i picked up kaui hart hemmings' "the descendants" at the beale library book sale for $1. i am not one for movie cover books but figured for a $1, i'll give it a go. i am glad i did.
i didn't see "the descendants" the movie in theaters but i wanted to, especially after all of the awards it won. i did see it a couple of weeks ago and loved it. i was surprised by how sad it was, i was in tears at the end. the trailer was misleading making it seem like a comedic drama with clooney running to his friends house and the little sister in the older sister's underwear. but it wasn't. but it was still a wonderful movie and i couldn't wait to read the book.
and of course the book did not disappoint. it gave more depth to the story and characters but the movie was a great adaption and did the book justice. i will add that i enjoyed the added bonus of reading it in george clooney's voice since he played matt king. and random little note, loved how in the book, scottie wore a mrs. clooney shirt which matt did not understand. i wish they put that in the movie.
of course like any book turned film, i enjoyed the book more, primarily because i enjoyed king's narrative. he was witty, wise, and utterly clueless at time about how to get his life together. he was so honest about life, family and love that his faults were endearing instead of tragic. i enjoyed reading about his dealing with his daughters. i'm not parent but it must difficult to raise kids today. i found it sweet yet comedic how he read up on the blogs and googled for the best child-rearing/dealing with teens methods. i can imagine myself doing this as a parent and hope that most parents do because let's face it, all parents are clueless. kids don't come with instruction manuals. he wanted to give his daughters the best and though his methods were odd ie the banana game, letting alex smoke and teaching scottie how to flip off people; he wasn't the worst parent or guardian, i have ever read about.
though i will add that i was worried about scottie. she just seemed too mature for her age. i don't know if it was due to her older sister alex or the fact that kids nowadays are exposed to too much sex. but i was shocked by what came out of her mouth. i have a 10 year old brother and can not imagine him knowing or saying anything that scottie did. it was sad that she though she was 10, she wasn't really a child. i also worried about scottie's desperation for a good story. her man-o-war story was unbelievable and scary, but then again she had a mother that demanded attention and can lead one to be delusional about life. i felt bad but was grateful that matt was on track to giving her a more stable environment.
a character i liked more in the books was sid. i did enjoy reading about his stoner philosophic ramblings in the car but there was a lot more depth to him than in the movie. we discover that though his father had died he saw it as a blessing because his father had molested his friend. his ability to forgive his dead father is one of the factors that helps matt forgive his wife for cheating. even as young as he is, he understands you can't hate the dead but you also can not be ignorant of how they really were. as a result, in the novel, it is sid that contacts brian's wife to tell her what happen.
it's interesting because though he seemed like silly stoner kid, sid really did help matt through all of this tough time. what an unlikely source for wisdom on life and death but he provided it.
in the end, matt forgave his wife for her infidelity and was ready to begin a new chapter with his daughters. i won't go into anything more because hopefully you have seen the movie. if not, you should and definitely check out the book.
i will add this novel totally made me wish i was in hawaii. it also gave me a craving for malasadas.
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