A saga of three generations, Leaves of the Banyan Tree tells the story of a family and community in Western Samoa undermined by the changes brought about by colonialism. It is considered a classic work of Pacific literature and Wendt’s best novel.
A big story in every sense of the word… peopled by the richest assortment of characters in Pacific fiction, running the gauntlet of human action, the gamut of human emotion.” –New Zealand Herald
“Does more than tell a whopping good story about life in Samoa around the time of Independence: it tells each of us our own story in new terms.” –Manoa