The Thumbnail Book Reviews
by John Q McDonald --- 6 September 1999
by Jack London
Early in this century, Jack London, famous for his stories of the sea and of life in the Yukon and Alaska territories, visited Hawaii for a few months. From that visit, and others, came many short stories in his own powerful style. This book is a collection of some of the best of London's Hawaii stories. Here, one finds fictionalized legends, stories of the wrath of leprosy, romance, and tales of native life. Throughout, there is a thread common with London's more famous stories. Here, too, we see the unique individual in the world, making his or her (usually his) own way in a world of rules and social mores. There are surfers, adventurers, rebels, and lonely romantics. All are steeped in the languid tropical world of turn-of-the-century Hawaii. It is remarkable how much of Hawaii's personality London is able to express in these stories after spending such little time here. But London was nothing if not a remarkable observer and a fertile writer. The stories here are quite good, and full of London's own personality as well. The theme is common through most of these tales, so they're probably best read one at a time, once in a while. Unlike Mark Twain's earlier writing, London, also, seems to have more respect for the native culture, while observing, mainly, what life had become in the islands.
See also: [Jack London: A Life]
[Other Books in or about Hawai'i]