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3.89 AVERAGE
3.89 AVERAGE
Really good! The reader is pulled into the soul and politics of this family--their pain, their ambitions, their struggles with each other and the world around them. Super sharp and raw commentary on capitalism and identity. The only thing about this that wasn't totally great was that one scene in the bathroom...YOU KNOW the one. Why why WHY???
Otherwise, great.
Otherwise, great.
If you love the type of strange family tales this is one for you. I listened to the audiobook and really enjoyed it. The narrators were really good. The storyline was very strange at first I really wasn't sure if this book was for me but when the magical powers came into it I was in. Im not sure I fully understood the whole storyline fully as I was slightly confused at times but that could be my fault due to a lack of concentration. I really recommend this book to those who wants to learn more about hawaii cultures. Thanks to the author and publishers for bring this very interesting audiobook to life.
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Minor: Sexual assault
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
I thought this book was fine but it never quite coalesced for me, and I think that may be due to reading it at the wrong time. Perhaps if I had read this at a time when I could focus more, when the lockdown was not weighing me down so dang much, I would have liked it more, because there are some luminous sentences and breathtaking observations about the weight of the past and the pull of family and the roots we put down.
Set in Hawaii and focusing on a family with ties all the way back, a family whose faith in Hawaiian Gods is their foundation and into that faith is born their fated second child, Noa. Saved by sharks at a young age, it seems like he is fated to be a returning god (or something) to Hawaii that will save the island from itself. And yet what does that cost? What does it cost Noa and what does it cost his two siblings, Dean and Kaui, living in his shadow full of resentment, burning to prove themselves against him. This book is a keen meditation on the price a family pays when one member is seen and valued as "special" and extraordinary. How that can lift everyone up but also tear them apart, leaving scars that never fade. Even leaving for the mainland and trying to escape your history is just a temporary fix (as we all eventually realize) as your roots call you back, endlessly calling.
But the structure here is really off-putting. Each chapter a different family member in a different time/place and this revolving narration does nothing but leave the reader feeling disconnected and frustrated. I could not see how that structure contributed to the book in a meaningful way (why not just a straightforward third-person omniscient--oh right, out of fashion I guess) and so felt like the first-time author was leaning into a trend more than anything else. This fragmentation created so much unnecessary distance, and though there is truth to the way we as humans keep circling around key events and key choices until we drive ourselves crazy, working on that theme over and over just left me frustrated. It felt aimless, making the book easy to put down. There is progress, compressed in the final pages, but ultimately too late for me.
There are moments of true beauty in this book, where the writing sings, but the connection never lasted. The book never fired on all cylinders for me. But I'd still recommend it--if you like magical realism and books tied to faith, family, mythology, and struggle, then this book is probably worth it. Just hit at the wrong time for me.
Set in Hawaii and focusing on a family with ties all the way back, a family whose faith in Hawaiian Gods is their foundation and into that faith is born their fated second child, Noa. Saved by sharks at a young age, it seems like he is fated to be a returning god (or something) to Hawaii that will save the island from itself. And yet what does that cost? What does it cost Noa and what does it cost his two siblings, Dean and Kaui, living in his shadow full of resentment, burning to prove themselves against him. This book is a keen meditation on the price a family pays when one member is seen and valued as "special" and extraordinary. How that can lift everyone up but also tear them apart, leaving scars that never fade. Even leaving for the mainland and trying to escape your history is just a temporary fix (as we all eventually realize) as your roots call you back, endlessly calling.
But the structure here is really off-putting. Each chapter a different family member in a different time/place and this revolving narration does nothing but leave the reader feeling disconnected and frustrated. I could not see how that structure contributed to the book in a meaningful way (why not just a straightforward third-person omniscient--oh right, out of fashion I guess) and so felt like the first-time author was leaning into a trend more than anything else. This fragmentation created so much unnecessary distance, and though there is truth to the way we as humans keep circling around key events and key choices until we drive ourselves crazy, working on that theme over and over just left me frustrated. It felt aimless, making the book easy to put down. There is progress, compressed in the final pages, but ultimately too late for me.
There are moments of true beauty in this book, where the writing sings, but the connection never lasted. The book never fired on all cylinders for me. But I'd still recommend it--if you like magical realism and books tied to faith, family, mythology, and struggle, then this book is probably worth it. Just hit at the wrong time for me.
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Breathtakingly beautiful and tender writing.
It’s a bit long but the story spans out fourteen-year long and there’s five narratives to follow.
Magical realism sometimes bothers me but Washburn has a gift for storytelling that it’s just like listening to your grandparents talk about legends and folklore.
It’s a bit long but the story spans out fourteen-year long and there’s five narratives to follow.
Magical realism sometimes bothers me but Washburn has a gift for storytelling that it’s just like listening to your grandparents talk about legends and folklore.
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes