ROYAL DIARIES: Kaiulani

You would think this would be an interesting book, because Hawaii! That's different and I'd like to learn about it.

But no.

The first part of the book takes place in Hawaii and it's the most interesting part. But Kaiulani is really not that different from the European diaries we've read in this series. Her life is rather dull, having to do political things and following all these boringly proper procedures so no one is offended blah blah blah. She likes to ride her horse and has pet peacocks and is friends with Robert Louis Stevenson. The most interesting parts are the more Hawaiian ones, but those are few and far between, because it's 1889. I'd like to learn more about Hawaiian history, but back farther in time.

Then the latter half of the book is her in England and I found it so dreadfully dull that I ended up skimming the last half. The political turmoil is mildly interesting, but not that much, because you know what happens and it isn't good.

I'm going to have the same This Does Not End Well struggle with the final Royal Diary, but at least Anastasia's story is more interesting than this.