The acclaimed author of Empire of Heaven, called by the New York Times "a Chinese Gone With the Wind," now creates a richly told immigrant saga of ninteenth-century Hawaii.With its green cliffs and silvery waterfalls, Hawaii offers radiant hope to Rulan and Pao An--exiles from Chinese tyranny, immigrants with the will to succeed despite hardship and prejudice and enemies from their homeland.  But this proud couple's hardest struggle will be with their own child--Mulan, called Molly.  Born in Hawaii's sacred hills, Molly grows to despise the old Chinese ways.  Locked in perpetual combat with her new parents, she is drawn into a dangerous love affair with a glamorous but decadent poet, a protege of the king.  And even as the family's fortunes rise, Molly's mother watches in sorrow, fearing that her child will realize too late that happiness lies far closer to home.Beautifully told, A Map of Paradise  offers the colorful sweep of history with the satisfaction of characters intimately revealed. Read Less