A Little Too Much Is Enough

by Kathleen Tyau

Filled with love and food, this story of the Hawaiian Wong family is an exuberant banquet of characters and stories. Mahealani Wong was named for the full moon she was born under as her Chinese grandmother believed it would bring her good luck. She has a full helping of her fathers full Hawaiian lips and the rebellious heart of an American teenager. In this vibrant tale, Mahi tries to get more than the "little too much" that is enough for the loving and hard-to-let-go-of-one-another Wong family.

Genres: Fiction, Asian American, Short Stories

240 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 1995

Reviews

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

I confess I would have enjoyed this book a great deal more if it had a glossary of Hawaiian, Chinese and Japanese words. I looked a long list of the words up later, but it would have been better if I had them at hand while reading. All the unknowns I couldn't assume made the reading flow a bit rough.

[Aurora Shele · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a weird one because it started out like, what is she talking about? Then towards the middle, Oh I actually like the characters and I kinda know who is who. Then in the end I actually teared up for a second.

Living in Hawaii is making me read more local stories and this one gives an inside glimpse of what it is like to live in a local Chinese Hawaiian family. I understand pidgin so it wasn't hard for me to read it all, but a glossary would help, especially for the Chinese words.

The literary style is particular and unusual. You don't understand who's talking, some stories are nostalgic, some make sense, some forgettable.

It's written more as a memoir for your family, not to forget, rather than intended for the general public. If you don't live in Hawaii, or know any pidgin, don't bother. If you are local, you might like this book.

[ale · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un sacco di cibo 🤭
Alla fine, sei di famiglia 💕

[Morgan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kathleen Tyau's skill at vernacular is the most impressive thing about this sweet collection of interconnected stories. Stories that an extended Chinese-Hawaiian family might very well tell. Charming and breezy, even when relaying horrific personal stories of the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Take a day off on the beach in Waikiki with "A Little Too Much Is Enough."

[Rosa · Rating 2 out of 5]

A bit confusing as it is written by various characters. I never did figure out many of them or their relationships to each other. Not bad enough to give up on.

Recommended by Margarita McGill

[Sophie Freitas · Rating 4 out of 5]

beautiful, complex, and just a rich story. can be hard to piece together at times, but just a special and truly poetic piece of literature.

[Gingerbready 23 · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was very boring. It’s about the author’s life which isn’t even interesting. It’s also confusing to read changing narrators all the time and changing the timeline.

[Kaikea Blakemore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nostalgic and beautiful imagery for anyone sentimental about old Hawaii, or curious about the realities of mixed race families and upbringings in the islands

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Kara Hisatake · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tyau gives us snapshots of several generations of a Hawaiian-Chinese family, pre- to post-World War II. The family itself is sprawling, and each chapter is a vignette of a perspective, often centered around an idea and most often, food. Most chapters center around Mahealani Wong, the daughter who is born, how she grows up, and eventually goes to college in Oregon. However, many chapters also center around the father, Kuhio, who is "shanghaied" or sent back to China for a number of years by his Chinese father before returning to Oahu, or her mother or aunt telling her a piece of family history. Many of the chapters are like that--a story being told to Mahealani. But it also shifts; sometimes the protagonist is her, sometimes it is her father or mother. All take place on Oahu.

Readers get a glimpse of not only family dynamics, but of culture--preparing for a Hawaiian luau, or a Chinese wedding banquet, what it's like to work at a pineapple cannery, crackseed, all while unraveling family histories. In many chapters, a character is revealed to be more than they were at first glance, such as the aunt who gets divorced, or the uncle you find out is not blood related but was adopted from a Japanese family.

I think this is a revealing read for anyone interested in thinking about the history of Hawai'i and unraveling family dynamics.

Teacher's note: This novel would be great for a class on Asian American or Hawai'i literature. It discusses World War II, dodging the draft, tourist culture, family expectations, gender, and is appropriate for high schoolers and up.

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Set in post-WWII Honolulu, each chapter of this book follows the life of Mahi and her extended Hawaiian/Chinese family. The chapters could each be read as stand alone vignettes, and at times even reading them in sequence it is difficult to determine which character is speaking, what stage of life they are speaking about, and how each of the characters is related to one another. But, one thing Tyau definitely does is capture the spirit of Hawaii - what it is like growing up on the islands, surrounded by loving (and often crazy) family, and thinking about food all the time. I think for readers who are not too familiar with Hawaiian traditions and slang, this might be a difficult book to access, but for the rest of us, it is a definite treat. It made me miss my grandparents and afternoons filled with all the delicious mango I could eat.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lyrical pieces strung together, sometimes in shifting voice. Though the book is subtitled ʻa novel", it reads like memoir at times. This is the story of Mahealani Suzanne Wong, a young Chinese Hawaiian girl growing up, finding herself and her way in life in the complexity of a large extended family in a post WWII Honolulu. Stream of consciousness at times. Good to balance Kirby Wrights masculine coming-of-age novels.

[Kbg503 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loving the pidgin english and customs mentioned. Favorite chapters seem more like "instructions" on how to act, to cook and serve, treat family, respect your elders, and appreciate the simple things every culture has to offer growing up in Hawaii. If you practice, do, and remember most of it, when you leave the Islands, you'll be lucky enough not to forget about Home.

[Doranne Long · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kathleen Tyau is a master at capturing the flavor and language of locals (Chinese, Hawaiian, Haole) living on the Hawaiian Islands. I loved reading Makai, which is more of a cohesive story. A Little Too Much is Enough's style is a little more like reading a series of essays. I am glad I read Makai first, so I could relate more to the stories in A Little Too Much is Enough.

[Bookfanatic · Rating 4 out of 5]

I grew up in Hawaii so I could relate to the characters in the story. It's a coming of age story set after WWII. It's engrossing and fun. It makes you nostalgic for an era that has passed. Some of the dialog is in Hawaiian Pidgin English, but it's not hard to follow.

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

not really a story, seemed like journal entries, but authentic and real descriptins of this family and its traditions

[Yoonmee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it. Glorious collection of short stories and vignettes focusing on local girl Mahi and her Chinese/Hawaiian family.

[Diane Mueller · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was also for my English class. It was a fun quick read. I enjoyed hearing the stories of this Chinese/Hawaiian family.

[Norma Bush · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book reminds me a great deal oh Shark Dialogue by Kiana Davenport. Both books were written in 1995 and cover some of the same ground.

[Maile · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonnnnnderful book; I love this lady. Totally takes you back to Hawaii.

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Poetic and written the way Hawaii is - a mixed plate of cultures.

[Connie · Rating 5 out of 5]

“What we pass on to you is more than custom, more than china and jade.”