Customer Reviews

The Whale Rider (Movie Cover Edition)

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

"Whale Rider" is best known as the hit indie movie, winner of the Audience Award in the 2003 Sundance Film Festival. But the basis for that film was Witi Ihimaera's magical, lore-laden novel "Whale Rider," a bittersweet story about a Maori girl and her mysterious destiny.

The first great-grandchild of the Maori chief Koro Apirana is born... but a girl called Kahu, not the hoped-for boy, and soon her mother dies. Koro is upset, since only a male can carry on the line. He hopes for a destined chosen one to restore the Maori people, but his hopes are growing more and more futile. He starts teaching young boys about the old traditions, looking for the one who can "pull the sword from the stone."

Meanwhile, Kahu grows up into an inquisitive and sweet-natured eight-year-old. She loves her grandfather, but his bitterness over her not having been a boy has never really worn off. But one day, whales are found beaching themselves near the town where Kahu lives, and she hears their song. Searching for his old friend, master and rider, the oldest whale will find Kahu.

Few novels have the earnest simplicity that "Whale Rider" does. Ihimaera tackles subjects like tradition, sexism, faith, and of course the Maori culture. Not a lot of books and movies handle the Maori, who are the native people of New Zealand, and Ihimaera does an excellent job of conveying the creation myths, a handful of traditions, and the danger to it now (illustrated by Rawiri's journeys to Australia and Papua New Guinea).

Since the story is told through Kahu's biker uncle Rawiri, it takes us awhile to get to know Kahu. Similarly, the book is rather ordinary near the beginning, and the writing is too simple. But it grows in majesty, mystery and poetry as it progresses to its haunting, magical climax. Among the best parts of the book are the almost mythological sections devoted to an ancient whale who carried the Whale Rider long ago.

Kahu is a nebulous figure for much of the book, but flowers about halfway through, when Rawiri returns to New Zealand. Koro is an enigmatic character, crusty and grumpy, but is deeply concerned for his people and loves his granddaughter underneath it all. Nanny Flowers, who threatens to divorce Koro on at least a daily basis, is a wonderful character.

Sweet, beautifully written and memorable, "Whale Rider" is a memorable tale about traditions and culture, and about a little girl in white who rode a whale out to sea.

I read the book after seeing the movie, and found the book to be grittier. The book explains the myth of Paikea (Kahutia Te Rangi), the whale rider, in more detail, and explores Maori social issues in more depth. The story is also told from the perspective of someone other than Kahu (Pai).

The book stirred my imagination very differently than the movie. The movie had an ethereal quality that the book doesn't have as much, but the book explores the mystery surrounding the myth in a way that the movie doesn't begin to touch upon.

This book is immensely respectful of its characters, their failings, fears, and shortcomings, and despite the fact that the book centers on a founding myth, its humanity and compassion will move you. I highly recommend this engrossing, moving read, even to adults. In terms of an appropriate audience, children under ten or eleven might be upset by some of the scenes in the book, ranging from whaling practices to the consequences of an auto accident.

This is a beautiful work that fills one with the chills of destiny. I decided to read the book after seeing the movie, and though the movie was very good, the book gives a greater flavor of the Maori culture.
Koro Apirana is the chief of the tribe but he is disappointed when a girl first-born child comes instead of a boy. His eldest son's first wife dies, sealing the destiny for Kahutia Te Rangi to be the only heir to the chief. Her name also, is the one of the ancestor who was the first to come to their land, and the first whale rider. Koro's wife, Nanny Flowers gets their son to name her that, but afterward everyone says she's gone too far. Kahu proves to be a strong child, who loves her grandfather even though her love is not returned. When she hears the whales calling, destiny is calling her too. Witi Ihimaera's magical tale of Kahu brings a sense of the strength of the Maori culture to her readers. There is more to the book than the movie.

After seeing the movie I just had to read the book. It did not disappoint. In fact as powerful as the movie was I would have to say the book is better. The novel explores Pai's and her relationship with her Grandfather much more deeply. This is one of those wonderful children's books that adults can enjoy.

First, go watch the movie first, it's theme is the relationship of the old chief and his granddaughter, how she struggles to earn his love as he fights time to find the new young chief. The book is balanced differently with the relationship of the Maori and nature via the whales as major theme and the young great-granddaughter's position as the descendent of the first WhaleRider the secondary theme.

Second, on the theme of women's supposed inferiority to men, see pg 82 where the author writes "'No, you sit down! I am a senior line to yours!' Not only that, but Mihi had then turned her back to him, bent over, lifted up her petticoats, and said, 'Anyway, here is the place where you come from!' That was Mihi's way of reminding the chief that all men are born of women."

Third, in one of the very few diadactic paragraphs pg 116 "'But then,' he continued.'man assumed a cloak of arrogance and set himself up above the Gods. He even tried to defeat Death, but failed. As he grew in his arrogance, he started to drive a wedge through the original oneness of the world. In the passing of Time he divided that world into that half he could believe in and that half he could not believe in. The real and the unreal. The natural and the supernatural. The present and the past. The scientific and the fantastic. He put a barrier between both worlds, and everything on his side was called rational and everything on the other side was call irrational. Belief in our Maori Gods.' he emphasized, 'has often been considered irrational.'" I think this is the author's way of explicitly outlining his theme of the book, his desire is that no one misses the point so he introduces it via this speech. This is the take home message of the book, we'd do well to read the whole book in the light of this short speech Koro Apirana.

The book, like the movie is a tear-jerker. The book would make a nice read outloud to younger kids, it's intended audience.

Witi Ihimaera is one of those authors that at one time I was "made" to read as part of NZ High School English curriculum. I have recently discovered the joy of re-reading his work as an ex-pat Kiwi living in the US.
"Whale Rider" the movie has certainly made waves with it's wonderful adaptation of this beautiful work.
The book is filled with images plucked from any rural Kiwi up bringing - Maori or pakeha.
Witi's ability to combine Maori and English in a seamless narrative is what made this book the wonderful read it is.
I highly recommend it - and look forward to more of his work being readily available in this country.

If you're sick of the Harry Potter series, and you want to broaden your kids' horizons, this book is perfect. Transcending the gender and racial stereotypes, this book will thrill, entertain, and educate young boys and girls all at the same time. Short of overcoming the myth that everyone who looks Polynesian is from Hawaii, this book will lay out in rich detail the cultural history of New Zealand for young readers and adults alike, in an exciting thrill ride. Bringing to light and bringing together New Zealands "clean and green" image with its fascinating Maori people, this book instills young minds with the importance of preserving the Earth, living beliefs of all people, and the idea that we are all connected.

For detailing Maori tradition and customs, this book ranks up there with Kenneth Gardner's debut novel, Rich Man's Coffin, which deals with a bit more adult themes including the days of cannibalism, but nonetheless focuses on the unique and beautiful spiritual rituals of the Maori.

For anyone wanting to immerse themself in the culture and beauty of a far away land, New Zealand, which seems to becoming all the rage in America these days, I recommend The Whale Rider wholeheartedly.

The conflicts of person versus society and person versus person are evident in this realistic contemporary fiction with Kahu trying to get Koro, her grandfather, to recognize her as a person worthy of love and attention. Koro represents society as well as being her grandfather. This is portrayed in a very realistic way with Kahu in tears whenever he ignores her. She grows up trying to please him in ways, such as learning tribal chants and history, which also would serve her well as a leader of her people. The narration by her uncle lends humor to Kahu's growing up with her grandparents at odds with each other over her worth to society and the family. Also multi-cultural fiction, The Whale Rider helps students understand both the Maori people in New Zealand, and other religions as the Maori religion is built into their day to day living. The supernatural element of the whale being both an ancestor and present today is believable because it adheres to the present day tribal beliefs. Told with an insider's perspective, both the uncle in the story and the author are Maori, Ihimaera uses phrases of Maori language authenticated in the glossary. There is little stereo typing in the characters with each seen as an individual in their own culture.

It feels a little silly to review a work of high literature, but I think I have a few helpful things to say about Witi Ihimaera's The Whale Rider. This novella is endearingly written. Ihimaera punctuates his style of warm simplicity with more complicated, though still patently modern, language that both embues the story with a sense of sacredness appropriate to a modern legend, and creates a picture of the contemporary Maori narrator as someone bridging the gap between past tradition and the change of the modern world. The latter point is perhaps the book's most crucial theme, and Ihimaera explores it through his main plot (concerning Kahu and her tribe) and through the "digressions" into the life of his narrator, Rawiri, which take the reader to Australia and New Guinea. Ultimately, the picture of Maori in the contemporary world that Ihimaera conveys is an uplifiting one, focusing on the ability of the people and (more importantly) their culture to perservere in this world. The Whale Rider is a modern myth, a sort of fairy story that confronts relevant issues of identity and culture for today's Maori.

I love this movie, so I decided to read the book. As with any book on which a brilliant and well-executed film is based, it's a challenge for the reader to fall in love with the original story. The film was very faithful, and so it wasn't difficult to love this novel as well. But there are some deficiencies. First of all, the characters seem more real and dimensional in the film than the book. This is especially true of the heroine, who seems a mystical and distant child in the book, but comes off more real through Keisha Castle-Hughes' portrayal. Second, the film is much more realistic, only slightly testing the boundaries of reality and disbelief. The book is much more fantastic, though it contains more insight into the tribe's culture. And yet, the book is utterly powerful, honestly moving, and incredibly beautiful. It's a brilliant modern folk tale of a Maori tribe threatened by the modern world to hold onto its traditions. The chief (Koro) rejects his great-granddaughter Kahu who has broken the male line of succession. Koro tries desperately to maintain his tribe, reinforce the old traditions, and keep their connection with their totem animal, the whale on which their ancestor traveled to their lands. Meanwhile, Kahu desperately seeks her great-grandfather's love, not to mention acceptance. It slowly becomes obvious that Kahu--despite her gender and great-grandfather's rejection--is deeply connected to the whales and the sea (which is actually a taboo for a female to engage in), and is the salvation of her tribe. Obviously, fate and destiny care not for gender and traditions, as this girl is apparently destined for great things. It's an incredible story of family, destiny, strength, girl power, expectations, traditions, and culture. Grade: A