Filled with love and food, this story of the Hawaiian Wong family is an exuberant banquet of characters and stories. "(A Little Too Much Is Enough) vividly recreates Honolulu after World War II. . . . When the author gets around to describing the brutal fields and cannaries where Mahi and her brother labor in the service of Hawaii's most famous fruit, it's a revelation. You'll never look at a can of pineapple in the same way again."--Deborah Stead, New York Times Book Review. A PNBA Best Book of the Year. Author Readings.
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
Eat and grow up:
"A Little Too Much Is Enough" may not be a novel, but it is a delightful, imaginary memoir of growing up in Hawaii in the '50s.
Mahealani Suzanne Wong is a bright, observant girl in a Chinese-Hawaiian-American family that is in a generational transition from more Chinese to more (Mainland-style) American. This is neatly encapsulated in the short chapter (they are all short) "Still the Same Saimin," in which Mahi recalls the fragrance and taste of saimin (noodles) throughout the years, first at home,... more info
A memorable, heartwaring novel of post WW II Hawaii.:
This is Kathleen Tyau's second novel about life in post WW II Hawaii. Like it's predecessor, A Little Too Much is Enough, it conveys a sense of what life in Hawaii was like foe the native, local Hawaiians through the eyes and experiences of one family.
This is a much more expansive book than it predecessor. It introduces elements of the impact of mainland society into the picture through expatriate's returning home for a visit, providing for a comparative look at shared memories that begin in Hawaii... more info
A rich, passionate novel about growing up in Hawaii.:
Set in post WW II Hawaii, "A Little Too Much is Enough" chronicals the life experiences of a young Chinese-Hawaiian woman growing up in Honolulu from the perspectives of various members of her extended family. A very rich, colorful, highly ethnic portrayal of Hawaii's development into a major tourist location and that development's effects on the native population. Several core incidents and experiences are told, and re-told, through severl different voices and perspectives, yeilding a rich texture in which... more info
A wonderful book about families and growing up.:
I must respectfully disagree with the previous reviewer who stated that the book was disjointed and didn't make sense. It is a warm, wonderful story with chapters that tell different stories from the point of view of some of the main characters. Not at all difficult to understand, and in a way it is like putting together pieces of a puzzle. By the end of the book you will be sorry that it has ended. A bit like Amy Tan's Joy Luck Club, with wonderful characterizations of the family and all the aunties and... more info
