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bethsicle's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Religious bigotry, Racial slurs, Ableism, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Colonisation, Domestic abuse, and Sexism
Minor: Sexual content, Xenophobia, Animal death, Lesbophobia, and Homophobia
misslin's review against another edition
2.0
I thought this was cringe worthy silly. Although it had some good insights into the delivery of foreign aid it was dated and not worth the money I paid for it.
aprilius_maximus's review against another edition
2.0
I'll be honest, I skim read most of these because short stories and I don't really get along, but these were a great insight into another place and culture and the satire was quite funny, but alas, it was not my jam!
serendipitysbooks's review against another edition
funny
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
Tales of the Tikongs is a small, slim volume packed full of sly satire. Church, government and foreign aid are just some of the targets, skewered for inconsistencies, cultural cluelessness and self-importance and more. This is certainly satire with a sting in it’s tail. It’s just as well the book makes you laugh; otherwise you’d be crying - at the missed opportunities and the wasted time, energy, money and talent. The final story - The Glorious Pacific Way - is typical of the tone and subject matter. It relates the story of an indigenous man who has been recording oral stories from the elders on his island. He meets a foreign official who encourages him to apply for financial assistance. He is told he must apply for more money than he requires for his modest desires of a typewriter and filing cabinet, has to form an organisation with a committee, and is then sent on a lengthy overseas course to train him to do what he has already been doing. While he is away the stories he has already collected are mistakenly destroyed.
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