Célestine Hitiura Vaite

Frangipani is the second book in a series by Célestine Hitiura Vaite, but could easily be read as a stand-alone story or out of sequence. The author was born and grew up in French Polynesia (Tahiti) but now lives in Australia. This book is very much a character-driven story which revolves around the endearing Materena and her daughter Leilani. It begins when Leilani is a baby, goes through the difficult teenage years when the generations come into conflict and traditional cultural values face off against modern sensibilities, and into adulthood. The book also does a wonderful job of creating a sense of place, using Tahitian words and expressions, and customs. It also gently touches on colonialism and the class and wealth disparity between the French and the Tahitians. I loved the gossipy yet supportive interactions between the Tahitian women, sadly most of the men seemed like a waste of space. This was a relaxing feel-good read that I really enjoyed.… (meer)

Set in Tahiti, this quasi-autobiographical novel explores a mother-daughter relationship in the context of the Tahitian post-World War II culture. The central character, Materena, is a strong, clever, passionate, and compassionate mother of three, including a daughter named Leilani, and wife of a thoughtless, self-centered man, Pito. She dispenses advice regularly to her large extended family, but her main concerns are always with her daughter Leilani, part of the new breed of women of Tahiti who are modern and turning their backs on the old ways. Ms. Vaite does a good job of bringing to life the Tahitian culture.… (meer)

Set in Tahiti, this novel is the story of Materena, a young woman in Tahiti who lives with her somewhat shiftless boyfriend Pito and their children. At the beginning of the book Pito drunkenly proposes to Materena and she dreams about the wedding while wondering if he really meant it. The book is episodic linking together vignettes of everyday life in Tahiti, usually with Materena being visited by family and friends who share their adventures. The novel is mostly light and funny, but there's an undercurrent of the reveal poverty and effects of colonialism (which manifests in the book primarily through the French police officers). It's a delightful and charming book and Vaite does a great job in creating the characters and their dialogue.… (meer)

27/2021. This is a chicklit-style novel set in Tahiti about a middle-aged couple in their forties but told mostly from the husband's point of view and especially delves into the meaning and practice of various forms of fatherhood. It's technically the third novel in a series but it worked for me as a standalone. As ever with this relatively light-hearted style of social commentary, a reader is either in tune with the author's humour and perspective on life or not but I think this novel is easy to enjoy (and I'm not the target audience for this genre).

Quotes from Tiare in Bloom

Small islands: 'And being Tahitian means... being diplomatic with the relatives, because you're going to bump into your relatives day after day after day until you die, so it's important to get along.

Context is for the weak: ' "Our story wasn't just a story of arse..." Leilani's voice cracks.'

When your mother doesn't like your husband: 'Materena remembers a conversation she had with her mother a few days ago about how in her next life she might comes back as a lesbian. And her mother said, "Why wait?" '

Find a wife, or else: ' "Mama organized a prayer night at my place." Then speaking between his teeth he adds, "It's to help me find a good wife. All my aunties are here, they're driving me mad with their church songs." '… (meer)