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Where We Once Belonged
by
Sia Figiel
Fiction. A bestseller in New Zealand and winner of the prestigious Commonwealth Prize, Sia Figiel's debut marks the first time a novel by a Samoan woman has been published in the United States. Figiel uses the traditional Samoan storytelling form of su'ifefiloi to talk back to Western anthropological studies on Samoan women and culture. Told in a series of linked episodes,...more
Paperback, 247 pages
Published
November 2nd 2000
by Kaya Press
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This book was depressing and boring. Sia Figiel was born in Western Samoa and moved to New Zealand at the age of 16. She has also studied in the US and American Samoa and has a B.A. in History. After living and studying overseas she returned to Samoa and found it very hard to fit in. This book seeks to overturn the romanticised Western view of the Pacific Islands as places of paradise and it succeeds only too well.
The book is set in Samoa and Sia Figiel shows us a community and cultu...more
The book is set in Samoa and Sia Figiel shows us a community and cultu...more
Im Rahmen meiner literarischen Weltreise habe ich mich diesmal nach Samoa begeben und dort das junge Mädchen Alofa kennengelernt. Sie ist gefangen in einer Welt voller Zwänge und Verbote und steckt zusätzlich mitten in der Pubertät. Allerdings handelt es sich nicht um einen Roman, in dem man Alofas Geschichte verfolgen könnte, sondern um einige Episoden, die nur lose durch ihren Bezug zu Alofa zusammenhängen. Ein Gesamtbild über sie, ihre Familie, ihr Dorf und Samoa ergibt sich erst ganz am Ende...more
et in Samoa where we once belonged is the coming of age story of Alofa, a 13 year old girl growing up in the village of Malaefou. I wrote my final year English essay on this, and Perception of Polynesia in literature, so you’d think I would have remembered it. Well, most parts I did, but there were some I didn’t.
Alofa is our narrator, we see life through her eyes. But there are also songs and poems blended in, a mix of Samoan myth and legend. Allowing us a glimpse into life for Samoa. ...more
Alofa is our narrator, we see life through her eyes. But there are also songs and poems blended in, a mix of Samoan myth and legend. Allowing us a glimpse into life for Samoa. ...more
The glossary in the end was unhelpful, as it contained maybe half the words and none of the phrases. I don't feel like we got to know the characters as well as we should have. Also, this book needs some sort of family tree. When they finally named Lili's attacker I completely blanked out on who he was and why it was so shocking.
I didn't find this book boring at all,I really enjoyed reading it. it's not often that you find literature with a Samoan woman as a main character, or involving any Samoan woman at all. It can be a bit flowery at times but it's beautifully written.
Book was an amazin. Incite to the Samoan lifestyle and community. The Samoan wors that are left in the text is a realization this is not just an Americanized novel from an Americanized land.
Absolutely loved this book. It explores life for young people in Tonga, exposing all sorts of social issues. Although bleak at times, it is also uplifting, particularly with the loyalty within the relationships portrayed. Havent ever read a book set in Tonga so it was very interesting. A gritty, good read.
A landmark book for me. Every Samoan woman/girl should read this one.
Didnt like. period. : )
An exceptionally interesting book about Samoan life in the 1970's, stylistically unique. The only reason it doesn't get five is because it interupts it's own narrative flow too often.
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I really enjoyed this book. This was a great book on modern Samoa from the perspective of a teenage girl circa 70s. The narrative form is interesting and travels between the adolescent girl and the other Samoan characters. I highly recommend this book to get inside the modern Samoan mentality. Caveat: this would be a much more Western Samoan mentality than an American Samoa.
Couldn't get on with this book at all. Unusual for me, but I gave up half way through. Glad of the glossary to make it more understandable, but there are too many other books I want to read.
Read as part of compass journey page
My favorite novel. Love it, love it, love it.
Captivating, rich & unapologetic.
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