Monday, May 14, 2012

Teaser Tuesday 131: The Descendants


Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

* Grab your current book or recent read.
* Share a few “teaser” sentences from somewhere in the book.
* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away. You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
* Share the title and author so that other participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teaser!


I am just starting The Descendants by Kaui Hart Hemmings for a GoodReads group read. The book is the basis for the recent movie starring George Clooney, which I have not yet seen. Here's a bit of a teaser from the first page:


Joanie has been in a coma for twenty-three days, and in the next few days I’ll have to make some decisions based on our doctor’s final verdict. Actually, I’ll just have to find out what the doctor has to say about Joanie’s condition. I don’t have any decisions to make, since Joanie has a living will. She, as always, makes her own decisions.




FROM THE BACK COVER:

Fortunes have changed for the King family, descendants of Hawaiian royalty and one of the state’s largest landowners. Matthew King’s daughters—Scottie, a feisty ten-year-old, and Alex, a seventeen-year-old recovering drug addict—are out of control, and their charismatic, thrill-seeking mother, Joanie, lies in a coma after a boat-racing accident. She will soon be taken off life support. As Matt gathers his wife’s friends and family to say their final goodbyes, a difficult situation is made worse by the sudden discovery that there’s one person who hasn’t been told: the man with whom Joanie had been having an affair. Forced to examine what they owe not only to the living but to the dead, Matt, Scottie, and Alex take to the road to find Joanie’s lover, on a memorable journey that leads to unforeseen humor, growth, and profound revelations.



23 comments:

Beth said...

Great teaser! My teaser comes from Heart of Glass by Jill Marie Landis

Sandra Nachlinger said...

Great teaser. Thank you for pointing out that George Clooney's movie is based on this book and for posting the blurb from the book's back cover. Lots of good info about this book in your post!
My teaser is here: Sandy's Teaser, along with a related movie trailer.

Heather said...

Beth: Thank you! *g*

Sandy: Thank you. As you can see, the copy of the book I was able to find at one of the local used book stores even features Mr. Clooney on the cover. I can't wait to really delve into it! :)

Jan said...

I like the sound of this one, and will definitely add it to my never-ending wishlist. Thanks for stopping by my blog earlier and leaving a comment.

Heather said...

Janet Ruth: I admit, I wasn't commited to reading this group read until I lucked onto a copy at a local UBS. Now, I am looking foward to getting into it. Hopefully it lives up to the hype and I am not disappointed. *g*

Unknown said...

I haven't seen the movie yet. This tease is very sad though. Thanks for stopping by My TT!

Shelley Munro said...

This sounds like an interesting story. Is this the one Geore Clooney received the Oscar nomination for?

Beth F said...

I loved the book and the movie. It's a great audiobook too.

Jessica ( frellathon ) said...

Sounds like a very difficult time

Laurel-Rain Snow said...

I loved the movie, so I'm sure I would enjoy this book....thanks for sharing.

Here's MY TUESDAY MEMES POST

Unknown said...

New Follower.

This is an interesting tease. Living will or not, that would be so hard to deal with. Wow.

Here's mine...

http://readersconfession.blogspot.com

Heather said...

Jennifer M: Agree, very sad start to this book. Here's hoping I don't need an entire box of tissue before I'm done!

Shelley: The movie has been nominated for a ton of awards, including five Oscars: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor in a Leading Role, Best Editing, and Best Adapted Screenplay. It only won for Screenplay.

Heather said...

Beth F: The movie sounds good, and was one I really wanted to see last fall. I am glad now I did not get to it, so I could read the book first.

Jessica: Yes, definitely a difficult time. Sitting vigil, whether the person is in a coma or dying, is never easy and only becomes more stressful the longer it is prolonged.

Heather said...

Laurel-Rain: Ah, another vote for the movie. Will definitely have to see it sometime after I am done with the book!

Jenese: Yes, definitely not an easy situation to deal with. Thanks for visiting and following!

Anonymous said...

I've seen the movie, great teaser!

http://tributebooksmama.blogspot.com/2012/05/teaser-tuesday_15.html

Alice Audrey said...

I'm kind of attracted to those group reads, and kind of not. I tried joining a reading group once, but couldn't get through their first selection, and was pushed out.

That last line about making her own decisions is so strong.

Heather said...

Tribute Books Mama: I hope you enjoyed the movie. It was one of many Oscar noms I wanted to see, but did not get to. I don't see near as many movies as I want to anymore.

Heather said...

Alice: The nice thing about the groups that have monthly reads at GR is that you don't have to join in if you don't want to. If I have the book, or am able to find one that interests me at the library book sale or HPB, then I will join in. Otherwise I skip that month.

Same with the Cozy Mysteries group's featured author. If I have that month's author or can easily find the first book in a series, I'll try to join in. If not, oh well.

Three of the groups I am in have all chosen classics I've already read (some twice read) in the last three months, so I have not been reading most of those. One has already chosen a twice-read classic for June, so I am hoping TNBBC's June classic is something I haven't yet read but would like to. I'm falling behind in my classics goal! lol

Kathy Martin said...

This one sounds interesting and I like the teaser. Thanks for visiting my TT post. Happy reading!

Jenny Q said...

Great teasers! Hope this one lives up to all the hype!

Heather said...

Thanks, Kathy -- and thanks for visiting!

Jenny Q: I hope it lives up to the hype, too. Am not very far into it yet.

Bookzilla said...

I've heard good things about this one -- or at least the movie, which generally means that the book is even better. Might be time to add this to my TBR list. :)

My teaser this week is from The Shadow of the Wind. Check it out!

Heather said...

Bookzilla: Yes, the book is usually better than the movie. Still not too far into this one yet. What can I say? There were three hours of NCIS to watch last night. *g*