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Wai-nani: High Chiefess of Hawaii-Her Epic Journey |  | Author: Linda Ballou
Category: eBooks
This item is no longer available
Rating:  18 reviews
Format: Kindle Book
Media: Kindle Edition
Edition: First
Publication Date: August 5, 2009
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Product Description
Through Wai-nani’s eyes, experience the Hawaiian society as it existed when Captain James Cook arrived at Kealakekua Bay in 1779; ride the billowing seas with Eku, the wild dolphin she befriends; learn why she loved the savage, conflicted ruler, Makaha; walk with her as she defies ancient laws and harsh taboos of the Island people; share the love she received from all who knew her and learn how she rose to become the most powerful woman in old Hawai’i.
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 18
 Wai-nani Wows! May 15, 2008
Denise A. Cassino (Denver, Colorado)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I love Hawai'i, so when I found Wai-nani: High Chiefess of Hawai'i - Her Epic Journey by Linda Ballou, I couldn't wait to read it. I was not disappointed. I raced through it, enjoying every vivid moment and cannot say enough about it.
Linda has captured the beauty of Hawai'i and the ancient lore and legend that makes Hawai'ian history so enchanting. Her main character, Wai-nani, is fourteen when the story begins, and we follow her as she becomes the first wife of the soon-to-be high chief of Hawai'i. (based upon King Kamehameha) Her gift is in the water, swimming with the porpoises, befriending them as she catches a fin and flies through the waves with them.
Using her instincts and wisdom, Wai-nani remains her husband's most trusted advisor and one of his favorite wives throughout his life, while he wrestles with change and the impact of the arrival of the white Christian men who bring both the positive ideas and the decadence of the new world.
An important aspect of any book for me is the quality of writing, and Linda is a faulous writer: "The red apple of the ohi'a tree tasted sweet in my mouth as I watched the drifting plumes of Pele, Goddess of the Volcano, cast shadows upon the shimmering sea. Frothy surf reached my ankles then receded, leaving tiny bubbles of foam upon a blank tablet of sand. The crescent sail of an outrigger flared upon the horizon." This is the opening paragraph of the book and it only gets better from here.
Don't miss it!
Great read July 8, 2008
Bonnie Neely
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Wai-Nani, High Chiefess of Hawai'i: Her Epic Journey By Linda Ballou This, the author's first book, is a masterpiece and a fascinating read. The historic novel tells the dramatic and heart warming love story of Wai-Nani. By weaving the ancient legends of Old Hawaii into this compelling story, Ballou captivates the reader with her beautiful descriptions and very real characters, who come alive in your imagination. The first few pages were a bit hard to read because the author has interjected real Hawaiian words into sentences in which the meaning is evident, but once I got the rhythm I could hardly put the book down. It is an excellent read, especially if you have been or plan to go to Hawaii.
Exciting Novel About Early Hawaiian Life December 21, 2008
O. Brown (Twopeas, WA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
*****
This is a beautiful story, a fictionalized account of the life of a Hawaiian woman, Wai-nani, based upon the life of Hawaiian chiefess Kaahumanu. Reading this lovely novel is an appealing way of learning about early Hawaiian life.
The story is filled with vivid imagery and rife with details that make this time period come to life. I especially enjoyed the way the voice of the book reflects Hawaiian thinking and values.
Readers who would enjoy this novel the most are those very interested in early Hawaiian life and/or the lives of indigenous peoples.
Highly recommended.
*****
Wonder Woman January 3, 2009
Anna Maria Prezio (Los Angeles, CA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
What a wonderful book. Wainani to me is another word for empowerment. A woman's journey into the secret rituals of womanhood and historical Hawaiian traditions. Wainani, a true historical figure, is the ultimate self-actualized woman. We get to peek at her private fantasies, her sexual encounters and her love for sea creatures like Eku, her dolphin friend. This book is filled with magical experiences, warriors, ancient Hawaiian traditions and its majestic beauty. Once you read this book you will never forget Wai-nani. She stays with you forever. I highly recommend this book.
Anna Maria Prezio, Ph.D.
Best Selling Author of Confessions of a Feng Shui Ghost-Buster
Story telling at it's lush best January 13, 2009
Muriel Lindsay (Tybee Island)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
What a compelling story. Wai-nani's journey through the portion of Hawaiian history this book covers is truly an 'epic' tale in every sense of the word. So descriptively rich and sensually involving were the author's words that I found myself proceeding slowly through the pages, so as to savor, and the better to put myself in the skin of Wai-nani and her gripping transformations. So much of the description of Wai-nani's emotional evolution rang true as the way a woman's heart feels and expresses. Much of the power of this story I attribute to this last observation.
Wai-nani's relationship with her dolphin friends was the cherry on the top for me inasmuch as dolphins are pretty much the center pole of my life. The author added fantastical elements to the human/dolphin relationships but, knowing dolphins as I have come to, what is portrayed in the story about the interactions hints at some very real possibilities as we go back and re-capture what cultures like old Hawaii still have to offer us.
Dolphins aside, anyone who appreciates the Aloha Spirit and all things Hawaiian cannot help but appreciate the opportunity to viciariously experience a version of Hawaiian history written by one who clearly knows her subject matter. The mana flows through the pages. For those of you who read and loved The Clan of Cave Bear as I did, Wai-Nani very much feels like the Hawaiian counterpart to that wonderfully told story, just so you know.
Muriel Lindsay - author of The Chronicles of the Savannah River Dolphins
Showing reviews 1-5 of 18
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