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janey's review against another edition
5.0
Wow. Wow. That was kind of incredible. Imagine Girl, Woman, Other written by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Now imagine that Marquez is a woman and writes in a more female-centric way. Now imagine that this writer has friends like William Gibson or Neal Stephenson. Now take into account that the story takes place in Zambia, where AIDS is still the scourge it was in the US in the 80s, but 60% of the PWA are women.
And that doesn't do it justice at all. This book should have had more acclaim. It is fantastic.
And that doesn't do it justice at all. This book should have had more acclaim. It is fantastic.
borjabilbao's review against another edition
3.0
90% ficción histórica con un par de tramos me especulativos en la parte final. Una amalgama de géneros con la colonización como base para contarnos la historia de Zambia desde sus orígenes como un pequeño poblado.
bea_knee's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
anteus7's review against another edition
4.0
I picked this book up because it was mentioned in an article alongside Piranesi and Gnomon, two books I loved (along with a couple of other books--one I know I read but can't remember and one I have not read but have on hold at the library). This article talked about fantastical science fiction and I thought to myself, Piranesi and Gnomon fit that description, I'll check out The Old Drift.
The Old Drift is something, but I don't quite know how it fits with those other books. It is mostly historical but moves past the present of its writing into some interesting speculative territory that I appreciated, but it never quite got to fantastical science fiction.
That is not to say that I regret having read this intricate, complex story. I love multi-generational stories that trace how we got to where we are today. The Old Drift was particularly interesting to me in this way because of the back-and-forth between different generations. The ups and downs of each subsequent member of the family's life kept this long book full of tension.
So, would recommend. I learned a bit about colonialism and globalization while trying to find the fantasy and science fiction. Not what I expected, but quite good!
The Old Drift is something, but I don't quite know how it fits with those other books. It is mostly historical but moves past the present of its writing into some interesting speculative territory that I appreciated, but it never quite got to fantastical science fiction.
That is not to say that I regret having read this intricate, complex story. I love multi-generational stories that trace how we got to where we are today. The Old Drift was particularly interesting to me in this way because of the back-and-forth between different generations. The ups and downs of each subsequent member of the family's life kept this long book full of tension.
So, would recommend. I learned a bit about colonialism and globalization while trying to find the fantasy and science fiction. Not what I expected, but quite good!
aagnelly's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
funny
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
craftysilicate's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
mostruose's review
3.0
Questo romanzo multigeberazionale ci porta nello Zambia, è un romanzo che passa per tre generazioni dove l'elemento onirico e fantastico si unisce alla realtà coloniale. Ma, se dalla parte delle Nonne l'atmosfera quasi leggendaria di altri tempi senza perdere l'occasione di una critica al colonialismo, andando avanti con il romanzo questa austere viene meno. All'inizio ci troviamo dentro una narrazione fondata sulle sue personaggie, andando avanti la narrazione del contesto diventa predominante, passando dall'atmosfera storica con elementi soprannaturali alla dittatura high-tech.
È un romanzo che nella sua ambizione si perde nella sua coerenza, dove l'elemento onirico/fantastico diventa dissonante. Nella parte che riguarda le Madri la narrazione già viene spartita coi punti di vista delle Nonne e dei Figli.
Un romanzo che porta se non altro i riflettori su una parte del mondo dimenticata. Avrebbe dovuto essere forse più coraggioso nel confronti del passato coloniale e più incisivo nella sua critica sociale.
È un romanzo che nella sua ambizione si perde nella sua coerenza, dove l'elemento onirico/fantastico diventa dissonante. Nella parte che riguarda le Madri la narrazione già viene spartita coi punti di vista delle Nonne e dei Figli.
Un romanzo che porta se non altro i riflettori su una parte del mondo dimenticata. Avrebbe dovuto essere forse più coraggioso nel confronti del passato coloniale e più incisivo nella sua critica sociale.
cellardoor10's review against another edition
4.0
I wish this had been just a little bit shorter. I listened on audiobook, and by hour 22ish, I just couldn't seem to hold it all in my brain. Similar to Homegoing or 100 Years of Solitude, this is a longitudinal study of about a century in the lives of 3 families in Zambia (mostly). We also hear from a swarm of mosquitos, commenting on biology and sociology in beautiful, meta interludes. It reminds me a little of the metaphorical passages in Grapes of Wrath about the turtle, etc.
A study of imperialism, biology, science, and ultimately, the human condition, including failings, flaws, protests, triumphs, and quiet indignities. So much of it is breathtakingly good. Serpell is quite the wordsmith, especially during the swarm interludes, when she gets to pull out her broad, sweeping commentary and literary devices that her characters would not use.
An enjoyable book - balances the horrifying with the warm and the absurd. In an interview, the author discusses that Americans know very little about Zambian history and culture, and while reading this, I realized that was true for me as well - I am familiar with a few countries in the region, but I had no particular associations with Zambia in my mind, neither positive nor negative.
The audiobook is very well narrated, especially the reader of the Swarm interludes, listening to him is magical, but I might recommend physically reading it if you might need assistance tracking who is who. Episodes mentioned in one chapter get consistently revisited and retold in other chapters. It has a really cool effect of unwrapping layers of what happened, but it can get confusing to track, mentally.
A study of imperialism, biology, science, and ultimately, the human condition, including failings, flaws, protests, triumphs, and quiet indignities. So much of it is breathtakingly good. Serpell is quite the wordsmith, especially during the swarm interludes, when she gets to pull out her broad, sweeping commentary and literary devices that her characters would not use.
An enjoyable book - balances the horrifying with the warm and the absurd. In an interview, the author discusses that Americans know very little about Zambian history and culture, and while reading this, I realized that was true for me as well - I am familiar with a few countries in the region, but I had no particular associations with Zambia in my mind, neither positive nor negative.
The audiobook is very well narrated, especially the reader of the Swarm interludes, listening to him is magical, but I might recommend physically reading it if you might need assistance tracking who is who. Episodes mentioned in one chapter get consistently revisited and retold in other chapters. It has a really cool effect of unwrapping layers of what happened, but it can get confusing to track, mentally.
emzrichy's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0