The Descendants

By: Kaui Hart Hemmings

Narrated by: Jonathan Davis

Now a major motion picture starring George Clooney!

Matthew King was once considered one of the most fortunate men in Hawaii. His missionary ancestors who came to the islands were financially and culturally progressive - one even married a Hawaiian princess, making Matt a royal descendant and one of the state’s largest landowners. But now his luck has changed. His two daughters are out of control - 10-year-old Scottie has a smart-ass attitude and a desperate need for attention and 17-year-old Alex, a former model, is a recovering drug addict. His thrill-seeking and high-maintenance wife, Joanie, lies in a coma after a boat racing accident, and will soon be taken off life support.

The King family can hardly picture life without their charismatic mother, but as they come to terms with this tragedy, their sadness is mixed with a sense of freedom that shames them - and spurs them into surprising actions.

©2007 Kaui Hart Hemmings. All rights reserved. (P)2010 BBC America Audiobooks

Critic reviews

"Matt's journey with his girls forms the emotional core of this sharply observed, frequently hilarious and intermittently heartbreaking look at a well-meaning but confused father trying to hold together his unconventional family." ( Publishers Weekly)

"[An] audaciously comic début novel.... Hemmings channels the voice of her befuddled middle-aged hero with virtuosity, as he teeters between acerbic and sentimental, scoffing at himself even as he grasps for redemption." ( The New Yorker)

Kaui Hart Hemmings needs to write more books!

What did you love best about The Descendants?

Always blown away when a female author can write from a first-person, male point of view. This beautiful, subtle story about family and tragedy and the nuances of familial love and the complexity of marriage is a rare, delicious find. Also love the sense of place -- like spending time in Hawaii ... I never wanted to leave! Kaui Hart Hemmings is the first writer I've found in a long time that I want to see more from. She's outstanding.

Great book

This was heartfelt and amusing. Funny where it needed to be and profound and thought provoking as well. Great book. I often times, go back and listen to it over again. It never loses its charm.

MOVIE WAS WAY BETTER

What did you like best about The Descendants? What did you like least?

I am a born and raise haole "Hawaiian" with family that has similar land situations...so I loved the story and have a distant connection to the author...The movie was wonderful... especially.. George!!! However the narrator turned me off with his poor pronunciation of the Hawaiian language...even the simplest words.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Jonathan Davis?

Some one who knows the islands and the language...with a connection.

Dealing with life in the wake of tragedy

Matt King concentrated on his law career, choosing not to involve himself with decisions made by his wife - about their daughters, their marital relationship and more. When she is seriously injured in a boating accident, he steps up to the challenge of an uncertain future with practicality, sorrow, confusion, determination and humor. Good movie (with George Clooney). Loved the book.

I loved this book.

Such a touching story. I do wish the narrator had learned how to pronounce Hawai’ian names and words. But his inflection, pace and timing were good. I saw the movie first, but I think I enjoyed the novel more. George Clooney’s face was in my mind as Matt. Haha

It was beautifully read!

Where does The Descendants rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Well compare to the other books I have listen to this ranks right up there at the top. It matched up to the same flow as when I watched the movie. The mood of each character was brought to life and everyone once in awhile brought a smile to my face.

What does Jonathan Davis bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He really did a great flow of reading the book. I could actually hear the voice of George Clooney as he read his lines! Kudos I look forward to here other books that he has narrated.

Tension in Hawaii

Would you listen to The Descendants again? Why?

I would listen to it again if enough time passed after the first time. It was an interesting story.

Who was your favorite character and why?

My favorite character was the daughter's boyfriend. He started out as a jerk and as you got to know him, it changed your opinion. He really was a help to the entire family without really trying to be.

Have you listened to any of Jonathan Davis’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No, I have not

If you could rename The Descendants, what would you call it?

Following the roots of family

Any additional comments?

I enjoyed this book and I intend to recommend it to my book club. Thanks for the chance to talk about it.

Great Audio

great book. loved the story. flow was nice. it was worth every penny. enjoy the ride.

a good stroy

First time author, Kaui Hart Hemmings. This book was made into a movie several years ago starring George Clooney. I remembered enjoying the movie and decided to give the book a try. Set in Hawaii it turned out the movie had followed the book pretty closely. At a higher level there was a subplot of an inheritance between family members of an old Hawaiian family. But at its core the story was about a wife/mother that was injured in a boating accident and was in a coma, brain dead and not coming around. The husband/father had to come to terms with it and have his two daughters understand and accept whatt's happening. In the process he bonds with his daughters in a way he never had before. It was the human side of the tale that made this a good story.

It was ok

It was ok, I have listened to books that I enjoyed more. The story was easy to follow.