When Matarena has really got the blues, she sits in the church and pours out her troubles to that omni-compassionate being. Understanding Woman is Matarena's endearing way of saying The Virgin Mary. The various Tahitians populating the novel suffer a loss of identity in which they are neither really Tahitian nor assimilated to French ways. Although the first-person narrative seems to float along on the surface quite innocently, Vaite uses her main character Matarena's seeming simplicity as a guileless mirror with which to reflect the effect of colonization on the native Tahitian psyche. While I can’t claim much interest in the prequel, about Materena and Pito’s romance, the sequel sounds sweet and I may check it out one day.įrangipani is Viate's second offering in her Tahitian trilogy. Though this was apparently the first of Vaite’s books to be published in the U.S., it has both a prequel (Breadfruit) and a sequel (Tiare in Bloom). Overall, this book is nothing earth-shattering, but it is certainly pleasant.
There are a couple better examples of men in the story, though. Materena’s husband, Pito, is presented as a typical Tahitian man, and has almost nothing going for him – he’s unsupportive, lazy, self-absorbed, and drunk half the time. I have to admit that while other readers have found the supportive relationships amongst the women of the extended family heartwarming, my enjoyment was somewhat counterbalanced by irritation with the men. Distinctive word usage and speech patterns make their way into the text, giving the novel a feeling of authenticity (which makes sense, since the author is Tahitian).
It is a sweet book, Materena and Leilani are strong characters, the story stays interesting even without a single driving plotline, and it provides a fun way to learn about Tahiti and its culture. It is not a plot-driven sort of novel short chapters explore various incidents in the family’s life, as well as that of the community.Īs I said, I enjoyed this. The book begins before Leilani’s birth and follows the family until she’s an adult.
It focuses on the relationship between Materena, a hardworking, family-oriented Tahitian woman, and her brilliant, headstrong daughter Leilani.
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