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Title: Lost Kingdom

Subtitle: Hawaii's Last Queen, the Sugar Kings, and America's First Imperial Adventure

Author: Julia Flynn Siler

Narrator: Joyce Bean

Format: Unabridged

Length: 10 hrs and 54 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-03-12

Publisher: Brilliance Audio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 97 votes

Genres: History, 20th Century

Publisher's Summary:

First colonized around 200 A.D. by intrepid Polynesian islanders, Hawaii existed for hundreds of years in splendid isolation. Foreigners did not visit the islands until 1788, when Captain Cook, looking for the fabled Northwest Passage, stumbled upon this nation with its own belief system and culture. Three decades later, fourteen Calvinist missionaries left Boston bound for Hawaii, and when they arrived they converted the royal family to Christianity, and set up missionary schools where English was taught.

A thriving monarchy had ruled over Hawaii for generations. Taro fields and fish ponds had long sustained native Hawaiians but sugar plantations had been gradually subsuming them. This fractured, vulnerable Hawaii was the country that Queen Liliuokalani, or Liliu, inherited when she came to power at the end of the nineteenth century. Her predecessor had signed away many of the monarchys rights, but while Liliu was trying to put into place a constitution that would reinstate them, other factions were plotting annexation. With the help of the American envoy, the USS Boston steamed into Honolulu harbor, and Marines landed and marched to the palace, inciting the Queens overthrow. The annexation of Hawaii was extremely controversial; the issue caused heated debates in the Senate and President Cleveland gave a strongly worded speech opposing it. This was the first time America had reached beyond the borders of the continental U.S. in an act of imperialism. It was not until President McKinley was elected and the Spanish-American War erupted, that Hawaii became a critical strategic asset, and annexation finally passed Congress in 1898.

Critic Reviews:

Julia Flynn Siler's Lost Kingdom: Hawaii's Last Queen, the Sugar Kings, and America's First Imperial Adventure is a well-told history of the U.S. acquisition of Hawaii. The central figure is Lili'uokalani, who had the misfortune of being queen when Uncle Sam closed his grasp on the islands. (The Seattle Times)

[Julia Flynn] Siler captures what Hawaii was then and what it has evolved into today. What happened to the islands is known as one of the most aggressive takeovers of the Gilded Age Siler gives us a riveting and intimate look at the rise and tragic fall of Hawaii's royal family [It] is a reminder that Hawaii remains one of the most breathtaking places in the world. Even if the kingdom is lost. (Fortune)

A sweeping tale of tragedy, greed, betrayal, and imperialism The depth of her research shines through the narrative, and the lush prose and quick pace make for engaging reading absorbing. (Library Journal, Starred Review)

Members Reviews:

Fascinating story, sparsely told

As a native of the island state of Hawai`i, I grabbed this book with interest as soon as I found it to be available. I began listening and quickly realized that the author has attempted to tell too much story, much like a newspaper or magazine article. I wish that she had chosen instead a subtopic, such as the rise and fall of the monarchy, a biography of Lili`uokalani, or the dreadful land grab by foreign entrepreneurs. There is much backstory to all of these subjects. Unfortunately, Ms. Siler only skimmed the surface.