When a drunken Pito proposes to Materena, she initially thinks it's just the booze talking. As she nevertheless starts planning, she juggles everyday life only to have Pito act as though he's forgotten his proposal.
Breadfruit: A Novel
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Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Native Tahitian Vaite returns to the charming world of Materena Mahi, the "professional cleaner" and mother of three introduced in early 2006's Frangipani. This second installment begins when Pito Tehana, the father of Materena's children, drunkenly proposes marriage. Though he's forgotten about it by morning, Materena can't get it out of her head. In between jobs, caring for her kids and visits with her many cousins, Materena fantasizes about her wedding, even though Pito does nothing but dash Materena's hopes; in one of the book's most moving chapters, Materena scrimps to buy Pito a silk shirt for his birthday, but when he opens it, he grumpily tells her to return it and buy him a case of beer. Although the novel is driven by Materena's intense longing, it's peppered with witty encounters between Materena and her nosy family members. Among the wide cast of friends and family, there's Cousin Giselle, who gave birth in the back of a Mercedes Benz; Mama Roti, Pito's doting mother; Mama Teta, who drives a wedding car; and Rita, Materena's favorite cousin. None are particularly nuanced, but when combined with Vaite's light touch and the exotic setting, the result is redolent of the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series—a delightful diversion. (Sept. 4)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From Booklist
Like Alexander McCall Smith in his No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series, Vaite (Frangipani, 2005) excels at depicting the warm sense of community that pervades her Tahitian island setting. Although Matarena Mahi has lived with her man, Pito, for 12 years and they have three children, they have never married. So when a drunken Pito proposes one night, Matarena's spirits soar. Not quite ready to put the news out on the "coconut radio," she surreptitiously gathers the necessary info: from ace baker Moeata, she learns the cost of a delicious chocolate cake, and from professional disc jockey Georgette, the kind of music to be played at the reception that will keep people dancing all night. But by the time Matarena has finished gathering the details, a sober Pito has failed to follow through on his proposal. Soon Matarena is crying copiously every time she hears Edith Piaf sing a love song. Will she ever feel like she is truly loved? In charming fashion, Vaite conveys universal truths about men and women and the mysteries at the heart of every romantic relationship. Joanne Wilkinson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A laugh-out-loud, feel-good novel!,
By Armchair Interviews (Minneapolis, MN) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Breadfruit: A Novel (Paperback)
Celestine Vaite's Breadfruit is a reviewer's dream. An earthy mix of the literary, the romantic, and the eccentric, Breadfruit follows the love crisis of Materena Mahi.
Materena and the father of her three children, Pito, have lived together on the island of Tahiti for fourteen years, but marriage has been nowhere on the horizon. One night, in a drunken stupor, Pito finally proposes to Materena. Materena is thrilled and wastes no time imagining her perfect wedding: pricing a chocolate cake and a wedding chauffeur and eyeing a luxurious new bed for a wedding gift. But after fourteen years is Pito what she really wants? And was he even truly proposing? Materena fantasizes about her perfect wedding, all the while wondering if she's just letting her heart overwhelm reality. Meanwhile, life on the island stops for no woman and daily dramas keep Materena busy. Cousin Giselle gives birth in a Mercedes, Materena's mother insists on talking to her dead grandmother for hours, and there are the free tiles Cousin Lily is giving away--not to mention the kids. Romance runs rampant throughout Vaite's novel, reinforcing what all women know--that love conquers all and family is the toughest job in the world. Vaite's novel is populated with quirky characters and tales--like the pink peg Materena's daughter wears to give her a more perfectly pointed nose. The short-short chapters that read like flash fiction emphasize the eccentric, free-flowing attitude of the narrative, and the novel's unusual structure, all allow Vaite to work in more fully developed characters and to play with the sense of time, following back stories where appropriate and the side characters' own romantic dilemmas (did I mention that romance runs rampant?). While Breadfruit's plot is familiar, its Tahitian setting is exotic and full of colorful language, legends and cultural idiosyncrasies that make the novel glow with a South Pacific charm and pragmatism. Armchair Interviews says: As the follow-up to her novel Frangipani, Vaite's Breadfruit is a laugh-out-loud, feel-good novel that combines heart, wisdom, and an approachable style that will leave readers anxious for the final installment of Materena's trilogy.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A charming and delightful novel by the author of FRANGIPANI,
By Bookreporter (New York, New York) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Breadfruit: A Novel (Paperback)
BREADFRUIT is one of two books thus far in a series written by Celestine Vaite, a Tahiti native, that centers on Materena Mahi and her family and friends on the island of Tahiti. FRANGIPANI introduced Materena to America; "the best listener in Tahiti" is warm and generous, a natural problem solver. This first novel took us from her early days with her man, Pito, and her three children to focus on her journey to find herself. It was the story of her search for her calling in life, ending with her daughter's entrance into college and Materena's budding new career as a talk show radio hostess.
BREADFRUIT, which was originally published first, features nearly everyone from FRANGIPANI, but the plot focuses on Materena's desire to marry. Most Tahitians don't have a need to marry, but there are a few weddings here and there, and Materena is deep down envious when she sees those newlyweds speeding off in Mama Teta's wedding car. When Pito (in a drunken state) asks Materena to be his wife, she cannot contain herself. It's too good to be true (and it is). She begins planning and researching what she needs to get ready for her big wedding day. In between her planning, life goes on. As in FRANGIPANI, BREADFRUIT is a series of chapters that takes snippets of Materena's life with anecdotes and stories about various people in her family. The stories, told in a very casual, chatty manner --- as is Materena's way --- are funny, often hilarious and sometimes sentimental. There's the incident with the carpet that her cousin Lily was to give away to Materena, and Materena uses it to give her house a new look. (Unfortunately the carpet is a vibrant green.) There's the time when she is asked to appear in court because she and her children were caught trespassing on private property. (The reader finds out later that she was actually taking her kids swimming next to the airport, running across the runway because she felt it was safer to do that than cross a busy street). Then there is Materena's attempt to buy a new bed, and her visit with her mother to her grandmother's grave. They argue over where Materena will be buried --- next to her own mami or next to her husband (in another town). This is yet another charming novel by Celestine Vaite. She's the first native Tahitian to win the "Prix litteraire des etudiants" (for BREADFRUIT). Readers will get the feel of what it's like to live in a rural Tahitian village, where hardly anyone has a washing machine, many are unemployed, and it's the women who seem to rule with a heavy stick. Materena herself is a professional house cleaner, but she's proud of her children and what she does. Most of all, despite the problems they have, she loves her man Pito and would marry him in a heartbeat. Of course, she has her work cut out for her, trying to get Pito to own up to his original marriage proposal. --- Reviewed by Marie Hashima Lofton [...]
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Loved it!,
By
This review is from: Breadfruit: A Novel (Paperback)
BREADFRUIT by Celestine Vaite
October 8, 2006 Amazon Rating: 4.5/5 stars This is the second book by Celestine Vaite that I've read, and I loved them both. Both books take us into the world of Materena Mahi, a hard working professional cleaner who is raising her two children in Tahiti, with the help (somewhat) of her man, Pito. BREADFRUIT is the story of Materena and her mission to get Pito to fulfill his marriage proposal (of course it doesn't' help that he was drunk when he made the proposition). Readers will love the antics of Materena and her friends and family, as they get along each day, living in poverty. But their lives don't seem to be that of poor underprivileged people. They are rich in family, and their children, at least Materena's are fulfilling the dreams that the older generation could not. You will laugh and cry along with Materena as she experiences life in Tahiti, surviving as best she can, and making sure the man in her life goes through with that marriage proposal.
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