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The island nation of Fiji has some of the best beach scenes and activities for visitors. Lying to the east of Australia and the north of New Zealand, this island offers a variety of culture, opportunities, and traditions. It is one of the first places to celebrate the New Year every January, and its history stretches back millennia. This book explores Fiji's many aspects. Readers learn about its language, lifestyles, and religious beliefs and practices, as well as its varied history, helping readers understand its place in contemporary society.
144 pages, Library Binding
First published April 1, 2000
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November 9, 2026
I enjoy the Enchantment of the World series about countries around the world, and sometimes I also read ones from this series, especially if it’s about a country that’s hard to find books about otherwise. On the other hand, the Enchantment series seems to me to be somewhat better quality overall than the Cultures of the World series.
This one was good in some ways but also had some problems.
The history section, after Fijian independence, was mind-numbing. I could not follow it at all! Short version: one coup after another. But the way this was written, it was really hard to tell who was who and what side each person was on.
Then there was an odd omission in the section about language. The book tells about the how the Roman alphabet was adapted for use in Fijian, and how the pronunciation might differ from what we’d expect, but gives no examples- at all! - of Fijian words or phrases. Usually, there is a page or at least an inset with some basic expressions. (Was the editor asleep?)
There was a glaring factual error in the section about religion. The book actually says, “Buddhists worship Buddha.” What the heck? Was the fact-checker asleep on the job? Anybody who knows anything about Buddhism knows that’s completely wrong. (There are barely any Buddhists in Fiji, anyway.)
The book dwells way too much on talking about kava (to the point of being repetitive and boring).
Also, it just tends to skew really negatively about life in Fiji.
On the other hand, I did learn some interesting information.
This one was good in some ways but also had some problems.
The history section, after Fijian independence, was mind-numbing. I could not follow it at all! Short version: one coup after another. But the way this was written, it was really hard to tell who was who and what side each person was on.
Then there was an odd omission in the section about language. The book tells about the how the Roman alphabet was adapted for use in Fijian, and how the pronunciation might differ from what we’d expect, but gives no examples- at all! - of Fijian words or phrases. Usually, there is a page or at least an inset with some basic expressions. (Was the editor asleep?)
There was a glaring factual error in the section about religion. The book actually says, “Buddhists worship Buddha.” What the heck? Was the fact-checker asleep on the job? Anybody who knows anything about Buddhism knows that’s completely wrong. (There are barely any Buddhists in Fiji, anyway.)
The book dwells way too much on talking about kava (to the point of being repetitive and boring).
Also, it just tends to skew really negatively about life in Fiji.
On the other hand, I did learn some interesting information.
Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review