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zozvix's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
mnboyer's review against another edition
5.0
A wonderful collection of short stories revolving around Aotearoa and the Maori who live there. The stories are short, but so full of life, you actually wish that this collection was double its size.
"skin and bones" is a great beginning, which discusses Tane and his early struggles to find a companion to spend his days with. For some time he searches for a "creation to be like him, his mirror, his equal" (5). At first it seems like he'll never find the comfort he seeks but eventually he makes Hine to be his equal, his partner, and the rest is history. It is a retelling that is worth investing several readings in, each time finding something new.
"kaitaiki" is a fun story about an elder woman that steals a child--well--maybe not "steals" depending on how you wish to view the story. A boy is left alone, unsupervised, and eventually a kind woman takes him in and takes care of him (which his parents are clearly not doing). I love it when strong females take on the role of community mother because they do such a great job of it. Whether or not the boy stays with the woman is something you must read for yourself.
"blink" is a story about a woman named Rosie. Rosie ends up meeting a guy who seems like a good catch, and she is definitely interested in him when the story begins. However, like a lot of women tend to do, Rosie begins looking for some flaws in her new relationship. In particular she becomes convinced that her new beau has alien eyes and may actually be an alien. As most of us ladies can verify, we probably would not want to become part of an alien experiment. So Rosie has to decide what to do and how to find out the truth about her new boyfriend.
"what men do" can be summarized by the following quote: "... he felt it himself: the hope, with that first fresh drink, that the weight of disappointment could be spirited away in the first few fortifying gulps" (62).
"the god-child" deals with pregnancy, birthing, and motherhood. It is quite interesting to have multiple perspectives on woman's experiences with these issues. Here, we are told all women that give birth are "goddesses" and so keep a look out for this section if you're interested in gender or women's studies.
"top knot" further discusses some of the negative aspects of pregnancy, birthing, and mothering. Unfortunately, "off beat" gets kind of lost in the middle of the collection.
"shapeshifter" is told from the perspective of a bronze statue of Pania. If you are not sure who Pania is, make sure to look up some background information about Pania and her relationship with Karitoki. The bronzed statue is also real, so you can see some great photos of it on google. I absolutely love this story because Pania is trying to find a way to disassociate herself from Karitoki--such a fun (and sometimes saddening perhaps) read).
"ahi" is a story about the lengths women, especially grandmothers, will go to in order to protect their children and the traditional Maori ways that are being lost.
"Tree, the rabbit and the moon" is about a woman that loses her sister and her lover in the course of one short story. Her sister is physically lost for some time, then becomes emotionally lost. During the process, the protagonist's boyfriend also becomes lost and must go to find himself.
"the order of things" is about a woman that has trouble finding men that are good for her --until her son is both. But at some point, she decides that she might want to give a man named Paul a chance to date her and enter her life. After all, Paul is not what she would expect at all.
"mokomoko" is about twin sisters with a dark secret--but I shall give away no secrets here!
"in the end" closes the collection with another story about Hine. This story is a little bit darker than one might expect, but is quite fascinating and really does provide some closure to the collection.
Overall, I highly recommend this collection to readers!
"skin and bones" is a great beginning, which discusses Tane and his early struggles to find a companion to spend his days with. For some time he searches for a "creation to be like him, his mirror, his equal" (5). At first it seems like he'll never find the comfort he seeks but eventually he makes Hine to be his equal, his partner, and the rest is history. It is a retelling that is worth investing several readings in, each time finding something new.
"kaitaiki" is a fun story about an elder woman that steals a child--well--maybe not "steals" depending on how you wish to view the story. A boy is left alone, unsupervised, and eventually a kind woman takes him in and takes care of him (which his parents are clearly not doing). I love it when strong females take on the role of community mother because they do such a great job of it. Whether or not the boy stays with the woman is something you must read for yourself.
"blink" is a story about a woman named Rosie. Rosie ends up meeting a guy who seems like a good catch, and she is definitely interested in him when the story begins. However, like a lot of women tend to do, Rosie begins looking for some flaws in her new relationship. In particular she becomes convinced that her new beau has alien eyes and may actually be an alien. As most of us ladies can verify, we probably would not want to become part of an alien experiment. So Rosie has to decide what to do and how to find out the truth about her new boyfriend.
"what men do" can be summarized by the following quote: "... he felt it himself: the hope, with that first fresh drink, that the weight of disappointment could be spirited away in the first few fortifying gulps" (62).
"the god-child" deals with pregnancy, birthing, and motherhood. It is quite interesting to have multiple perspectives on woman's experiences with these issues. Here, we are told all women that give birth are "goddesses" and so keep a look out for this section if you're interested in gender or women's studies.
"top knot" further discusses some of the negative aspects of pregnancy, birthing, and mothering. Unfortunately, "off beat" gets kind of lost in the middle of the collection.
"shapeshifter" is told from the perspective of a bronze statue of Pania. If you are not sure who Pania is, make sure to look up some background information about Pania and her relationship with Karitoki. The bronzed statue is also real, so you can see some great photos of it on google. I absolutely love this story because Pania is trying to find a way to disassociate herself from Karitoki--such a fun (and sometimes saddening perhaps) read).
"ahi" is a story about the lengths women, especially grandmothers, will go to in order to protect their children and the traditional Maori ways that are being lost.
"Tree, the rabbit and the moon" is about a woman that loses her sister and her lover in the course of one short story. Her sister is physically lost for some time, then becomes emotionally lost. During the process, the protagonist's boyfriend also becomes lost and must go to find himself.
"the order of things" is about a woman that has trouble finding men that are good for her --until her son is both. But at some point, she decides that she might want to give a man named Paul a chance to date her and enter her life. After all, Paul is not what she would expect at all.
"mokomoko" is about twin sisters with a dark secret--but I shall give away no secrets here!
"in the end" closes the collection with another story about Hine. This story is a little bit darker than one might expect, but is quite fascinating and really does provide some closure to the collection.
Overall, I highly recommend this collection to readers!
kiramke's review against another edition
5.0
Wonderful stories invoking legend and weaving it up through to the present. The most contemporary stories really ground the others into a modern complexity of identity. Very promising author. And personally just nice to hear Maori in everyday speech again.
queen_of_the_rats's review
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
octavia_cade's review
4.0
This is a fantastic collection, in both senses of the word. It's mostly focused, I think, on boundaries - what it's like to live in the spaces between stories, between histories. It's got a distinctly New Zealand flavour, which is always something I enjoy, mixing mythology and modern life in stories that are sharp and frequently surprising.
I think my favourite was "shapeshifter", the Pania of the Reef story. I also really enjoyed the blackly humorous "blink", in which a young woman either spends time with an alien or alienates herself from another person - or both. I prefer to think of it as both. It's funnier (and sadder) that way.
I think my favourite was "shapeshifter", the Pania of the Reef story. I also really enjoyed the blackly humorous "blink", in which a young woman either spends time with an alien or alienates herself from another person - or both. I prefer to think of it as both. It's funnier (and sadder) that way.
triscuit807's review
4.0
It was serendipity that I even found this. N.K. Jemisin posted a link on FB 2 days okay that listed 10 women currently writing speculative fiction and Tina Makereti (one of 2 Kiwi authors, Karen Healey - I love her books, esp. "Guardian of the Dead" - was the other) was one of them. This is an anthology and is comparatively short. Some stories are fantastic (in both meanings of the word) and a couple are mundane. The first "skin and bones"is a re-telling of one of the Tane stories; the thing with Maori myth/legend is that it is very earthy. Tane has an erection and uses the warm earth to satisfy his urges; eventually he creates the first woman Hine - I loved this one. Another story, "shapeshifter", is that of Pania, whose statue is located in Napier's harbor. A third fun story, "the god-child", is that of a precocious baby, Eli. Many of the stories focus on birth/pregnancy, others, death. The penultimate story, "mokomoko" picks up the Hine legend when she becomes the guardian of the dead and must defeat Maui to keep death safe for the living. Anyway, this was a totally accidental read, it was lovely, I'm glad I found it, and I highly recommend it. It also satisfies one of the categories of my Reading Challenge "read an anthology by one person" (Read Harder 2015). And isn't the cover beautiful?
chachachuy's review
2.0
Guadalupe Reinas 2018 - Libro de un país que quieras visitar (Nueva Zelanda)
Para esta consigna quise buscar obras cortas de autoras maorí - que hay muchas - la dificultad es el acceso a ellas incluso en internet.
Terminé escogiendo este libro por casualidad, más que nada porque de todos los que me interesaron fue el único que encontré en línea. Me llamó la atención que el título se refiere al país con el nombre designado por su población indígena (Aotearoa, la nube blanca y larga).
La premisa del libro es de cuentos modernos inspirados en los mitos de creación y personajes de tradición maorí, cosa que suena interesante, pero resultó ser algo aburrida. Sólo me atraparon un par de cuentos y hasta cierto punto los personajes dejaron de resaltar y se volvieron indistinguibles. Cerca de terminar el libro me empecé a distraer mucho y al final me vi muy contenta de haber terminado por fin.
Para esta consigna quise buscar obras cortas de autoras maorí - que hay muchas - la dificultad es el acceso a ellas incluso en internet.
Terminé escogiendo este libro por casualidad, más que nada porque de todos los que me interesaron fue el único que encontré en línea. Me llamó la atención que el título se refiere al país con el nombre designado por su población indígena (Aotearoa, la nube blanca y larga).
La premisa del libro es de cuentos modernos inspirados en los mitos de creación y personajes de tradición maorí, cosa que suena interesante, pero resultó ser algo aburrida. Sólo me atraparon un par de cuentos y hasta cierto punto los personajes dejaron de resaltar y se volvieron indistinguibles. Cerca de terminar el libro me empecé a distraer mucho y al final me vi muy contenta de haber terminado por fin.
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