Scan barcode
rick2's review against another edition
5.0
What a perfect book. This is an incredible example of a book that doesn’t try to be anything that it’s not and as a result is fantastic describing it’s a little corner of the world.
Kind of Hawaiian tropical vibes combined with longing and sorrow around losing a family member. It wonderfully describes the mix and mash of emotions around loss that are so much more nuanced than the typical “I’m supposed to feel sad because this person is dying” and instead gives a full look at the flaws and how people deal with loss. It wonderfully explores the changing of roles around losing that family member. How everyone’s exploring uncharted territory and hurting at the same time. It’s beautiful and I’m not sure exactly what I expected but I’m so delighted I read this.
The writing is pretty straightforward. The characters are well described and very unique. All around this was a wonderful book.
Kind of Hawaiian tropical vibes combined with longing and sorrow around losing a family member. It wonderfully describes the mix and mash of emotions around loss that are so much more nuanced than the typical “I’m supposed to feel sad because this person is dying” and instead gives a full look at the flaws and how people deal with loss. It wonderfully explores the changing of roles around losing that family member. How everyone’s exploring uncharted territory and hurting at the same time. It’s beautiful and I’m not sure exactly what I expected but I’m so delighted I read this.
The writing is pretty straightforward. The characters are well described and very unique. All around this was a wonderful book.
olivetoread's review against another edition
4.0
So, it probably helped that I was in Kaua'i while reading this (on purpose). I felt for the protagonist, Matt - struggling with betrayal, being a good dad, being a good husband, grief and death and family dynasty. I thought his behavior felt very real -so much to deal with and just not knowing which way to turn. Watched the movie afterward, beautiful, but of course, book was better.
jennieamber's review against another edition
5.0
Fantastic read! I love the family dynamic and how everything unravels. It really shows the father reteaching himself how to be a parent since no one else could. Will definitely read again. Loved the movie also!
ben_miller's review against another edition
5.0
Five stars for this cleanly written, viciously funny, heartbreaking novel. Zero stars for the tiresome readers who found the characters "unlikable" or "unsympathetic." They're wrong, and more importantly, missing the point, and even MORE importantly, they are irritating me, personally.
-~*~-
This would be a great novel to teach in a college fiction-writing seminar. It uses a bunch of middle-of-the-road modern fiction techniques that would be easy, but illuminating, to analyze. To give one example, every new character that Matt King (our narrator) encounters is already in the middle of something—in other words, living a life that our story is interrupting. Nobody's waiting on the next page for the story to get to them so they can play their part. Matt King and his problems are an inconvenience to pretty much everybody, especially himself. This is a basic concept/technique that is surprisingly difficult to put into practice, and Hemmings does it beautifully.
It would also be a great platform for talking to students about why the "unlikable/unsympathetic/unrelatable" conversation that many people are fixated on is so toxic and aggravating. I happen to find these characters very sympathetic and relatable—they're flawed, damaged, difficult; they try and they fail; they repeat mistakes and fall into old bad habits. If that doesn't remind you of you or someone you care about, you're probably kidding yourself.
But even if you don't "relate" to the King family—and in fairness I'm relieved that my family is more functional than this (not to jinx it)—the point of reading fiction is to inhabit other lives. You don't have to like what you find there, but it's not a valid criticism of the book itself. I have disliked books in which I found the characters repellent or annoying, but I also recognize that the problem is rooted somewhere else, either in a prejudice or stylistic preference on my part, or some other artistic failing on the book's part. If we lead with "I can't sympathize with these people," there's nowhere else to go. We can't learn anything. But if we can make it about why the book failed to keep you invested, or why your biases made you shut down, at least there's a conversation to have.
Okay, rant over. I read half of this book on the plane to Maui and the other half before breakfast the next morning. (Jetlag.) I found it weirdly thrilling—I laughed out loud, my pulse rose perceptibly at multiple points, I got misty—not sure what else I could ask a book to do. I guess this should serve as a reminder to me that I can go looking for those reactions in murder mysteries, fantasies, comedies, etc, but actually—nothing tops the regular old human story done well.
-~*~-
This would be a great novel to teach in a college fiction-writing seminar. It uses a bunch of middle-of-the-road modern fiction techniques that would be easy, but illuminating, to analyze. To give one example, every new character that Matt King (our narrator) encounters is already in the middle of something—in other words, living a life that our story is interrupting. Nobody's waiting on the next page for the story to get to them so they can play their part. Matt King and his problems are an inconvenience to pretty much everybody, especially himself. This is a basic concept/technique that is surprisingly difficult to put into practice, and Hemmings does it beautifully.
It would also be a great platform for talking to students about why the "unlikable/unsympathetic/unrelatable" conversation that many people are fixated on is so toxic and aggravating. I happen to find these characters very sympathetic and relatable—they're flawed, damaged, difficult; they try and they fail; they repeat mistakes and fall into old bad habits. If that doesn't remind you of you or someone you care about, you're probably kidding yourself.
But even if you don't "relate" to the King family—and in fairness I'm relieved that my family is more functional than this (not to jinx it)—the point of reading fiction is to inhabit other lives. You don't have to like what you find there, but it's not a valid criticism of the book itself. I have disliked books in which I found the characters repellent or annoying, but I also recognize that the problem is rooted somewhere else, either in a prejudice or stylistic preference on my part, or some other artistic failing on the book's part. If we lead with "I can't sympathize with these people," there's nowhere else to go. We can't learn anything. But if we can make it about why the book failed to keep you invested, or why your biases made you shut down, at least there's a conversation to have.
Okay, rant over. I read half of this book on the plane to Maui and the other half before breakfast the next morning. (Jetlag.) I found it weirdly thrilling—I laughed out loud, my pulse rose perceptibly at multiple points, I got misty—not sure what else I could ask a book to do. I guess this should serve as a reminder to me that I can go looking for those reactions in murder mysteries, fantasies, comedies, etc, but actually—nothing tops the regular old human story done well.
aimedington's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
kshea1's review against another edition
5.0
I didn't see the movie and this is not what I expected from a George Clooney. Although it's an emotional and painful read, of course, it sucked me in. I liked it.
mobcob's review against another edition
4.0
What an uncomfortable book about an uncomfortable man. This is not the Hawaii book I was looking for, full of ancient myths and dreams of independence, but perhaps what I was looking for was a simplistic view of the islands that is comfortable for my tourist mind. I was uncomfortable reading about the ultra rich of the islands with their private schools and private clubs even as this uncomfortable man moved with ease through them. Also how did nobody think of donating the land to a conservancy to keep the nature and the heritage preserved?! Am I really that much of a hippy (please hold me in contradiction to the ultra rich hippies in his family who don't shower and believe that mindfulness is a cure for all.
feralreader's review against another edition
4.0
The book makes it a lot clearer that the mom was a complete sociopath than the movie did.