child at an Oahu Portuguese Camp on a sugar plantation, then onto an orphanage, an oppressive marriage, and finally to California post Peal Harbor. The author’s lush descriptions of Hawaii evoke the smells, sights, and sounds (and even tastes) of the islands. Experiencing the subjugation (and self-subjugation) of Dolores is sometimes difficult to read as times marches on and she doesn’t make a change. But reading about oppressed women in historical novels is an important reminder of how far women have come, and how far we still have to go. When Dolores finally moves to California (1940), she finds her strength and bravery and perhaps comes to understand her self worth. The Aloha Spirit is a fantastic read, full of a family loyalty, love, and the resilience of women throughout history in early Hawaii and early California. The glossary of Hawaiian, Portuguese, and Spanish words/phrases is a special treat!
Historical fiction at its best. This beautifully written novel broke my heart from the first chapter as I fell for seven-year-old Dolores abandoned by her father in 1922 Honolulu. The author’s poetic sensory language swept the story along with ocean breezes, floral scents and lush surroundings inducing me to keep turning the pages. Throughout the read I rooted for Dolores as she navigated life despite adversaries with courageous grace. And oh, what a magnificent 1950 ending!
In The Aloha Spirit, Linda Ulleseit takes us to the Hawaii of the 1920s, where Dolores, a seven-year-old girl, is left by her father in the care of a Hawaiian family. From the beginning, Dolores impresses us with her strength. She feels abandoned by her father, but hopes that if she can learn to become useful, her father will send for her to come to California to live with him and her brother. Dolores’ foster family requires her to work very hard, but no harder than they themselves work, and in fact, the hard work seems essential to them as part of the definition of the aloha spirit. Family is of prime importance, and Dolores struggles to find one to fit into. After a few years, she moves in with her foster sister, Maria, and Maria’s new husband. With them and the children they have, Dolores comes to believe that the true aloha spirit is about love, and about the family that you make. When she marries, she cherishes her husband’s relatives, and she yearns to keep her connection with them, even after problems arise in her marriage. After she and her daughters move to California, Dolores continues her search for the meaning of the aloha spirit as a guide to how to live her life.
Ulleseit never overdramatizes Dolores’ difficulties, but presents them to the reader as part of her life, and we eagerly follow Dolores, hoping that she can find happiness. Dolores inspires us with her resilience, her ability to love, and her dedication to family. The Aloha Spirit beautifully illustrates quiet determination in the face of hardship, the importance of finding where and with whom you belong, and, ultimately, the power of love.
“The poignant and atmospheric tale captures the pre–World War II diversity of Hawaiian culture, a melting pot of religions and ethos… Evocative and engaging, with a protagonist determined to keep the aloha spirit in her heart.” —Kirkus Reviews
Hawaii in the 1920s to the 1950s, this novel follows the life of Dolores from childhood through adolescence, marriage, and motherhood. It describes the challenges she faces and the philosophy of the aloha spirit and delves deep into family life and the history of Hawaii, which I found totally captivating. A wonderful story and a delight to read.
There is much to love about The Aloha Spirit. A novel that spans the 1920s-1950s, it provides knowledge about the history of Hawaii beyond the common tourist-acquired facts and beautifully conveys Hawaiian culture, especially the meaning of the all-encompassing philosophy of the aloha spirit. We learn all of this through the eyes of young Dolores, who is left with a Hawaiian family after her mother’s death and her father’s departure to California to find work. This begins Dolores’s search for love, family, and a sense of belonging, a journey full of conflict as she marries, has children of her own, faces the terror of war after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, and then struggles to do what’s best for herself and her family. While her marriage leads her to the large, loving, supportive Medeiros Rodrigues family, her husband’s drinking often ends in spousal abuse. Dolores is a strong woman, capable of caring for herself and her children no matter how hard she has to work, but she is also faced with cultural and religious beliefs that insist she must keep her marriage intact. Her struggle is not only believable for its time in history but is a universal and timeless one as well. Initially, I took my time reading, perhaps lulled by the gentle aloha spirit infused throughout this novel, but as I approached the second half, I couldn’t put it down. I highly recommend this historical novel.
Love the combination of Hawaiian history and this story of a strong young girl who, in spite of all that’s thrown at her in her life, fights to keep the aloha spirit as her mantra and philosophy. Beautifully written and engaging from beginning to end — ready for the sequel, please!