'Check the woman who raised the man you want as your husband. Men like to say to their sons, How's the mama? A big pork chop? That's your girlfriend in twenty years. Well girl, check your boyfriend's mama, see how she raised her son.' Materena does the best she can to take care of her family but sometimes staying true to what you believe is difficult - and bringing up a daughter in a world where everything is changing, very hard indeed. Materena's loving efforts at guiding her daughter Leilani through her childhood and into adulthood means she struggles herself with her own life, her family and who she wants to be. Funny, touching and heart-warming, Materena's love for Leilani, her two sons and her husband Pito forms the backdrop to her own story too. Materena's rules for life include: never cut costs with your curtains; how to get rid of unwanted guests; secrets for the grave; checking out the woman who raised your man (see above); treating the relatives right: 'even if your heart is being crucified you still have to wave to relatives'; and, most importantly, 'Don't start thinking you know more than I do'. Frangipani is the warm, tender, funny story of Materena's life in Tahiti and her relationship with her daughter, Leilani. But more importantly, it's a wonderfully life-affirming, utterly page-turning story about the power of family love and its abiding truth.