The Old Drift
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The Old Drift
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Narrated by:
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Adjoa Andoh
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Richard E. Grant
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Kobna Holdbrook-Smith
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By:
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Namwali Serpell
About this listen
Random House presents the audiobook edition of The Old Drift by Namwali Serpell, read by Adjoa Andoh, Richard E. Grant and Kobna Holdbrook-Smith.
Electrifying, playful, ambitious, brilliant – a Zambian debut novel that follows three generations of three families, telling the story of a nation, and of the grand sweep of time
'It’s difficult to think of another novel that is at once so sweepingly ambitious and so intricately patterned, delivering the pleasures of saga and poetry in equal measure. The Old Drift is an endlessly innovative, voraciously brilliant book, and Namwali Serpell is among the most distinctive and exciting writers to emerge in years.' Garth Greenwell
On the banks of the Zambezi River, a few miles from the majestic Victoria Falls, there was once a colonial settlement called The Old Drift. Here begins the epic story of a small African nation, told by a mysterious swarm-like chorus that calls itself man’s greatest nemesis. The tale? A playful panorama of history, fairytale, romance and science fiction. The moral? To err is human.
In 1904, in a smoky room at the hotel across the river, an Old Drifter named Percy M. Clark, foggy with fever, makes a mistake that entangles the fates of an Italian hotelier and an African busboy. This sets off a cycle of unwitting retribution between three Zambian families (black, white, brown) as they collide and converge over the course of the century, into the present and beyond. As the generations pass, their lives – their triumphs, errors, losses and hopes – form a symphony about what it means to be human.
From a woman covered with hair and another plagued with endless tears, to forbidden love affairs and fiery political ones, to homegrown technological marvels like Afronauts, microdrones and viral vaccines – this gripping, unforgettable novel sweeps over the years and the globe, subverting expectations along the way. Exploding with colour and energy, The Old Drift is a testament to our yearning to create and cross borders, and a meditation on the slow, grand passage of time.
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Critic reviews
"It’s difficult to think of another novel that is at once so sweepingly ambitious and so intricately patterned, delivering the pleasures of saga and poetry in equal measure. The Old Drift is an endlessly innovative, voraciously brilliant book, and Namwali Serpell is among the most distinctive and exciting writers to emerge in years." (Garth Greenwell)
What listeners say about The Old Drift
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Mrs S Juett
- 19-01-23
Epic Zambian family saga
Great sense of place and identity in this multigenerational saga that weaves itself across Zambia history and nation
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 13-09-24
Stunning narration
Read this book because i was looking for a science fiction book and it won the Arthur C Clarke award. To be honest, the science fiction aspect plays a minor part but the book overall is a fantastic exploration of the human condition and it gave me an amazing insight into a culture I knew nothing about. Had this been the end of the experience I would have been very happy but the narration from Adjoa Andoh was utterly brilliant. Really cannot recommend this enough; a brilliant book brought to life by a brilliant performance.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Halimah
- 15-05-19
Amazing
Seemed very long and dragging at the start, but once the book gets to its core is amazing, so many twists and turns and I loved the sci-fi aspect of the book. This books shows the complexities and diversities of Africa and Africans are not just a monolith. I didn’t really consider Zambia much but it was lovley learning about the histories of a nation
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4 people found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- jack kelsey
- 11-10-21
Meandering story that never quite delivers
The narration is great, but the story just never delivers anything coherent. It was fairly entertaining, and nice to hear from characters under-represented, but the story just felt bloated and without clear objective. The poetry bits also felt pretentious like GCSE material
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- TheZee
- 26-04-20
What a time of History!
This is my first Namwali Serpell book. I heard her sharing on a BBC podcast and knew I had to investigate this book. I was taken on a well navigated tour of Zambia with the astonishing aplomb of her awesome writing. The awareness of the many subjects was amplified by the depth of serious thought on all fronts. The characters are like family and the protagonists never disappoint in any way. I listened to this book continuously until the twist at the end. I felt anxiously satisfied but then I wanted a happier ending. Namwali Serpell is a force of nature in my book. Speculative fiction b comes her. The narrators were simply rivetting, concise, deeply emotive and absolutely the perfect choice.
I have found another African author to add to my gallery of storytellers.
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4 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Jonathan Edwards
- 13-11-22
Glad i experienced it as an audiobook
The characterisation and character building is involving and very well done. There seems to be little plot throughout other then the passage of time but this is intriguing and intertwined and has lovely subtle fantastical nods. It all builds to a lovely political and sci-fi ending and the whole story feels important as a story of people and politics whilst being realised in an intimate and quirky way.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Katie reads
- 30-08-19
Extraordinary Novel
I didn't care for the mosquito narration but then all of a sudden I did.
A true epic spanning generations and the connections between characters kept surprising me even when I should have known better.
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4 people found this helpful
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- James Wright
- 14-05-21
great production values: story didn't connect
the book is long and meandering. there are beautiful descriptions and turn of phrases but ultimately I was not really that interested in any of the characters or what they got up to. the narrative is riddled with cynicism where every relationship is broken or doomed.
I'm not really sure if this is the point, but the story just sorts of drifts back and forth rather than anything much actually happening.
very well read, but ultimately not for me.
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1 person found this helpful