Read by Jonathan Davis
9 hrs, 13 mins
Published May 2007 by Random House
Publisher's Summary:
Matthew King was once considered one of the most fortunate men in Hawaii. His missionary ancestors who came to the islands were financially and culturally progressive-one even married a Hawaiian princess, making Matt a royal descendant and one of the state's largest landowners. But now his luck has changed. His two daughters are out of control-10-year-old Scottie has a smart-ass attitude and a desperate need for attention and 17-year-old Alex, a former model, is a recovering drug addict. His thrill-seeking and high-maintenance wife, Joanie, lies in a coma after a boat racing accident, and will soon be taken off life support. The King family can hardly picture life without their charismatic mother, but as they come to terms with this tragedy, their sadness is mixed with a sense of freedom that shames them-and spurs them into surprising actions.
My Thoughts:
Like so many movies I've seen, I wasn't aware, when I watched the movie adaptation of this book (which starred George Clooney, Matthew Lillard, and Shailene Woodley and which was directed by Alexander Payne) that it was a book adaptation. In fact, I only realized much later when I came across the book in the store and picked it up for my husband. He has never read it. Neither have I. Not because we didn't both enjoy the movie; we did. But it just got buried. So when I found it in audio at my library, I grabbed it up.
First up: I'm sure Jonathan Davis does a fine job of narrating this book. I mean, he does do a fine job of narrating this book. It's just that I so badly wanted George Clooney, who played Matt King in the movie and narrated the movie, to also be narrating the book. I have no idea what it would have cost to have had him do that but it would have been worth every penny. Well, at least I think so.
As for the adaptation of the book: it's an exceedingly good adaptation of a book. All of the characters in the book appear in the movie, very much as they appear in the book, although they are, understandably more fleshed out in the book. It's a good movie and I highly recommend it. But watch the movie first and then read the book; because, well, you know if you've ever read the book before you see the movie, it's never exactly what you expect.
Now, as for the book itself: I'm a new fan of Hemmings. This book is a marvelous combination of humor and sadness. The humor is often dark but sometimes it's just plain funny. Watching Matt King come to terms with his failures as a father and a husband is a lesson in how character development should be done. Hemmings covers a range of subjects, as you can tell from the summary: marriage, infidelity, drug abuse, parenting, family dynamics, dying and death. Into all of that, she's also managed to craft the tale of the descendants of the last Hawaiian princess as they navigate what should be done with the land they have inherited, land most of them are eager to sell, particularly in light of the amount of money being thrown at them. Matthew is all for it, the decision is just which buyer will he recommend to his family. But life sometimes throws things our way which make us rethink everything.
Now that I've finally "read" this one, I'm ready for a rewatch of the movie. And to find more of Hemmings writings!
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