Tiare in Bloom: A Novel

Now that Materena is a big star with her radio talk show, Pito can't help noticing some changes in his wife. She's spending more and more time at work and with her girlfriends instead of coming home to cook for him. And why does a Tahitian woman need to know how to drive, anyway? He tries to shrug it off, but when Materena gives him the silent treatment and doesn't come home after a night of dancing, Pito has had enough! How is he supposed to fix things with Materena when she doesn't even give him a chance?
Luckily for Pito, his opportunity comes when a threemonth-old girl named Tiare--rumored to be their son Tomatoa's daughter--is left on the Mahis' doorstep. Anxious to pull his weight and set things right, Pito embarks on a hilarious and noble mission to prove himself to his granddaughter, his wife, and--most importantly--himself. TIARE IN BLOOM is the heartwarming story of a couple facing big changes on a small island--and a love that outlasts it all.

Celestine Vaite grew up in a big extended family in Faa-a-Tahiti, where storytelling was a part of her every day life. Her first two novels about the Mahi and Tehana families, Breadfruit and Frangipani, have been published in the UK, the US, Canada, Italy, Spain, Norway, Sweden, Finland, the Netherlands, Brazil, France, Germany and French Polynesia. She now lives on the south coast of New South Wales with her family.