A Little Too Much Is Enough [Paperback]

Kathleen Tyau (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 17, 1996

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.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Debut novelist Tyau presents a coming-of-age tale set in Hawaii.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Mahi is the young protagonist in Tyau's warmly rendered novel featuring a delightful (and vast) Chinese-Hawaiian clan living on the island of Oahu. Tyau tells her tale in a series of vignettes that occur after World War II, developing a vivid, enveloping portrait of the girl's formative years surrounded by a loving group of uncles and aunts, grandparents, siblings, and devoted parents. Each family member contributes a valuable link to precious traditions that will shape the adult Mahi is destined to become. Tyau's sparkling dialogue reveals the cadences of a spoken English influenced by both the Hawaiian and Chinese languages, especially when depicting rituals revolving around the preparation of food. Even though the experience is vicarious, it is still satisfying to share the lively meals in Tyau's often poignant narrative. Alice Joyce --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company (November 17, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393315592
• ISBN-13: 978-0393315592
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #285,216 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful book about families and growing up., June 6, 2001

By 

Lizzie C. (Central Virginia, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Little Too Much Is Enough (Paperback)

I must respectfully disagree with the previous reviewer who stated that the book was disjointed and didn't make sense. It is a warm, wonderful story with chapters that tell different stories from the point of view of some of the main characters. Not at all difficult to understand, and in a way it is like putting together pieces of a puzzle. By the end of the book you will be sorry that it has ended. A bit like Amy Tan's Joy Luck Club, with wonderful characterizations of the family and all the aunties and uncles. The Hawaii setting is great too, but the themes are universal. Highly recommended.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A rich, passionate novel about growing up in Hawaii., March 2, 2002

By 

David J. Gannon (San Antonio, TX USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Little Too Much Is Enough (Paperback)

Set in post WW II Hawaii, "A Little Too Much is Enough" chronicals the life experiences of a young Chinese-Hawaiian woman growing up in Honolulu from the perspectives of various members of her extended family. A very rich, colorful, highly ethnic portrayal of Hawaii's development into a major tourist location and that development's effects on the native population. Several core incidents and experiences are told, and re-told, through severl different voices and perspectives, yeilding a rich texture in which one comes to savor the totality of the experiene's effects on the entire Wong family. Delivered in a highly vernacular Hawaiian voice throughout, "A Little Too Much is Enough" in the end stands as not just a wonderful story, but also as a rich, multicultural experience

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Kathleen Tyau fashions a beautiful Hawaiian patchwork quilt., December 30, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: A Little Too Much Is Enough (Hardcover)

I did not want this book to end. The characters were interesting and the story was beautifully crafted. I would have liked to find out what happened to the family as time went on. I have lived on Oahu since 1979 & reading a story such as this one is a treasure. This era has given way in many areas of these islands and stories such as this one are reminders of kinder, gentler days.