Breadfruit
Authors: Célestine Vaite
Copyright © 2000 by Célestine Hitiura Vaite
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including
information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may
quote brief passages in a review.
WARNER BOOKS
Hachette Book Group
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First eBook Edition: September 2006
ISBN: 978-0-316-07271-7
Contents
The Man Loana Was Supposed to Marry
Who Is Going to Walk Materena down the Aisle?
The Birth of Isidore Louis Junior
Whatever You Want to Be Is Fine with Me
Enjoy a trip to the South Pacific in
Célestine Vaite’s
Breadfruit
A wise and enchanting new novel of romance, matrimony, and family life, Tahitian-style
. . . and in
Frangipani
Vaite’s internationally celebrated novel about big dreams on a small island.
Frangipani
introduced Materena Mahi, the best listener in Tahiti, whose cleverness, generosity, and appreciation of Tahitian tradition
make her one of the most appealing heroines in contemporary fiction.
“Would a few hours in Tahiti lift the spirits? In
Frangipani,
Célestine Vaite has created the perfect guide: Materena Mahi, professional housecleaner and mother of three.… Materena’s
journey from cleaner to Tahiti’s answer to Oprah makes for the most memorable debut for a character since
The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency
introduced Precious Ramotswe to the world.… Generous and funny,
Frangipani
offers all the warmth and delight of a tropical vacation, without the jet lag. Best of all, there are two sequels to come.”
— Yvonne Zipp,
Christian Science Monitor
“This engaging debut novel—the first in a trilogy—is a winning tale of mothers and daughters.”
—
People
“This delightful novel speaks to the universal nature of the mother-daughter experience. Even though Célestine Vaite writes
of Tahiti, a place I’ve never been and a culture with which I’m entirely unfamiliar, I felt as if she were writing about me,
my own daughters, and my own mother.”
— Ayelet Waldman, author of
Love and Other Impossible Pursuits
“Vaite renders a vision of Tahiti which leaps off the page.”
— Jenna Price,
Canberra Times
“
Frangipani
picks out the cadences of daily life on Tahiti’s main island of Papeete. The whisk-whisk of a cleaner’s broom, the fusion
of languages—French, English, Tahitian—and the banter of cousins who meet in the street form the score for this tropical island
comedy of manners.… Vaite serves her culture well by taking us into the kitchens of those fibro shacks where we can hear
their travails in a chatty narrative. Generously,
Frangipani
gives us Gauguin’s women in their off-hours.”
— Victoria Kelly,
San Francisco Chronicle
“Written in the same good-natured tone as Alexander McCall Smith’s bestsellers, Vaite’s novel is replete with local customs
and lore, some of which are truly bizarre. Gossip and endless love intrigues seem to be what makes Tahiti tick, and Vaite
captures, with admirable warmth and humor, the eccentricities of her homeland.”
— Cameron Woodhead,
Age
“
Frangipani
is a feast. It is bursting with vitality and charm.”
— Michael McGirr,
Sydney Morning Herald
“Vaite takes us beyond the resort compounds into the rhythms and rivalries of a tropical culture. A novel about two strong
women,
Frangipani
testifies to the necessity of upholding traditions and defying them too.”
— Carrington Alvarez,
Elle
“A warm and lyrical look at the fabric of family life in Tahiti. Vaite uses words to paint a vivid Tahitian landscape worthy
of a Gauguin painting and delivers a memorable story about big dreams on a small island. Vaite has crafted an unforgettable
heroine: Materena is passionate, clever, and never without words of wisdom or a bit of folklore to share with a troubled soul.
By the end, the reader is left wanting more, more, more. The good news: there are two more installments to come.”
—
Kirkus Reviews
“
Frangipani
celebrates women of all generations, affectionately portraying their strength, resilience, and humor. The tale is told in
enchanting episodes that give a glimpse into Tahitian life and a loving insight into the hopes and dreams that shape the relationships
between mothers and daughters.… Bubbling with humor, gossip, and worldly advice,
Frangipani
is a delight.”
— Jody Lee,
Good Reading
“A story told in charming episodes, brimming with the wisdom of a strong Tahitian cultural history.… It is a style that
transports the reader to a land rich in breadfruit and traditional stories.”
—
Australian Bookseller & Publisher
“Vaite, a Tahitian living in Australia and an established literary force in that country, makes her American debut with this
lovely and transcendent mother-daughter story.… An intriguing slice of Tahitian life.”
— Debbie Bogenschutz,
Library Journal
“I read
Frangipani
in one sitting, falling in love with the characters. Célestine Vaite writes about the bond between mothers and daughters
with such truth and tenderness. I loved reading about the struggle between Materena and Leilani, even when it made me cry.
There are no hopes and dreams like those of a mother for her daughter, and Ms. Vaite made them so real, I found myself missing
my mother terribly.”
— Luanne Rice
“Vaite writes with great depth of character and style. She manages to convey the warmth, humor, and delight of the Tahitian
lifestyle.”
—
Melbourne Weekly
“
Frangipani,
set in Tahiti, is billed as a novel that portrays a mother-daughter relationship, but it’s more than that, much more.… The characters speak breathlessly, and the narrative voice is filled with morsels of Tahitian life.… A delightful read.”
— Joanne Kiggins, Blogcritics.org
“In lilting language rife with many a charming Tahitian saying, Vaite presents an archetypal story of mother-daughter conflict.… Conveying a deep respect for women’s strength and peppered with catchy aphorisms, this funny and moving mother-daughter
story should have wide appeal.”
— Joanne Wilkinson,
Booklist
Also by Célestine Vaite
Frangipani
For my mother,
Viola Vaite, who taught me that love is the greatest motive of all
And in the loving memory of my godmother,
Henriette Estall,
who taught me to believe in willpower and to get up after each
fall
M
aterena likes movies about love.
When there’s a love movie on the television, Materena sits on the sofa, her hands crossed, and her eyes focused on the TV
screen. She doesn’t broom or cut her toenails, she doesn’t iron, or fold clothes. She doesn’t do anything except concentrate
on the movie.
Movies about love move Materena and sometimes it happens that she imagines she’s the heroine.
The love movie tonight is about a woman who loves a man with a passion, but, unfortunately, she has to marry another man—it’s
the plan of her parents. Her future husband is not bad-looking or mean. It’s just that she feels nothing for that man. When
she looks at him, it’s like she’s looking at a tree—whereas when she looks at the man she loves, her heart goes
boom, boom,
she wants to kiss him, and she wants to hold him tight.
The woman in the movie meets the man she loves one last time—it is a day before her grandiose wedding, and he’s leaving for
a faraway country, never to return, because it’s too much for him to bear to stay in the neighborhood. It’s easier for him
to just disappear.
The lovers meet behind a thick hedge. They kiss, they embrace, then he falls to his knees and declares: “I will love you till
I die, till I die, I swear to God, you are the center of my universe, my guiding light, the only one.”
The heroine hides her face in her gloved hands and bursts into tears. There’s violin music, and a tear escapes from the corner
of Materena’s eye. She’s sad for the woman. She can feel the pain.
“Poor her,” Materena sighs.
“Zero movie! What a load of crap!” This is Pito’s comment.
In his opinion, there is too much crying in that movie, too much carrying-on, no action. And the man, what a
bébé la la
—wake up to yourself.
“Well, go read your Akim comic in the kitchen.” Materena wipes her eyes with her pareu.
But Pito is too comfortable on the sofa, and he wants to watch the end of that silly movie. Materena wishes she could transport
Pito somewhere else. He’s been annoying her ever since the movie started with his comments and sighs.
Pito doesn’t like movies about love. He prefers cowboy movies, movies with action and as little talking as possible.
The movie is near the end and Materena hopes Pito is not going to spoil it with a stupid remark. Materena needs complete silence.
The end of a love movie is very crucial. There’s a lot of tension. In Materena’s mind, the heroine will be reunited with the
man she loves, but love movies don’t always end the way Materena would like them to end.
There’s the grandiose wedding and it is clear to Materena that the bride’s thoughts are not in the church. She keeps looking
back, waiting for the man she loves to appear and rescue her. Materena can guess it. Materena expects the man to barge into
the church at any second too, but he’s far away, riding on his horse. Materena says in her head, Eh, go get the woman you
love, you idiot. But he keeps on riding that horse.
And meanwhile, to Materena’s sadness, the heroine becomes the wife of the man she doesn’t love.
Confetti greets the newlyweds outside the church and doves are set free. The heroine watches the doves fly toward the gray
sky.
It is the end of the movie and Materena is really annoyed, she prefers happy endings. She listens to the soft melody of the
piano during the credits and reads the names of the principal actors. It reminds her that the sad story is only a movie and
not the reality.
After the final credits have finished, she switches the TV off.
“Zero movie!” Pito gets off the sofa like he weighs over two hundred pounds.
Materena tidies up the living room.
“Zero movie!” Pito is now making himself comfortable in the bed.
Materena pulls the bedcover her way and rolls to the far side of the bed.
“I tell you, Materena, if I was the man in the movie, I tell you, if it was I, the man . . .” Pito says he would have snatched
the woman and escaped with her on the horse.
“Yes, okay. Good night.” Materena is not listening to Pito anymore.
She closes her eyes and drifts off to sleep. And she dreams she has to marry the man in the movie, but the man she loves is
Pito. She’s in the church, about to pronounce “I do,” when the door of the church swings open. It is Pito.
He is on a horse and he’s wearing cowboy clothes and a cowboy hat.
People stare as Pito makes his way to the altar, they also stare at the horse.
