Tahitin kukka

Materena Mahi #3

by Célestine Hitiura Vaite, Marja Helanen-Ahtola (Translator)

Lukunautinto kaikenikäisille naisille: maanläheistä romantiikkaa, paratiisisaaren eksotiikkaa ja Matarena Mahin räväköitä elämänohjeita. Eräänä päivänä Pito Tehana, hurmaava kaljasieppo ja sohvaperuna, loukkaa huomaamattaan vaimoaan. Hän yllättyy täysin, kun Matarena käskee hänen hankkia itselleen uuden asunnon. Mutta ennen kuin Pito ehtii lähteä minnekään, heidän holtiton poikansa sysää pienen tyttärensä tuoreiden isovanhempien hoidettavaksi. Kun Matarena näkee kuinka suloinen Tiare lumoaa isoisänsä, hän alkaa tuntea sydämessään tuttua, pitkään poissa ollutta leiskuntaa.

Celestine Hitiura Vaite (s. 1966) syntyi ja kasvoi Tahitilla, missä hän kuunteli lapsesta saakka naisten kertomuksia saaren perinteistä ja uskomuksista. Nykyisin Vaite asuu Australiassa miehensä ja neljän lapsensa kanssa. Romaani Tahitin tyttäret ilmestyi suomeksi keväällä 2006, ja sarjan oikeudet on myyty kymmeneen maahan.

Genres: Fiction, Family, Chick Lit

287 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Célestine Hitiura Vaite was born in Tahiti. The daughter of a Tahitian mother and a French father who went back to his country after military service, she grew up in her big extended family in Faa'a-Tahiti, where storytelling was part of the every day life and women overcame obstacles with gusto and humour. Célestine now lives with her family on the south coast of New South Wales, Australia.

Reviews

[Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think Tiare in Bloom is the best of the three books. What a great message in this story. It's about love, caring, being responsible and how important it is to listen to those you love.
I love the character of Matarena. She is lucky to have such wonderful women in her life. I think with out them, she'd of killed Pito long ago. It can't be easy to love a guy like Pito. He is such an insensitive macho jerk, but finally he comes around to being the father and husband he was meant to be, with a little help from a very small brown eyed girl!
I love Matarena's nutty family. I almost wish I had one like it. Note, I said "almost". People dream of such a large loving family with lots of aunties, cousins, nieces and nephews, but they can also drive you crazy. I have enjoyed all three of these books so much.

[Chloé · Rating 5 out of 5]

I waited to read this last book of the trilogy like I was waiting for the good time to drink a good bottle of wine. This book and the two previous one are by far one of the best books I have read.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is even better than the last one. You see Vaite become really polished as a comedic author. Pito and Matarena are now GRANDPARENTS and Pito is overwhelmingly in love with his new granddaughter. Vaite hits her full stride here in another charmer. Her writing style is one of those complex "looks simple but isn't" and she has a wonderful sense of voice.

It's stuck with me in a good way for the last few days, and I think I may need to buy the trilogy to have on my shelf for when I need a feel-good read or need to jump into Materena's world again, and to keep this cast of characters in my house. Each book just got better and better and this one was wonderful. I can't wait to see what else she does.

[Sherry Derry · Rating 2 out of 5]

Light and fluffy. It was by no means an original story; woman does all the work, man realizes he's lazy, yada yada. I wouldn't recommend it, but I got through it without much effort.

[Laurence Zimmermann · Rating 3 out of 5]

J'ai lu ce roman en trois fois, faute d'entrer dans l'histoire.
Si j'ai pris plaisir à retrouver tous les personnages et cette ambiance si particulière instaurée par l'auteur, on respire Tahiti tout du long avec des phrases entières de dialectes en VO ( glossaire en fin de roman ;-) ) et de références aux traditions etc..., j'avoue avoir été moins emportée que par les deux autres tomes, faute à des sauts du coq à l'âne constant et surtout à des trames trop vite pliées sans qu'on sache trop comment ni pourquoi....
Certes, c'était sympa de voir Pito prendre conscience de ses erreurs et de tâcher de les réparer. Sympa de voir débarquer la petite Tiare, fille de leur aîné,Tamatoa,née d'une relation éphémère. Aîné qui lui aussi va grandir. Tout ce petit monde en fait va le faire. Le hic, c'est que ça va, clairement, trop vite...
Ça reste cependant un bon moment de lecture même si il m'a laissé un arrière-goût amer. Je m'attendais à quelque chose de mieux pour clôturer cette trilogie même si ça reste une superbe découverte et que je regrette nullement ma lecture.
Le dernier chapitre fait du bien et conclut superbement cette trilogie même si là encore, ça va trop vite...
Bref, si vous voulez découvrir une autre façon d'écrire, plonger dans le Tahiti des années 70' et découvrir une autre culture, je vous les conseille, les yeux fermés....le fait que le troisième soit un cran en-dessous ne doit pas vous faire bouder votre plaisir

[Heidi Burkhart · Rating 5 out of 5]

The third and last book in the Materena Mahi series. It took me ages to finish because I didn’t want it to end. I loved all of the local information, customs and lifestyle of this Tahitian woman. Absolutely charming and such a delight to read. I will definitely read this series again simply for the sheer enjoyment that the books brought me.

[Faiza · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quel trilogie magnifique 💓, un véritable coup de coeur pour cette famille tahitienne.
J'ai eu du mal à les quitter et peut-être bien que je relirai cette histoire.
J'ai adoré les premiers tomes mais je ne pensais pas que le tome 3 serait mon préféré.

[Julie Bozza · Rating 5 out of 5]

Utterly charming!

[Hannah Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a lighthearted, warm and fun read that really gave you a feel for Tahitian culture, made me laugh so much and felt my eyes welling up at points too. Deep wisdom scattered throughout in a humorous way. Very skilled writing and a wonderful read! Can’t wait to read her other books.

[Iona Sharma]

I've read this book many times but apparently not since before 2017 when I started booklogging on Goodreads. It's lovely, just perfect, though I wouldn't recommend starting the series with this one, the other two (Frangipani and Breadfruit, which I think was called The Marriage Proposal in the US edition) are much better introductions to the story.

[Ms · Rating 5 out of 5]

Celestine Vaite is so gifted! Her style of writing is easy to follow, especially as she had to do a lot of translating to accurately portray the way in which things would be discussed in the islands. This is the third and final part to her three-part series, and it is a must read for pacific islanders especially! You'll laugh your way through the pages as comment after comment remind you of your own upbringing.

[Sarah (sarahknowsthestory) · Rating 5 out of 5]

How much did I enjoy this book? THIS MUCH. Set in Tahiti, it is full of lovable characters, practical wisdom and infused with the atmosphere of the island. I've never read anything set there before, and will be seeking out other books from this author (I understand this is her 3rd).

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great book. I loved it! I love the escape back to island life and Materena Mahi will go down as one of my very favorite characters.

[Polynesianreader · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was nice to read this again after 10 years! I absolutely loved it 😍

[Unathi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this series. I lament how hard it is to get in South Africa, and the expense once you find a copy.
Being a girl who part grew up in a village, I understand the nuances of this community. I am proud of who Materena grows up to be, I sometimes get irritated by Pito, but because we have an insight into his thoughts, I also feel endeared towards him.

I enjoyed the more male-heavy narrative of this book, it felt like closing off of a continuous generational circle of love and growth. From Daughter to Mother, to Father and grandaughter. Pito does what he can in making up for his foolish mistakes when he was younger.

It is cute, it is funny, it is nostalgic and very easy to read. The heavy feminist in you might get a bit twitchy, but I dare say, you'll enjoy it none the less.

[Evelyn Evertsen-Romp · Rating 5 out of 5]

10* als het had gekund.
Voel je wel eens droevig zonder reden?
Wil je soms een knuffel van je moeder, maar is ze niet in de buurt?
Geloof je soms dat de wereld een stomme plek is?
Of: heb je gewoon zin in een zalig boek?

Neem dan een van Célestine Hitiuara Vaite's boeken. Het is een mix van Engels, Frans, en Tahitiaanse (?) humor, zoveel droge humor. Op iedere pagina valt er iets te lachen. Maar je gaat ook meer van de wereld houden, meer van je familie, dit boek is één en al warmte en liefde. En humor dus.
Als ik kon schrijven zoals deze dame, dan hield ik er nooit meer mee op.

[Suzesmum · Rating 3 out of 5]

40📖 🇵🇫 TAHITI🇵🇫Gosh, it’s been forever since I’ve finished a book, not for want of trying. I thought that I would whizz through the final instalment of Materena and Pito, but no. This is the story of Materena’s increasing confidence and status as she hosts a highly successful talkback radio show, and Pito’s redemption as he revels in revels in his new tole of grandfather. For some reason, the plot seems to drag, compared to Vaite’s othrr books in this trilogy. All in all I am struggling with my choices for the Pacific. I’m getting restless and time to move on.

[Josie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the first book in this series in 2017, the 2nd in 2021, and was happy to find there was a 3rd book to help me tick off Tahiti once again for the 666 in 2023.
The first book centers around female character Materena Mahi, whereas this 2nd novel focuses on her Husband Pito.
A somewhat comedic look at relationships and island life, this one was a nice read.

[Lynette · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 rounded up because this book really hooked me. Solid character development and I LOVED learning about Tahitian culture and language. I do get a bit bummed when characters I don't like get a great redemption story, ngl. But I like that this was based on the authors experience, as she explains in the end, so I'll accept it.

[Nevanthri · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found the story of Materna and Pito to be very charming. It was a easy, light read and quick to finish. When I pick up this book, I was unaware that it was apart of a series but that was not a problem.

[Poorni · Rating 4 out of 5]

BY far one of my favourite so called "chick-lit' books/ series.

[Miia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lämmin hyväntuulen kirja. Voimakkaita ihania upeita naisia - ja keski-ikäinen mies, joka tajuaa vihdoin, miten onnekas on.

[nine · Rating 4 out of 5]

🌸🌸🌸

[Dixie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I very much enjoyed this series of books. This one ended the trilogy perfectly.

[Koivula]

Mukava kuunneltava.
Popsugar: 15 (a book by a Pacific Islander author)

[Daniella · Rating 5 out of 5]

A heartwarming family story.

[Erika, I Guess⁷ · Rating 4 out of 5]

*3.5, rounded up

A man trying to understand his wife and family again, what a soft concept lol he was on THIN ice at points, but he tried. That's more than most can say. Kudos.

[Emily]

Tahiti

[Aleisha Amohia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I made it hard for myself starting with this one, I didn’t realise it was a series when I picked it up! But this was so sweet and it’s so refreshing to read a man’s redemption arc

[Jess Buxton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super easy read and light hearted ♥️