A Remarkable Rotuman Woman

by Jacinta Tonga

Petera Veu was born out of wedlock and into a time when girls lived lives of quiet, domestic servitude. But Petera Veu had other ideas. Like the Fijian island of Rotuma in which she was raised, Petera didn’t quite fit in with her surroundings. She picked fights, stole food, rebuked priests and generally spoke her mind whenever possible. Determined, independent and, at times, downright intractable, Petera Veu lived life on her own terms. A Remarkable Rotuman Woman is Jacinta Tonga’s memoir of her late grandmother, the indomitable Petera Veu, and speaks of traditional life in the South Pacific, the peculiarities of Rotuman culture and of her grandmother’s spirit that still lives on today.

Genres: Nonfiction

76 pages, Paperback

First published July 14, 2012

Reviews

[Sandra The Old Woman in a Van · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a short memoir I'm reading for my around-the-world challenge - my book for Fiji. It's not a literary masterpiece, but I'm giving it 4 stars because I learned quite a bit about Rotomun culture and family life - and that's what I wanted to learn from the book.

[Vivone Os · Rating 2 out of 5]

Možda sam očekivala previše od ove knjige jer ju je jedna blogerica toplo preporučila, ali nažalost nije mi se svidjela. Srećom pa je sasvim kratka pa sam ju brzo pročitala.
Autorica nam priča o svojoj baki, bakinom životu i bakinom načinu razmišljanja. Iako se u priči dosta spominje kultura življenja na Fidžiju kroz povijest, mislim da ju autorica nije znala opisati na način da bi mi bilo zanimljivo čitati o tome. Baka mi se isto nije svidjela, bila je tvrdoglava žena i sve je moralo biti po njenom. Po meni je imala i krive odgojne postupke i kriva razmišljanja. To mišljenje sam stekla s obzirom na ono što je autorica izdvojila na to malo stranica. Možda da je knjiga bila duža bilo bi mjesta i za neke druge priče koje bi baku pokazale i u nekom boljem svjetlu. Ovako me se knjiga uopće nije dojmila.

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[Genevieve · Rating 4 out of 5]

as many others, read this as part of my reading around the world challenge, for Fiji
a very short but heartfelt memoir from a granddaughter to her grandmother. kept me very hooked!

[Suzesmum · Rating 2 out of 5]

48📱🇫🇯FIJI🇫🇯I chose this debut novel by Jacinta Tonga because I am looking for more women writers in the Pacific. This is a lovingly told biography of Tonga’s grandmother, Petera Veu, who hails from the Rotuma region of Fiji. I didn’t appreciate that Rotamuan have different heritage from other indigenous Fijians, descending from Tonga resembling Polynesians rather than Melanesians. They even made a claim for independence in 1987 following the coup d’etat. Aside from this history, the story of Veru’s life isn’t that remarkable. She’s remembered as being a feisty and spoilt woman who raised her granddaughter to be the same. I really wish that I could’ve loved it more. At least it was a quick read🏝

[Calzean · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice little book written by a granddaughter about her grandmother. I learnt a lot about life on the island Rotuman and it's place in Fiji.

[Chloë Hall · Rating 2 out of 5]

very simple and short but a relatively interesting story and look into life on a Fijian island

[K's Bognoter · Rating 2 out of 5]

Et personligt portræt af forfatterens bedstemor – som er titlens bemærkelsesværdige rotumanske/fijianske kvinde. Den lille bog er fortalt i en enkel og ligefrem stil og besidder som sådan en vis charme – hvis jeg nu skal sige noget pænt. Men særlig spændende eller velskrevet, det er den altså ikke. Men den er fra Fiji.

Læs hele anmeldelsen poå K’s bognoter: http://bognoter.dk/2018/07/08/jacinta...

[Sif Ólafsson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ekkert sérstaklega vel skrifuð og mjög einhliða lýsing þar sem höfundur tekur fram að frásögnin sé eingöngu hennar upplifun af ömmu sinni, hún hafi ekki talað við aðra fjölskyldumeðlimi um þeirra skoðun eða upplifun af henni. Engu að síður áhugavert innlit í hluta af menningu Fiji eyja og fljótlesin því hún er stutt.

[Tara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fiji for Read Around Oceania.

Set on the Fijian island of Rotuma, this is a novella length memoir. It reads as a very loving essay from a granddaughter to a grandmother.

I think it would be improved by more stories about life on Rotuma during the grandmother's childhood.

[Rachna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read my list of non-fiction book reviews on My BLOG

A short essay about the author's grandmother gives a look into the island life of Rotuma. It was a place I had never heard of till I read this book, so I give it an extra star for expanding my geographical knowledge.
The author narrates the lives and customs of the people from this Pacific Island by telling us how she, her mom, and her grandmother grew up from the early 1900s to the 2000s.
Some parenting and social customs might seem outdated (because they are) or incompatible with modern-day practices. However, some incidents also highlight how progressive some of the thinking was.
Social norms vary in every part of the world. Take this as a recounting of people's lives in different times and cultures instead of judging their lives.