Author: Kaui Hart Hemmings
Publisher: Random House
Book Summary: Mat King is a descendant of Hawaiian royalty and one of the state's largest land owners, the deciding relative of the expansive empire. His entire family is waiting on him. Who will he sell to?
In the mean time, things at home have taken a turn for the worst as Mat is left to care for his two out-of-control daughters, Scottie, a strange 10 year old with a desperate need for attention, and Alex, a 17 year old former model and recovering drug addict, while his wife Joanie lies in an irreversible coma in the hospital, from a boating accident.
My Review: The reason I chose to read this book was because of the film trailer. There was something honest in those two minutes, and I sort of fell in love with George Clooney and the prospect of him playing this character. What I didn't realize was how much I would actually love the book, and how I invested I would become in the story.
With the setting being Hawaii, it's easy to think that people who live in paradise don't have problems. In fact, we aren't allowed to have problems, right? Not the case.
Though we don't know what the Kings were like before the accident, we are seeing the aftermath. Matt King is dealing with several life issues, and on top of all of that, his daughters seem to be acting up in a way, that scares the bejesus out of him. With a dying wife lying in a coma and his relatives, as well as the entire state of Hawaii, waiting on his decision as to whom he will sell his very large estate in Kaui too, Matt is at his wits end. But as if that was not enough to test a man's strengths, Matt finds out through his older daughter Alex, that his wife has been having an affair and that was the cause of the stress and turmoil between the daughter and the mother. (Heartbreaking!!)
Without going into every detail of this wonderful book, let me just say it's a very easy read. I think the story was about 300 pages, but man does it suck you in. I don't think you necessarily had to have experienced any of these issues, to find relevance; you just do. Matt made me laugh, and he made me cry. I literally woke up one morning, sat by myself on the couch, and finished the last 100 pages, crying. Seriously, crying. I absolutely fell in love with Matt and thought many of his emotions, from the feelings about his wife, to the frusterations with his daughters, just so humanely, real. Does that make sense? I felt like Matt was a male version... of me. And I loved every laugh out loud moment, and every tearful discovery.
The Descendants was just such a great book, and in summary, about a father having to come to terms with the fact that he will now be the sole parent having to raise his daughters. He has fears that they will turn out horrible, that they will never respect him, that they will end up like his wife... In a loveless marriage. But in the end, he must make peace with his dying wife, before he can find the path to his daughter’s hearts. Because as we all know, they need their father more than ever, and what he soon learns, is that he needs them just as much too.
Excellent novel, and beautiful story. I highly recommend this book!!! Five Stars!!
The Descendants Movie Trailer: Comes out this December!!
2 comments:
Sounds a really emotional and compelling read! The movie trailer is intriguing also. Great review!
The Descendents, is a great novel filled with series of unfortunate but comical events for the main character, Matt King. Matt King is a wealthy attorney who is a descendent of royal Hawaiian ancestry, and granted a large piece of land. However, he goes through a rough patch when his wife, Joanie, gets put into the hospital due to a boating accident. While he is trying to cope with his wife's injury and parent his out-of-control daughters, he only comes to find that his wife has had an affair with another man. Matt King struggles to understand the behavior of his two daughters.
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