Frangipani by Célestine Vaite is a delightful and entertaining book about the relationship between mother and daughter. Set in Tahiti, the culture and language of the people is woven into the story, making it a quite enjoyable book to read. From the book, I assume that the Tahitian people are very laid-back and happy. They have some customs that are just wacky, but don’t all cultures? I loved the relationship between the mother, Matarena and her daughter, Leilani. When Leilani got her period, Matarena gave her the Welcome to Womanhood talk. She started off by giving her daughter compliments- telling her why she’s a great girl. I loved that she did that for her daughter. Can you imagine how empowering that would be to a young woman for her mother to tell her why she’s great?! She then bestows to her daughter all the wisdom that a Tahitian woman needs. Some of this wisdom includes, “Don’t get married before you have at least one child with your man. Children are the hardest part in a couple’s life. When there are no children, everything is easy, everybody wants to get married. Once there are children, everything changes.” Interesting! True, everything changes. But don’t get married? She also tells her daughter not to fall for a foreigner because he will either leave her to go back to his country or make her leave Tahiti to go with him to his country. But then immediately after telling her to avoid foreigners, she tells her all the things that are wrong with typical Tahitian men. One of the things she says about a typical Tahitian man is, “A typical Tahitian man believes that it is beneath his dignity to show his woman affection. You ask a typical Tahitian man, “Am I beautiful, chéri?” he answers, “You’re not ugly.”” Her advice about men was amusing! One piece of advice that she gave was simply beautiful- “When we die it doesn’t mean that we don’t exist anymore. True, we are buried, we become skeleton, then we become soil, but all that we have left behind is still there. Whenever people talk about us, well, we come alive again.” And the last piece of advice in the Welcome to Womanhood talk is priceless- “Don’t start thinking you know more than I do.” There were parts of the book that might make some people blush, such as referring to sex as “sexy loving.” But it just made me smile. Another blushable moment is when Matarena saw her daughter and her daughter’s boyfriend having sex. But it was also set in a funny moment. So I just laughed at the moment and thought of how awkward that would be to have my mom walk in on that. I loved the tone of the writing. I could hear the Tahitian accent throughout the book. I don’t know if I’ve ever even heard a Tahitian accent. But the writing was such that I could imagine how it would sound. Frangipani was a fun, easy read. My V author (Mario Vargas Llosa) still hasn’t come in from the library, so I looked on the V shelf and found Frangipani. I would say that it was a good find.
I got this book based on the title, and was pleasantly surprised at how I didn't want to put this book down. The book follows Materena, a young Tahitian woman and her family: Pito, her husband; Leilani, her daughter; and her two sons, Moana and Tamatoa. It is a brilliantly written novel about the connection between mothers and daughters. Leilani is smart and stubborn, but her mother wants her to be better than a 'professional cleaner' as she has been. Materena does anything for her family, and practically raises her children alone, since her husband does very little in terms of child rearing. Materena gets practical wisdom from the other aunts and cousins, as well as her own mother, Loana. Materena's children all end up doing well for themselves, one ending up going to France for the military, one an executive chef, and the other to become a doctor (a woman doctor at that). This book weaves superstitious and ancestral beliefs in Tahitian culture as well as mixing in a modern outlook. This book is definitely NOT a 'chick book', and I recommend it to anyone who loves to read about other cultures and customs. It is a very pleasant read, and I find myself wanting to get the two other books in the series, 'Breadfruit' and 'Tiare'. I haven't been this hooked on reading a series since Harry Potter!
Do You like book Frangipani (2006)?
I really adored this book and the main character and her daughter. The bonus of learning a little bit about Tahitian culture was also nice, and I love the phrase "sexy loving" in place of sex. It's just those small, quirky things that make this book so fun to read. There were portions of the book that were a little drawn out and I would have liked to see the daughter appreciate her mother more gradually then kind of all of a sudden at the end, but in general, most enjoyable. Looking forward to reading Breadfruit.
—June
I had just finished reading two very depressing books and desperately needed to read something more upbeat. I found this one on WhichBook when I did a search for something happy and optimistic, and it definitely filled my requirement! In spite of the difficulties that come with being a woman in Tahiti (yes, there are difficulties in paradise) Materena, the main character, kept a wonderful positive attitude that infected me while I read. I recommend this to all mothers of daughters, especially teen daughters or daughters about to leave home.
—Edith Clayton
Jedna od knjiga koja me je ludo zabavila... Ovo je druga knjiga trilogije... Slučajno sam naletela na nju pre mnogo godina u jednoj knjižari u Torontu, pronašla vlasnika prava i tu knjigu trebalo je da objavi Laguna... Čekali smo australijskog izdavača da nam pošalje ugovor gotovo godinu dana... A onda sam ja otišla iz Lagune pre nego što je ugovor stigao, i Laguna je otkazala celu priču... Ja još ne gubim nadu da ću za ove tri sjajne, zabavne i duhovite knjige naći izdavača... Otkačene knjige koje će vas nasmejati do suza... :)
—Tea Jovanović
