Narrated in a bold, fearless, unforgettable voice and set against the lush, panoramic backdrop of Hawaii, The Descendants is a stunning deb...
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Jan 30, 2012
Kelly
rated it: 
Have you ever been sitting somewhere, life moving all around you, and in that moment you are completely aware? You can see the pieces of who you were yesterday falling to the ground as today begins to fill in the holes and all you can manage to do is sit there and watch it dissolve. And as much as you know you need to get up, to start assimilating, you find yourself repeating under your breath, "How did I get here? How is this my life?" This is that juncture actualized.
Matt i More...
Matt i More...
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Jul 19, 2008
Audrey
rated it: 
Whoa.
I'm not sure where this author came from, but look out! Her characters are in your FACE--funny and scary--with an emotional swirl in the background that makes it hard to breathe.
The premise, which is almost beside the point, is that Matthew King's wife is in a coma. And he has to rise up to the occasion, and be a parent in a way he never was before. You realize, along with him, that these wild, angry girls never really had a parent of any kind.
Characte More...
I'm not sure where this author came from, but look out! Her characters are in your FACE--funny and scary--with an emotional swirl in the background that makes it hard to breathe.
The premise, which is almost beside the point, is that Matthew King's wife is in a coma. And he has to rise up to the occasion, and be a parent in a way he never was before. You realize, along with him, that these wild, angry girls never really had a parent of any kind.
Characte More...
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Mar 04, 2009
Mary
rated it:
The concise prose exposes the raw terrain of strained family relationships brought into new relief by the wife/mother's debilitating accident.
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Feb 14, 2012
Yllacaspia
rated it: 
**This review has spoilers**
Overall, I thought the book was ok. It’s not one I would have chosen to buy: it was a book club book.
On the positive side, I thought the characterisation was strong. I liked Sid and Scottie, particularly.
On the bad side, the book isn’t particularly well-written, and the plotting is lazy. The writing style reminded me, overwhelmingly, of books by Judy Blume and Paula Danziger and at times it was hard to really believe I was meant to be reading the thoug More...
Overall, I thought the book was ok. It’s not one I would have chosen to buy: it was a book club book.
On the positive side, I thought the characterisation was strong. I liked Sid and Scottie, particularly.
On the bad side, the book isn’t particularly well-written, and the plotting is lazy. The writing style reminded me, overwhelmingly, of books by Judy Blume and Paula Danziger and at times it was hard to really believe I was meant to be reading the thoug More...
Feb 04, 2012
Beth
rated it:
I saw the film last night, and read the novel today. Couldn't put it down.
I like that order to things: film, and then novel. If I've liked the characters/story (in the film), I like to go to the book because I'm sure to find more detail and more emotional analysis/insight there. And that was certainly the case with this novel. While the film was really faithful to the novel, OF COURSE there is always going to just be MORE of everything in a book. What you particularly get more of More...
I like that order to things: film, and then novel. If I've liked the characters/story (in the film), I like to go to the book because I'm sure to find more detail and more emotional analysis/insight there. And that was certainly the case with this novel. While the film was really faithful to the novel, OF COURSE there is always going to just be MORE of everything in a book. What you particularly get more of More...
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Jan 28, 2012
Cait
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Dec 29, 2011
Neal
rated it:
At heart, all novelists are dreamers. We concoct vivid stories from fleeting, overheard comments and turn complex ideas into 85,000 words of captivating prose. As we write, we envision other people absorbing our words and finding pleasure or guidance in them. If we are honest, we cherish the idea that our stories might reach tens of thousands – or hundreds of thousands - of readers. And, if we truly dream big, we envision our words finding their way onto the screen so that millions of people
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Dec 28, 2011
Susan
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I was hesitant to read this book. They made a movie with George Clooney based on it and I thought it was going to be some romantic, Hollywood drivel. Boy was I ever wrong. This is a layered story of loss, acceptance, discovery and those first few steps to a new life.
Matt King has had everything handed to him in life. The descendant of a Hawaiian princess and a white missionary, he is the controlling partner of a family trust overseeing a great deal of Hawaiian land. He has made his life on More...
Matt King has had everything handed to him in life. The descendant of a Hawaiian princess and a white missionary, he is the controlling partner of a family trust overseeing a great deal of Hawaiian land. He has made his life on More...
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Dec 27, 2011
Ann
rated it:
After seeing the movie, I decided to read the book, in order to better understand character motivation. The movie is surprisingly faithful to the structure of the book but the character of the wife is fleshed out much better in the novel. Matt King, the titular head of an extended family with traces of Hawaiian blood, is in charge of deciding what developer to sell the family's pristine Hawaiian land to. Between trying to make that decision (mostly by avoiding it) and focusing too much on hi
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Dec 13, 2011
Linda
rated it:
The basis for the movie, this book is almost as good to read as it is to see. Much of the dialogue is taken straight from the book. As always, there are actions in the book that are not used in the screenplay. A couple of these really struck me.
One is the banana game. I'm not going to tell you what it is; you're going to have to read it for yourself. This is something my dad would do.
The other one is the playing with names. This is something I do all the time. Inst More...
One is the banana game. I'm not going to tell you what it is; you're going to have to read it for yourself. This is something my dad would do.
The other one is the playing with names. This is something I do all the time. Inst More...
Dec 13, 2011
Peggy
rated it:
Matt King is a descendant of Hawaiian royalty and a wealthy landowner. His wife, Joanie has been in a horrible boating accident and lies in a comatose state in the hospital. All of a sudden, Matt is forced into being the attentive father to two girls--10 year old Scottie and 19 year old Alex. This story covers the last days of Joanie's life as Matt and the girls and Alex's friend Sid journey to tell all friends and relatives to come say their good-byes as life support is being pulled at Joani
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Oct 17, 2011
Kayak96744
rated it:
Written in a man’s perspective, The Descendants, an amazing novel that enlightened my summer, by Kaui Hart Hemmings. This is Hemmings, first novel that has been published in nine other countries and currently, in production, starring George Clooney. This novel’s genre is a tragicomedy: consists both tragic and comedy. Hemmings incorporates a reality feeling and the concept of moving on.
The Descendants takes place in modern day Honolulu, Hawaii. Matt King is the protagonist. He is from a More...
The Descendants takes place in modern day Honolulu, Hawaii. Matt King is the protagonist. He is from a More...
May 13, 2009
Imagine how you would deal with the imminent death of your spouse. Especially if she lies in a coma and you must make the decision to take her off life support? Now imagine that, as you are struggling to make this decision, you find out she has been having an affair, and her lover is the one person who has not been told and been given the opportunity to say goodbye. What would you do? This is the situation Matthew King faces and he makes some surprising choices. A descendant of one of Hawaii's l
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Feb 13, 2012
Jessica
rated it:
I'm not sure what I think of this book. It's well written, full of little ironies and strangely touching moments. The characters are, for the most part, round; the narrator's voice is authentic, and the setting so realistic that I looked up from reading it and was briefly surprised that I was in cold, snowy Routt County rather than a tropical island. Hemmings tells the story of a tragedy that befalls a Hawaiian family, and she seems determined to make sure we understand that bad things don't jus
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Jan 04, 2012
Melissa
rated it: 
I was very disappointed with The Descendants. I expected more character insight, instead getting bratty kids and a MC that somehow comes off spineless instead of capable.
Though I did dislike The Descendants I still found some parts quite engaging and heartfelt. The struggles Matt faces when he finds out his wife was having a affair is raw and emotional. How can he get mad at his wife if she is dying? How does he manage to do what's right for his children and wife after feeling More...
Though I did dislike The Descendants I still found some parts quite engaging and heartfelt. The struggles Matt faces when he finds out his wife was having a affair is raw and emotional. How can he get mad at his wife if she is dying? How does he manage to do what's right for his children and wife after feeling More...
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Feb 09, 2012
Kate
rated it:
I borrowed this book from the library based solely on its setting. For whatever reason, I've had an obsession with Hawaii lately, and I wanted to read some books set there. I'd never heard of the book or the movie that apparently came out recently, and I was a little surprised when it arrived with a picture of George Clooney on the front.
About halfway through the book, I almost put it down. I found every single character completely unsympathetic, including the lady in the coma, and r More...
About halfway through the book, I almost put it down. I found every single character completely unsympathetic, including the lady in the coma, and r More...
Dec 07, 2011
SA
rated it:
You know, it's not until I start reading contemporary fiction that I remember I don't especially enjoy it. Not to be simplistic, but if there isn't a dead body, a spaceship, or magic, I'm not the immediate target market for your book.
I picked this one up, though, because it continues my theme of reading books set in Hawai'i, and because the film based on the book has been released.
It took more than half the book to sympathize with the character--he doesn't talk about lo More...
I picked this one up, though, because it continues my theme of reading books set in Hawai'i, and because the film based on the book has been released.
It took more than half the book to sympathize with the character--he doesn't talk about lo More...
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Oct 09, 2011
Georgette
rated it:
After reading this book, I re-read the book club discussion/author questions in the back. There's a blurb saying "It's a hard book to categorize." That about sums up my review.
Matt's life is forever changed when his wife Joanie is in a horrible boating accident. The doctors deliver a grim diagnosis, and Matt quickly realizes that he must take charge. His ten year old daughter Scottie is hyperactive, quirky, and growing up way too fast. Her older sister Alex is in college and comi More...
Matt's life is forever changed when his wife Joanie is in a horrible boating accident. The doctors deliver a grim diagnosis, and Matt quickly realizes that he must take charge. His ten year old daughter Scottie is hyperactive, quirky, and growing up way too fast. Her older sister Alex is in college and comi More...
Jan 28, 2012
Dana
rated it:
This was a good book, not a great book, but good. I can see how it has become an award winning movie as emotions run deep and the plot is character driven. It was originally written as a short story, and perhaps it would have been better left as such, because it failed to amaze and entrance me. The last 50 pages were better than the earlier pages. I am not sorry I read this one, but I wouldn't rave about it, and am glad I got it from the library, rather than spending money on it. Most people kn
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Jan 24, 2012
Lisa
rated it:
This is an amazing book and I would highly recommend putting it on the top of your to-read pile. I loved it. True, I could have done without all the f-words and the strangeness of young girls talking about porn/sex and swearing so much. Read past that and you have a story that is so much more. I would say that it is about life, love, family, and the growth of these individuals into better people.
The story centers around Matt, a father of two girls and wife to Joanie who is in a c More...
The story centers around Matt, a father of two girls and wife to Joanie who is in a c More...
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Dec 03, 2011
Carissa
rated it:
Yes, I read this because Alexander Payne made a movie. But wow, so glad I did. I have read many books over the years that have a first-person narrator who is wigging out with anxiety over problems, real and perceived. Most of those narrators I have wanted to slap. The whining, the angst, the self-indulgence just rankles me (maybe because it hits so close to home). But Hemmings' Matt King has the perfect narrative voice. He has REAL problems and earns every second of his emotional turmoil. I also
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Nov 01, 2011
Julie
rated it:
I very nearly gave this book five stars, but part of my criteria is that a book has to spur some sort of curiosity, and inspire me to find out more about a part of the story or the author, and this one did not. However, it was a fantastic read! This book has been made into a movie that is due out later this year, starring George Clooney. A trailer for the movie actually led me to reading the book, and I am glad it did.
The story revolves around a family in Hawaii, and more specifically fro More...
The story revolves around a family in Hawaii, and more specifically fro More...
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Jan 16, 2012
Christi
rated it:
I picked up this book after seeing the movie starring George Clooney.
It was funny when I realized that I wasn't picturing Clooney as Matthew King while reading the book.
Matthew King is trying to care for his two daughters, coping with his wife being in a coma and managing the sale of his family's land in Hawaii. That's a lot for one character to handle in the first chapter of a book.
Through it all, his wry comments and observations and direct style really add a l More...
It was funny when I realized that I wasn't picturing Clooney as Matthew King while reading the book.
Matthew King is trying to care for his two daughters, coping with his wife being in a coma and managing the sale of his family's land in Hawaii. That's a lot for one character to handle in the first chapter of a book.
Through it all, his wry comments and observations and direct style really add a l More...
Nov 27, 2011
Readingmomma
rated it:
This book really hit close to home. Matthew King the main character of this book is dealing with the impossible task of taking his wife off life support and saying goodbye to her. I really connected to this book because I dealt with a similar situation when I was forced to remove my son from life support almost two years ago.
I really bonded with the main character of this story. I thought the author did a fantastic job with the little details and overall story dynamics that made this s More...
I really bonded with the main character of this story. I thought the author did a fantastic job with the little details and overall story dynamics that made this s More...
Oct 27, 2011
Broche
rated it:
Let me be clear. I stopped reading around page 45. I just could not read any more about a rich white guy and his problems. Yes, he HAS legitimate issues. His wife, from whom he is estranged and is trying not to suspect has been having an affair, is in a coma and soon he must decide what to do about that. He barely knows his two daughters, and both are a handful at two very different ages. He's apparently a workaholic, high-powered attorney in his own right, and is also in the midst of needing to
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Oct 06, 2011
Lucy
rated it:
I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.
I was pleasantly surprised by this book. The dark (and not so dark) humor really made this book enjoyable and kind of helped to keep your mind off the fact that by the end, someone is going to die…although, really, Joanie’s coma/death seems like a part of the background at some points, and not the driving point of the story, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The Descendants is a very easy book to read, the characters ar More...
I was pleasantly surprised by this book. The dark (and not so dark) humor really made this book enjoyable and kind of helped to keep your mind off the fact that by the end, someone is going to die…although, really, Joanie’s coma/death seems like a part of the background at some points, and not the driving point of the story, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The Descendants is a very easy book to read, the characters ar More...
Jan 15, 2012
Nicole
rated it:
This book was really irreverent and raw, and it made me laugh a lot with all of its awkward uncomfortableness. It works really well. It's written by a lady writing as a man whose wife is about to die and also he just realized she was in lust with someone else, so now he's coming to grips with that and also dealing with his two daughters who are complete strangers to him. They're also really powerful and independent, like their mother, so he feels out of place with them, attempting to get to know
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Oct 16, 2011
Kai
rated it:
The Descendants is not a story about the history of one family. It is a story about heritage and self-discovery. Somewhere down the line, Matt King has forgotten his heritage except that his family is Hawaii's largest landowners. He knows his ancestry but he has forgotten the meaning. When his wife, Joanie became comatose after a boat-racing accident, he is pushed into fatherhood to his ten year old daughter Scottie and seventeen year old Alex. Furthermore, his wife has a living will that i
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Oct 08, 2011
Melissa
rated it:
What a great little story! The author takes the reader into Hawaii to a family who is experiencing quite a realm of emotional, family dynamic issues and loss. The King family is in the midst of finding itself. Mom (Joanie) a beautiful, action seeking woman is in a coma due to a speed boating accident and dad (Matt) who was once pretty much just the sidelined father due to the nature of his job as an attorney, is thrust into being the sole parent to his two daughters Scottie and Alex. There is
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Jun 10, 2010
JoAnn/QuAppelle
rated it:
I would give this a 3.5 if I could....
I cannot remember how/where I heard about this book. The story is fairly good and I like the character development, but the writing is so awkward and cumbersome. Sentence structure is unwieldy, and so is the dialogue.
There is a ten-year old girl in the story whose behavior and language is more like a 12-13 year old. I see that the female author has a daughter - perhaps she is very young and the author has no experience with older gir More...
I cannot remember how/where I heard about this book. The story is fairly good and I like the character development, but the writing is so awkward and cumbersome. Sentence structure is unwieldy, and so is the dialogue.
There is a ten-year old girl in the story whose behavior and language is more like a 12-13 year old. I see that the female author has a daughter - perhaps she is very young and the author has no experience with older gir More...
