BAIPA Award Winner: Best Historical Fiction.

Winner, Ka Pala Po`okela Book Award
for Excellence in “Aloha from Beyond Hawaii”

Finalist, National Indie Excellence Awards

Winner, Texas Writers’ League Award for Historical Fiction

“I was caught up in the drama and spectacle from the first. Quinn knows her history and is skilled at bringing it to the page. I highly recommend this novel, not just to those with an interest in the Hawaiian Islands, but to all who can appreciate a good yarn. Knowing that much of this one is true made it all the more compelling.”
—Eileen Goudge, best-selling author of Garden of Lies and Such Devoted Sisters

“A riveting story of the glory of the Hawaiian kingdom, The Last Aloha is a top pick that should not be overlooked.”
—The Midwest Book Review

HOW DID HAWAII BECOME PART OF AMERICA?
Suppressed for over a century, the whole story hasn't been told—UNTIL NOW.

THE LAST ALOHA
A Novel by Gaellen Quinn


How did Hawaii become part of America? This story, inspired by true events suppressed for nearly 100 years, is the one James Michener never wrote. In 1886, following the tragic deaths of her father and her fiancé, Laura Jennings, now alone in the world, travels to Hawaii to live with missionary relatives. Laura imagines she’ll live in a grass hut and minister to savages, but, on arriving in Honolulu, she’s surprised to find that, far from being savages, the Hawaiians have developed a sophisticated and prosperous kingdom—and Laura’s family is among the wealthy elite plotting to overthrow the monarchy. To avoid her conniving uncle’s control, Laura goes to work for the royal family. Hawaii’s last queen, Lili`uokalani, struggles to save the kingdom. As the Missionary Party’s opposition intensifies, the queen’s efforts reveal a power that can restore the spirit of a people caught up in a turbulent, changing world, and Laura discovers how her own family’s long-hidden secrets can lead the way to reconciliation.

A vivid portrait of the final days of the Hawaiian monarchy, when descendants of American missionaries toppled the throne. Suppressed for a century, this story is a little-known part of American history. We view it through the eyes of Laura Jennings, who lives in 1886 San Francisco—a city of bonanza millionaires, newfangled cable cars, bustles, and bowler hats. As Laura is being fitted for her wedding gown, a tragic accident kills her father and her fiancé. Suddenly alone in the world, Laura goes to Hawaii to live with relatives she’s never met, little knowing that her destiny will become intertwined with those of Hawaii’s last great sovereigns.