The Descendants [Import] [Paperback]

Kaui Hart Hemmings (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Random House (2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0224081373
• ISBN-13: 978-0224081375
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (152 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,618,902 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Kaui Hart Hemmings was born and raised in Hawaii. She has degrees from Colorado College and Sarah Lawrence and was a Stegner Fellow at Stanford University. Her first novel, The Descendants, has been published in twenty-two other countries and is now an Oscar-winning film directed by Alexander Payne and starring George Clooney. Her next novel, The Possibilities, will be published in 2014 by SImon and Schuster. She lives in Hawaii. Follow: http://instagram.com/kauihart/
https://www.facebook.com/KauiHartHemmings

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

104 of 110 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars "My wife's not coming back, my wife did not love me, and I am in charge now." August 20, 2007

By Mary Whipple HALL OF FAMETOP 100 REVIEWER

Format:Hardcover

Matt King, who is descended from a Hawaiian princess and the haole who married her and inherited her land, is the primary beneficiary of the family land trust, and he is now trying to decide what to do with the land on behalf of his cousins and family. The trust is in debt and the demand for prime land in Hawaii is enormous. Matt, however, will be making no decisions in the immediate future, however. His thrill-seeking wife Joanie now lies comatose after a boating accident, and her lack of progress alarms the doctors in Honolulu, who have her on life support.

When doctors are forced to honor her living will, Matt wants their daughters to be with him, and in the hospital visiting Joanie while they await her death. Alexandra, a seventeen-year-old model, returns home from boarding school on the Big Island and, accompanied by Sid, a friend from a previous school, determines she will live her own life, even under the eyes of her father at home. Scottie, the ten-year-old, an attention seeker at school and at home, continues to act out.

When Matt discovers that Joanie has been having an affair, to which he had been oblivious, he is at a loss, and his internal dialogue and self-examination begin in earnest. He wonders about her lover and whether he should encourage this "love of her life" to share Joanie's last days in the hospital. His search for Joanie's lover and the resulting discoveries lead to important lessons and new awareness of his own responsibilities.

The clear presentation of events, exceptionally realistic dialogue, and unique imagery give life to this strong debut novel, and the narrative speeds along.... The author's insights into Matt's conflicts and his self-examination during his long vigil, along with his daughters' understandable tumult, provide some emotional moments, while dark humor provides some respite from the tension. The subplots, involving the sale of the land, the individual problems of the daughters, the background of Alexandra's friend Sid, and the life of Joanie's lover, are well integrated, and the conclusion is satisfying.

Though the character of Matt is not based on any particular person, Hawaiian readers cannot help but make associations between his background and that of the Big Island's Parker family, giving an aura of "realism" to Matt's exotic background as the heir of a princess. His generosity in wanting to have Joanie's lover share her last moments strains credulity, however, and the peripheral characters often exhibit extreme behavior. A number of unusually dramatic and cinematic moments late in the novel make this a good story, though not necessarily a realistic one. Entertaining, and filled with tugs at the heartstrings, The Descendants captures the life of a family at a crossroads, and does so with panache. n Mary Whipple Read more ›

55 of 57 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Better than the very wonderful movie... December 4, 2011

By Ulysses Dietz

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Seeing the film "The Descendants" made me realize it must have come from a book; and so I found it and downloaded it onto my kindle. Not only should Clooney get an Oscar for his performance in the film, but whoever adapted this gentle, soulful, and ultimately transcendant little novel into the screenplay should get one too.

Kaui Hemmings' novel is low-key, unornamented, but richly textured with the complicated social and physical realities of Hawaii - a part of the United States that is by turns very familiar and as exotic as farthest Asia. Matt King and his two troubled daughters, Scottie and Alexandra, are trapped in a tragedy not entirely of their own making, and yet manage to hold onto each other to find their way together into something like happiness. The double gift of this elegantly spare book is that it tells us about an America few of us know, even if we've visited Hawaii as tourists; and it also lays out a searing historic moment in the life of this unique American family that is painful in its realism. I have never read a book that focuses on a great unhappiness, but also manages to capture both joy and humor while doing so. It is one of the few books made into films that made my appreciation of the movie greater in the reading of the book.

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Couldn't Put It Down October 8, 2011

By Snoopyfan_17

Format:Paperback

I picked The Descendants up in my school library on Thursday afternoon. I wanted to read it before the movie came out next month and just hoped I could finish it in between all of my schoolwork. After I read the first few pages, I was hooked. I debated skipping classes just so I could keep reading, but I went to class counting down the time until I could revisit the characters- especially Scottie. As a reader, I can't help but feel bad for the father, Matt King. He's never been hands-on regarding his daughters often leaving it that for his now comatose wife, Joanie, and the nanny. He is forced to step up with his wife in a coma and actually be the hands-on parent, which isn't made easy by his two daughters: Alexandra (who resents her mother) and Scottie (who is acting out). While dealing with his troubled family, Matt (a descendant of a Hawaiian princess) must make the decision of who to sell his family's land to in order to eliminate debts that they have incurred. This novel is both funny and heartfelt; most books start out strongly only to drag in later chapters, but this novel is the opposite. I was hooked from the first page until the last page; I was actually upset that I had finished reading it so quickly. I strongly recommend this book to anyone looking for a quick and funny read.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent read, George Clooney, Alexander Payne movie being made February 6, 2010

By Kelly A. Mitchell

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I read this book because I was auditioning for a principal role in the film adaptation. I found it difficult to put down. As a long time Hawaii resident I have seen so many TV shows and books that don't give a true flavor of life in Hawaii. I feel this book nailed it.

It has everything you look for in a good story. The characters are believeable and the Kama'aina flavor is authentic.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Powerful but flawed August 19, 2010

By A Customer

Format:Kindle Edition

With the death of his father Matthew King must make crucial decisions regarding thousands of acres of family land, the legacy of his Hawaiian royalty ancestor. At the same time he tries to reconnect with his two daughters following an accident that's left his wife in coma. He discovers he really doesn't know his children, REALLY doesn't know his wife, and is out of touch with himself as a descendant with a rich heritage. His self-discovery and turmoil is beautifully chronicled but the dialogue is stilted and unbelievable, especially with 10 year old Scottie. The first few chapters are difficult to get through because none of the characters are likable, but the family eventually fleshes out into interesting and complex personalities. Emotionally powerful, historically fascinating.