A Novel (Random House Movie Tie-In Books) - The Descendants

This was a beautiful piece about loss, death, life, love and grieving. Beautifully written account of a family who is coping with the decision to turn off life support of a loved one when there are unresolved issues. Highly recommend it.

Books that are written by women and the protagonist is a first person male are difficult for me...I find myself thinking that " men don't say that" a lot...so it makes me question the plausibility of a book. This is one of those...if that doesn't bother you, than you may give it more stars. It's a good story and has a proper ending; however, I didn't find any of the characters that likeable.

Some of the antics and vocabulary of the teens and the ten year old girl just were not real to me. I guess I live in a world where kids are not allowed to say the disgusting & inappropriate things that they said in this book. I have not seen the movie so I cannot evaluate that.

I was really surprised how much I liked this book. There were emotional moments, funny moments and moments that shocked me a little. I could picture every detail, I love when a book can transport me as if I were there. Great book!

Loved the setting, brought back good memories of living in Hawaii. The character development was good, as was the development between Matt and his daughters. I would have liked to see more on the fallout from the decision to keep the land, but all in all, I really enjoyed the book.

This is a very moving piece of literature, with subtle and smart humor that never seems out of place given the tragic set of events. The characters are very real. Thus the story and the journey they go on, are too. It's a wonderful story about family,love, and loss. This book will make you laugh and cry-- more than once. Plus the beautiful Hawaiian setting is the cherry on top of an outstanding book.

This book is a fast, easy read with characters you want to root for. by the end of the book, I felt like they were my friends and I was sad the book was over. The storyline is sad and depressing but also very gripping... keeps you interested. also, the book and movie versions are very similar. overall a good book.

I decided to read the book before renting the movie as i knew that watching it first would ruin it for me ! I love seeing the relationship between daughters and father unfold and although sadder than i imagined it is a book that will make you want to get to the end of it as fast as you can !

This is really a poignant look at the struggles of a man who faces the turmoil of loss, infidelity and middle adulthood. A great read and interesting perspective of the modern issues of the family system.

I loved the movie. The actors, the location, the whole atmosphere of the movie. But it left me wanting more. The book most definitely gave you more. Explained so much that the movie had to leave out. Not even ashamed of laying on a beach crying my eyes out. But in a good way.

A good solid read that kept me interested throughout. I read this after seeing the movie of the same name and found that the movie followed the book well. Ms. Hemmings is developing through plying her trade and I will be interested to read more of her work. There was nothing earth-shattering about this book; it is not a classic, but it is a worthy offering. I especially appreciated her depiction of Hawaii as an omnipresent character in her book. A solid piece of work from a journeyman writer.

This is really a poignant look at the struggles of a man who faces the turmoil of loss, infidelity and middle adulthood. A great read and interesting perspective of the modern issues of the family system.

I loved the movie. The actors, the location, the whole atmosphere of the movie. But it left me wanting more. The book most definitely gave you more. Explained so much that the movie had to leave out. Not even ashamed of laying on a beach crying my eyes out. But in a good way.

A good solid read that kept me interested throughout. I read this after seeing the movie of the same name and found that the movie followed the book well. Ms. Hemmings is developing through plying her trade and I will be interested to read more of her work. There was nothing earth-shattering about this book; it is not a classic, but it is a worthy offering. I especially appreciated her depiction of Hawaii as an omnipresent character in her book. A solid piece of work from a journeyman writer.

A warm, humorously poignant story. Wonderfully witty dialogue and beautifully complex characters. My wife and I both read the book, then the screenplay, then we watched the film. It was all downhill after the novel.

Hawaii is our home for 84 years. This story brings out one of many background stories of Hawaii. Each wealthy individual's decision about land ownership has formed today's Hawaii. This story depicts the emotional side of a man's struggle. Beautiful!