The Descendants
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A descendant of one of Hawaii's largest landowners, Matthew King finds his luck has changed. His two daughters - Scottie, a feisty ten-year-old, and Alex, a teenage recovering drug addict - are out of control; his thrill-seeking, high-maintenance wife, Joanie, lies in a coma after a boat-racing accident
… More »A descendant of one of Hawaii's largest landowners, Matthew King finds his luck has changed. His two daughters - Scottie, a feisty ten-year-old, and Alex, a teenage recovering drug addict - are out of control; his thrill-seeking, high-maintenance wife, Joanie, lies in a coma after a boat-racing accident and will soon be taken off life support. Suddenly the King family must come to terms with this tragedy - and with the shameful sense of freedom that comes with it. As Matt gathers Joanie's friends and family to say their final goodbyes, a difficult situation is made worse by the discovery that one person hasn't been told - the man with whom Joanie has been having an affair. Forced to examine what he owes not only to the living but also to the dead, Matt takes to the road with his daughters to find his wife's lover on a memorable journey of painful revelations and unforeseen humour.
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Add a CommentDelightfully complicated characters... read it before you see it!
Loved the book! Loved the movie!
I read this one just to see what all the hype was about. I mean, if someone is going to all the trouble and expense of making a movie out of it, it's got to be good, right? It was a boring, slow moving, disappointing story. The kids and the dying wife were interesting characters but the father was a typical workaholic, uninvolved father who gets shoved into his parental responsibilities when his wife is injured in a boating accident - hard to feel sorry for. I read the blurb in the back that said that it was first published as a short story and that the author filled it out to make a full novel out of it. In my opinion, it should have stayed a short story.
a very good story. well written. I am amazed at how well you get to know the character of the wife, yet she never says a word throughout the whole book. Worth reading, and easy to read, good flow
I wasn't too far into this story before I knew I wasn't going to like it. I skipped quite a lot of pages and then chapters, hoping for,OH I don't know, better behaved children,perhaps better parenting, a good ending.I probably should of read the whole thing.I really didn't like any of the main characters. I hope the movie is better.
2012 Oscars: The Descendants, based on the novel by Kaui Hart Hemmings, was nominated for best picture, best director (Alexander Payne), best actor (George Clooney) and best adapted screenplay (Alexander Payne and Nat Faxon & Jim Rash). Golden Globe winner for best drama motion picture and best actor (George Clooney)! The Descendants movie is based on the novel by Kaui Hart Hemmings. George Clooney stars as a Hawaiian landlord who, along with his two estranged daughters, seeks out his wife's secret lover after she suffers a terrible boating accident.
I really wanted to like this book. However, it is all dialog and actually became boring and repetitive. Maybe the movie will be more engaging.
A good book, I enjoyed reading it very much. The protagonist Matthew King is likable in that he seems so normal despite his royal background. Honest depictions of Hawaiian life and culture, and interesting from a historical perspective though it just touches on this. All in all a very enjoyable read.