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3.89 AVERAGE
3.89 AVERAGE
L’histoire mêle magical realism, culture hawaiienne, critique du colonialisme, et conflits au sein des fratries. Certains twists du livre sont assez bien pensé, et l’auteur arrive à nous mener où il le souhaite et à jouer sur les attentes et les stéréotypes de ses lecteurices.
Pourtant j’ai honnêtement eu du mal à lire ce livre. C’était assez intéressant et j’ai apprécié les thématiques abordées, mais après quelques chapitres, je switchais sur un autre livre. C’est peut-être l’alternance des narrateurs, et puis aussi le style parfois assez oral, qui doit retranscrire les habitudes de langage propre à Hawaï, mais qui m’ont demandé plus d’efforts (et avec un cerveau fiévreux après deux mois avec le coronavirus, j’étais clairement pas au top de mes capacités intellectuelles). Je serais tenté de lire la traduction en français si elle sort un jour, pour déterminer si ce n’est pas juste ça qui m’a empêché de vraiment me plonger dans ce livre. J’ai vraiment l’impression d’être passé à côté de l’histoire. J’aurais donc plutôt tendance à le recommander malgré tout.
Pourtant j’ai honnêtement eu du mal à lire ce livre. C’était assez intéressant et j’ai apprécié les thématiques abordées, mais après quelques chapitres, je switchais sur un autre livre. C’est peut-être l’alternance des narrateurs, et puis aussi le style parfois assez oral, qui doit retranscrire les habitudes de langage propre à Hawaï, mais qui m’ont demandé plus d’efforts (et avec un cerveau fiévreux après deux mois avec le coronavirus, j’étais clairement pas au top de mes capacités intellectuelles). Je serais tenté de lire la traduction en français si elle sort un jour, pour déterminer si ce n’est pas juste ça qui m’a empêché de vraiment me plonger dans ce livre. J’ai vraiment l’impression d’être passé à côté de l’histoire. J’aurais donc plutôt tendance à le recommander malgré tout.
I really liked this book. Each member of the family narrates at some point and you grow to care about each of their lives individually and the family’s journey as a whole. I have not spent much time in Hawaii, but the writing about contemporary Hawaii and the narrator for Dean’s parts in the audiobook were standout.
My kind of book, really. There’s a little bit of basketball, a little bit of magical realism, and a lot of heart—written without ever feeling overly sentimental.
My kind of book, really. There’s a little bit of basketball, a little bit of magical realism, and a lot of heart—written without ever feeling overly sentimental.
DNF- LOOOOONG and winding. Really hard to stay engaged.
The problem with judging a book on the cover and not reading a full synopsis (because you want to avoid spoilers), is that I thought this book would be heavily based around Sharks, which I was hoping for.
However, what I found was a literary story that was still raw and beautiful, and wonderful in the same. Just a much different type of book and story than the one I imagined it would be.
I loved that each chapter brings forth another character and family member from the Flores family, as wife, mother, brother, sister, father each have their own struggles and POV. Centered around the incident of seven-year-old Nainoa Flores, who falls from a boat ride into the mouths of sharks, and comes out unscathed, and moves on through many years as each character handles what life throws them.
There is a touch of magical realism too, which I also enjoyed, as well as learning more about the rich Hawaiian culture on the island of Kailua-Kona, Hawaii where the Flores family lives and are just trying to scrape by, but are in financial strain and despair.
Kudos to author Kawai Strong Washburn for this beautiful debut!
However, what I found was a literary story that was still raw and beautiful, and wonderful in the same. Just a much different type of book and story than the one I imagined it would be.
I loved that each chapter brings forth another character and family member from the Flores family, as wife, mother, brother, sister, father each have their own struggles and POV. Centered around the incident of seven-year-old Nainoa Flores, who falls from a boat ride into the mouths of sharks, and comes out unscathed, and moves on through many years as each character handles what life throws them.
There is a touch of magical realism too, which I also enjoyed, as well as learning more about the rich Hawaiian culture on the island of Kailua-Kona, Hawaii where the Flores family lives and are just trying to scrape by, but are in financial strain and despair.
Kudos to author Kawai Strong Washburn for this beautiful debut!
Washburn mixes the grit and reality of a working class Hawaiian family with magical realism and native mythology. It didn’t go where I expected, but I enjoyed the journey.
Really wanted to love this book. Description caused a hold on the library wait list before it came out as more representation of hawaiian culture (& hawaiian culture in current vs. historical times) is exciting and needed! Had no trouble with the pigeon, but at times the prose took focus away from the plot. Certain character's viewpoints were easier to connect with than others giving a stop-and-start traffic feel to reading. Some parts were one star reads while others were five star reads and everywhere in between.
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Skip this and read The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian by Sherman Alexie instead.
**extensive review to come
**extensive review to come
Captivating read, at times crude (lots of fart jokes), but real in a way I didn't expect. I picked it up (virtually) on a whim as an Independent Bookstore Day special.
The plot revolves around an axis of magical realism and "coming of age" spread across five perspectives - the two parents and their three children. Washburn certainly has an evocative writing style, juggling the five different voices across the novel with such environmental vividness that I couldn't help but keep reading. It felt more memoir than fantasy tale, even as it blended in Hawaiian myth from the first chapter to the last. Not my favorite type of book, but refreshing and a good read.
The plot revolves around an axis of magical realism and "coming of age" spread across five perspectives - the two parents and their three children. Washburn certainly has an evocative writing style, juggling the five different voices across the novel with such environmental vividness that I couldn't help but keep reading. It felt more memoir than fantasy tale, even as it blended in Hawaiian myth from the first chapter to the last. Not my favorite type of book, but refreshing and a good read.
I have been searching for a book like this, this beautiful book about Aloha, a culture, and a people not smothered by colonialism.
A real Hawai'i.
A real Hawai'i.