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The Reef Girl
An American writer travels with his fiance travel to Tahiti and is lured away from her by the seductive splendor of the island and by the Tahitian beauty Faaone, who sweeps him into a web of murder, deception, and revenge.
- GenresRomance
256 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1977
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48 people want to read
About the author
Zane Grey
2,105 books592 followersPearl Zane Grey was an American author best known for his popular adventure novels and stories that presented an idealized image of the rugged Old West. As of June 2007, the Internet Movie Database credits Grey with 110 films, one TV episode, and a series, Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theater based loosely on his novels and short stories.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
July 17, 2010
1930s Tahiti...not the typical 'zane grey' setting--but it is a great romantic story and the cultural and landscape descriptions are so effective, you can feel the contrasts between people, the heat and slow pace of island life punctuated by intense weather and scandalous behavior :) Perhaps a predictable finish, but a really good time getting there.
August 25, 2014
I read this some years ago. It kept my interest with the exotic setting of many years ago in the south seas, and the quality of the writing was pretty good though not John Steinbeck or Graham Greene level.
September 4, 2023
I wasn’t a fan of this. I have my doubts that this was actually written by Mr. Grey. He died in 1939, and this book was published in 1977. His son said it was first submitted for publication after his death, but was rejected as being too “daring”. I’ve read that a lot of his books were published after his death, and some were ‘finished’ by his wife.
This book is a complete departure from his previous works. He wrote mostly westerns, and although he did take an interest in fishing, traveling, and went to Tahiti, the book, to me, doesn’t have his voice.
The Reef Girl tells the story of a man, Donald, who takes a trip with his fiancée and her mother to the island. He is supposed to be head over heels in love with Winifred, but, wouldn’t you know it, he sees an island girl and just can’t get her out of his mind.
The white people who come to the island treat the natives like garbage, even suggesting that they aren’t really people, but more like animals who shouldn’t be treated any differently.
When Donald finds Winifred in a compromising position, he commits an atrocity and must escape to the other side of the island.
He ends up living with the island girl, Faaone, and getting her pregnant. When he gets letters from home (aka Winifred) he goes back to Faaone and beats her with a stick. At this point, I was close to DNFing. But, there were only a couple of chapters left, so I read on.
Faaone forgives him and acts as if it never happened.
She is pregnant, and yet, her pregnancy is never mentioned again.
1 star for me. This was so bad in so many ways. The writing was bad, the dialogue was stilted and felt completely wrong, and the overall tone made it hard to care about.
This book is a complete departure from his previous works. He wrote mostly westerns, and although he did take an interest in fishing, traveling, and went to Tahiti, the book, to me, doesn’t have his voice.
The Reef Girl tells the story of a man, Donald, who takes a trip with his fiancée and her mother to the island. He is supposed to be head over heels in love with Winifred, but, wouldn’t you know it, he sees an island girl and just can’t get her out of his mind.
The white people who come to the island treat the natives like garbage, even suggesting that they aren’t really people, but more like animals who shouldn’t be treated any differently.
When Donald finds Winifred in a compromising position, he commits an atrocity and must escape to the other side of the island.
He ends up living with the island girl, Faaone, and getting her pregnant. When he gets letters from home (aka Winifred) he goes back to Faaone and beats her with a stick. At this point, I was close to DNFing. But, there were only a couple of chapters left, so I read on.
Faaone forgives him and acts as if it never happened.
She is pregnant, and yet, her pregnancy is never mentioned again.
1 star for me. This was so bad in so many ways. The writing was bad, the dialogue was stilted and felt completely wrong, and the overall tone made it hard to care about.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 2, 2025
I can understand why “The Reef Girl” wasn’t published in the 1930’s....
It was far too “risqué” for that era!
Zane’s characters include a group of white guys....Americans.... living in Tahiti.
They were early “hippies”.....long hair, living on the beach, eating only fruit and fish and happily abandoning any “normal” lifestyle!
There’s a free-spirited young Tahitian woman who captivates and seduces the hero of the novel, who also decides to abandon his conventional life and become a beatnik/ hippie in this native paradise.
The descriptions of Tahiti are very beautiful.
In retrospect, this novel is an interesting postcard in time featuring a non-conformist lifestyle that will never be seen again.
Popular writers of that era….including W. Somerset Maugham and A.J. Cronin…..also wrote novels set in Tahiti and the South Seas.
It was far too “risqué” for that era!
Zane’s characters include a group of white guys....Americans.... living in Tahiti.
They were early “hippies”.....long hair, living on the beach, eating only fruit and fish and happily abandoning any “normal” lifestyle!
There’s a free-spirited young Tahitian woman who captivates and seduces the hero of the novel, who also decides to abandon his conventional life and become a beatnik/ hippie in this native paradise.
The descriptions of Tahiti are very beautiful.
In retrospect, this novel is an interesting postcard in time featuring a non-conformist lifestyle that will never be seen again.
Popular writers of that era….including W. Somerset Maugham and A.J. Cronin…..also wrote novels set in Tahiti and the South Seas.
February 8, 2017
Different from other Zane Greys, but a good read.
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October 27, 2023I don’t know if it's fair to even review a book that was written during the Great Depression (1930's) and published in 1977 posthumously, almost 100 years later.
I read this book purely for the gorg cover and a curiosity to know what a Romance written by a man in the 1930's is all about.
I think there are actually two love stories being told in this book.
The 1st Romance was between the author and Tahiti. I often felt like I was reading a book Hugh Grant would be selling in his Travel Book Shop in Notting Hill it was so full of Tahitian descriptions. I'm pretty sure you could use this as a reference when submitting a research paper on Tahiti: Its History, People, and Floral Populations.
The 2nd Romance is the one we expected between the MCs. The love story is about on par with the personalities of the characters. Flat.
On one hand I feel unfair saying this. Who am I to critique this old book? I don't know the literary trends of the Great Depression. I'd have to assume they weren't high on the list of Important Things.
But on the other hand, no one gives Jane Austen a pass for her books being 200 years old.
This book is definitely written from the male gaze. She has huge breats, long black hair and swims naked. I think he has blonde hair? (And that might but be because of the cover.) It also kinda seemed like the author was just writing every man's fantasy- to be the the object of affection by the most coveted, beautiful, and lusty Tahitian gal. (Maybe this fantasy was brought on as a coping strategy during the Depression?)
The attitudes towards races and women have come a long way since this book was written/published. There wasn't negative commentary on races, but I think our language has improved. Also, one night the 'hero' beats his pregnant girlfriend with a stick because she tried to initiate sex with him when he was a little sad. The nerve of her to try and help him feel better. Definitely deserved a beating with pole. (Heaven help me. I hope this was read with the sarcasm it which it was written.)
Anyway. I'm going label this read under the "Educational" column of my nonexistent book excel which I'm not making fun of as I know which one of yous actually have this.
I read this book purely for the gorg cover and a curiosity to know what a Romance written by a man in the 1930's is all about.
I think there are actually two love stories being told in this book.
The 1st Romance was between the author and Tahiti. I often felt like I was reading a book Hugh Grant would be selling in his Travel Book Shop in Notting Hill it was so full of Tahitian descriptions. I'm pretty sure you could use this as a reference when submitting a research paper on Tahiti: Its History, People, and Floral Populations.
The 2nd Romance is the one we expected between the MCs. The love story is about on par with the personalities of the characters. Flat.
On one hand I feel unfair saying this. Who am I to critique this old book? I don't know the literary trends of the Great Depression. I'd have to assume they weren't high on the list of Important Things.
But on the other hand, no one gives Jane Austen a pass for her books being 200 years old.
This book is definitely written from the male gaze. She has huge breats, long black hair and swims naked. I think he has blonde hair? (And that might but be because of the cover.) It also kinda seemed like the author was just writing every man's fantasy- to be the the object of affection by the most coveted, beautiful, and lusty Tahitian gal. (Maybe this fantasy was brought on as a coping strategy during the Depression?)
The attitudes towards races and women have come a long way since this book was written/published. There wasn't negative commentary on races, but I think our language has improved. Also, one night the 'hero' beats his pregnant girlfriend with a stick because she tried to initiate sex with him when he was a little sad. The nerve of her to try and help him feel better. Definitely deserved a beating with pole. (Heaven help me. I hope this was read with the sarcasm it which it was written.)
Anyway. I'm going label this read under the "Educational" column of my nonexistent book excel which I'm not making fun of as I know which one of yous actually have this.
February 17, 2022
Outstanding. I love story for the ages.
July 13, 2022
This was definitely a love story written by a man
March 25, 2014
It was interesting to go back in time and see Tahiti from another perspective--from a white American male in the 1930's. Although most of the language of the 1930's was sexist and racist, the author still captured the beauty of Tahiti in his breathtaking descriptions. I felt like I was right there swimming over the reefs and hiking through the jungles, which is what I'd hoped for.
September 28, 2010
This was a pretty good book and I loved the descriptions of the island - it definitely made me want to go to Tahiti, right now! But unfortunately I am sure the unspoiled beauty of that time is no longer...
October 16, 2011
Po letech co jsem četla tuto knížku (matně si vzpomínám - devátá třída, dvakrát nebo třikrát jsem ji četla?) si stále vzpomínám jak mi díky této knížce učarovalo Tahiti.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews