Hula, a Romance of Hawaii

Hula, a Romance of Hawaii by Von Tempski, Armine. paperback edition. ISBN: 9780918024602.

1928. Maui writer Armine von Tempski, who died almost a half-century ago, is one of Hawaiis enduring literary legends. She spent her childhood years on the family ranch in Haleakala with her Polish-American father and English mother. Her books reveal the daily life and customs on Hawaii with a colorful prose that captures the beauty of the spectacular tropics. The novel tells the colorful, sensual tale of Hula Calhoun, the daughter of a Hawaiian Planter, sidesteps the dissolute influence of her father through the guidance of her Uncle Edwin, who prefers a more natural existence to the society life of the family. Although Hula is adored by Harry Dehan, a boisterous rounder, she becomes infatuated with Anthony Haldane, a young English engineer who comes to supervise the construction of a dam on the estate. Haldane remains distant, however; and when saving her from a runaway horse, he informs her that he is married. At her birthday party, the brokenhearted girl turns to Dehan, and in a drunken frenzy she provokes Haldane by her dancing; he then promises to obtain a divorce, but Mrs. Haldane appears. Hulas jealously bribes the foreman to dynamite a spot near the dam, convincing the wife that her husband is ruined. Haldanes wife agrees to the divorce, and he is free to marry Hula. See other titles by this author available from Kessinger Publishing.