"Paradise of the Pacific , Ms. Moore's new nonfiction book about Hawaii . provides a fascinating history of that Pacific archipelago . It is an elegantly written and conscientiously researched book." --Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times "[ Paradise of the Pacific is] an astonishingly learned summation of the Hawaiian meaning, elegantly written, often delightfully entertaining and ultimately sad." --Jan Morris, The New York Times Book Review "[A] fascinating account . The power of Paradise of the Pacific , then--as well as its bitter beauty--resides in Moore's ability to lay out this progression as a set of turning points, inevitable from the standpoint of the present, but in their own time more a matter of human ambition and fallibility." --David Ulin, The Los Angeles Times " Paradise of the Pacific , a superb telling of the Hawaiian story from the earliest voyages, is immensely satisfying on so many levels-as a detailed history, as a startling drama, as a cultural heritage of bellicosity and beauty.

Susanna Moore, a brilliant novelist, a scrupulous researcher, gives this complex history an astonishing vitality." --Paul Theroux "Just when I think I know all there is to know about Hawaiian history, Susanna Moore (once again) proves me wrong. With a voice of friendly authority and wit, she translates meticulous research into gripping prose." --Kaui Hemmings, author of The Descendants "This is a fascinating and well-balanced look at how a unique culture came to be and the heartbreaking manner of its end." -- Publishers Weekly "Moore digs deep and delivers a thoroughly researched account of Hawaii's distinct culture and history . Moore's background in storytelling radiates throughout this work, creating a quick-paced and well-crafted narrative. Highly recommended for the armchair historian and those intrigued by Hawaiian history, maritime exploration, and the history of Christian missionaries." -- Library Journal " Paradise of the Pacific is a work of scholarship, sympathy, and, as with all Susanna Moore's books, literary elegance.

It is also a long amazement. One figure after another steps from the shadows in a world that sometimes seems as remote as Homer's." --Alec Wilkinson, author of The Ice Balloon -- Library Journal.