The Drifters

by James A. Michener

In his triumphant best seller, James Michener unfolds a powerful and poignant drama of six young runaways adrift in a world they have created out of dreams, drugs, and dedication to pleasure. With the sure touch of a master, Michener pulls us into the dark center of their private world, whether it's in Spain, Marrakech, or Mozambique, and exposes the naked nerve ends with shocking candor and infinite compassion.
"A superior, picaresque novel...and a revealing mirror held up to contemporary society."
JOHN BARKHAM REVIEWS

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Travel, Novels, Adventure, Classics, Historical

768 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1971

About the author

James Albert Michener is best known for his sweeping multi-generation historical fiction sagas, usually focusing on and titled after a particular geographical region. His first novel, Tales of the South Pacific , which inspired the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical South Pacific, won the 1948 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.

Toward the end of his life, he created the Journey Prize, awarded annually for the year's best short story published by an emerging Canadian writer; founded an MFA program now, named the Michener Center for Writers, at the University of Texas at Austin; and made substantial contributions to the James A. Michener Art Museum in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, best known for its permanent collection of Pennsylvania Impressionist paintings and a room containing Michener's own typewriter, books, and various memorabilia.

Michener's entry in Who's Who in America says he was born on Feb. 3, 1907. But he said in his 1992 memoirs that the circumstances of his birth remained cloudy and he did not know just when he was born or who his parents were.

Reviews

[Canadian Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

My 1st Michener and let me tell you about it as I wipe my mouth off with a napkin after having a fine meal and push my chair back...Sigh... what a journey this was.

It's 1969. The world is changing. The drifters are a new generation of young adults who are unhappy with their current lives and where they live- Joe, avoiding the draft for the vietnam war; Britta, wanting to escape the tunnel of darkness that stays for months in Norway; Monica, the child who grew up in Vwanda, fighting against the constraints of her English political upbringing and the culture that forced her dad out of the country; Cato, the black American, now a fugitive for having stood up to the inequalities of race in Pennsylvania. Yigel, the Israeli, torn between national identities and also by the war that rages in his country of birth. Gretchen, the Bostonian, with political aspirations until they go awry in such a violation of her self, she leaves and meets up with a these drifters. Hedonistic seeking at first, challenging the status quo in their own ways, seeking enlightenment and their purpose.

All destined to meet through their own circumstances in Spain - Torremolinos- a town which attracts these confused yet clear minded child-adults who are challenging the moral code of what is supposed to be the norm in their countries and culture; in their lives. Idealists whom have become disillusioned until they find themselves with each other. Their journey takes us through Spain, to Portugal where we run with the bulls, to Mozambique and the wildlife reserves and the stunning landscapes along the coast of the Indian Ocean, to the Mecca of Morocco, Marrakech.

I was only 3 when this was written but the issues and challenges that existed then, still exist now. This was a bountiful discovery of self, nature and most of all, friendship.

A magnificent masterpiece and a classic that I will remember for years to come. 5⭐️

[Manny · Rating 2 out of 5]

- Kids today! I wonder if the 70s won't be even worse than than the 60s. Honestly, you don't know what to think, dropping out of school, letting their hair grow, rock and roll music, free love, drugs...

- Another martini?

- Oh, why not! Thank you. As I was saying, I don't understand young people any more, as they would say, I just don't "get" them...

- Have you read the new James Mitchener? The Drifters?

- No?

- You should take a look at it, he'll answer your questions. Great piece of work. A bit shocking in places, he's not afraid to use crude language, hit you with the occasional motherf-

- Harold!

- Sorry. I tell you, I've been reading Mitchener since 1947 and he just gets better. Wish I knew how he did the research for this one. A week ago, I was as "square" as they come, but now, "man!", I'm "with it".

- Harold, don't show off.

- But really, it's opened my eyes! I even went and bought the new Doors LP. L.A. Woman. My secretary recommended it. Shall I put it on?

- Harold, was that the girl at the office party who-

- Ah, yes, that was Karen.

- I think I'd rather have some more Frank Sinatra.

- But-

- Sinatra, Harold.

- Sorry darling. Maybe we should talk about something else. What do you think of Nixon's chances in '72?

- My friends in DC tell me it's a sure thing.

- Well thank God for that anyway. And here are our martinis. Cheers!

- Cheers!

[Sarah Frey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can say with ease that this is my favorite book of all time. I read this book as a teenager and if it had done anything for me it instilled a vital desire to travel the world, especially Europe. The story-line is placed in front of a backdrop of rich European sites and culture that makes the reader crave the warm air of the Mediterranean. On top of this, the novel goes in depth to look at the politics and social conflicts of the late 1960's. It follows six very different travelers from six very different back grounds and parts of the world. They connect through music and coincidences challenging the ideals of the past and pushing boundaries towards a new modern philosophy. The perfect read for anyone who holds the era of peace and love close to heart.

[Laura Alfaro · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Drifters is the life I wish I'd had before getting married, having children, experiencing divorce and now playing it safe with a job, grown children and a mortgage. Joe, the main character from the US, is my hero. He epitomizes basic qualities of character that as you travel with him, you realize this guy is no saint but he's got heart. And he is loyal and kind, assertive and strong, and reasonable. But you'll have to read the book to know why.

James did a GREAT job with this novel and it is my all-time favorite. I can re-read it and always find a gem that I'd overlooked or forgotten about from previous readings. I hope you enjoy it too!

[Rosie Nguyễn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Một trong những quyển sách xuất sắc, cực kỳ thích hợp với tuổi trẻ. Xen lẫn với những cảnh tượng thơ mộng hấp dẫn của những vùng đất đầy màu sắc ở Tây Ban Nha, Bồ Đào Nha, Morocco,... là những trăn trở mà thanh niên thường trải qua, giáo dục đại học, giá trị sống, tôn giáo, tình yêu và tình dục, xung đột sắc tộc,... Sáu người thanh niên trong truyện là những đại diện tiêu biểu của một thế hệ, với những tính cách riêng biệt nhưng vẫn cùng chung mục đích: tìm kiếm bản thân, tìm kiếm hướng đi cho mình trên những hành trình rong ruổi ở những miền đất lạ.

[Karen Jett · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book for the first time in the late 70's as a teenager. This time it's many years later and I am middle aged. How I wish that I could sit down and have a book club meeting with the teenage me!

Some parts of the book seem almost comical seen at this distance. For example, some of the conversations sound like a cliche. "Like wow!" It's hard to remember or to believe that people used to speak this way. (Just wait until we look back on the late 80's and early 90's and the valley girls!)

In my teens, I was absorbed by the freedom and lack of fear of these people. I couldn't wait to grow up and be free to do what I wanted to do. Now I look at this book and see how entrapping the drugs and efforts at freedom became. It was less about being free than about running away, about being different from our parents at any cost.

This is a timeless adventure that takes you into many different corners of the world. It's also an interesting peak into the culture and beliefs of a different age. In some ways, it makes me glad that I was too young to partake of this culture. In other ways, it allows me to see the forces that formed my generation. All in all, I am glad that I re-read Michener's The Drifters.

[Ross Barlow · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this first when I was studying at Melbourne University in 1973. I loved it. That set off be buying and keeping all of Mitchener’s books. All are excellent but The Drifters resonated with me. Mitchener managed to capture the lives of the young people described in the book so well and as a man on the cusp of leaving his teens behind, I could relate to so much of what the characters said, did and thought. Fantastic story.

[Alain DeWitt · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is the second Michener I've read. I hated 'Space' because in it Michener decided to fictionalize the space program. I found it an un-necessary gimmick. It seems like this is Michener's modus operandi. He does the same thing in 'The Drifters'. He takes the late '60s and then fictionalizes a couple of locations (such as the former British colony in Africa, the improbably named Vwarda) and then populated them with uninteresting, self-important windbags for characters. It's like Michener painted a pair of earrings on the Mona Lisa and then proclaims it his masterpiece.

Honestly, I could forgive the slightly tweaked reality if the writing, characters and plot (such as it is) weren't so weak. Here's an example of what the book is like:

I'm Britta. I'm from Norway. All my life I've dreamed of going to Ceylon. Then one day I walked past a travel agency and saw a poster for Torremolinos. I instantly knew that this was the Most Magical Place in the World. When I asked the owner of the travel agency how much it cost to go to Torremolinos, he told me it would cost $100. I told him I didn't have that much.

'Well, it's obvious that you are the Most Beautiful Girl in the World, Britta, so you must go to Torremolinos! '

'It looks like the Most Magical Place in the World!'

'It is! Can you afford $75?'

'No.'

'How about $50?'

'No.'

'How about $25?'

'No.'

'How about $14?'

'Yes!'

'Well, then it just so happens we have a few seats that we reserve for special young people because we know how important it is for you to go and find yourself. Since you are the Most Beautiful Girl in the World, I can sell you a full vacation including flight, hotel and all meals for $12'

A few weeks later I pulled into Torremolinos. I instantly knew that I could never go back to Norway and that I had to find a job to stay in Torremolinos, the Most Magical Place in the World.

After checking in to my room, I put on my bikini and went down to the beach. While there, I spotted the Most Beautiful Girl in the World. She was British and said her name was Monica. I asked her how long she'd been in Torremolinos.

'I've been here for ages, but I am getting ready to leave for Mozambique soon.'

'Mozambique? I hear it's the Most Magical Place in the World!'

'It is! How long do you plan on staying in Torremolinos?'

'I'm booked for two weeks but it's obvious that Torremolinos is the Most Magical Place in the World -'

'It is!'

'Do you think I will be able to find a job here?'

'Beautiful girls come here from all over the world and line the main square five deep trying to get jobs in Torremolinos. But since you are the Most Beautiful Girl in the World you won't have any problem finding a job. Let's go to the Alamo and I'll introduce you to the gang.'

A little later Monica and I walked into the Alamo. Monica introduced me to the American bartender, Joe. He had long hair and a beard, very much the Jesus look that was popular with all the young men these days. I immediately decided that I would have an affair with him.

'Hi. I'm Joe. Britta tells me you are looking for a job?'

'Yes. I am although I have no skills and no experience.'

'That doesn't matter since you are obviously the Most Beautiful Girl in the World. Would you like a place to live to go along with your job? I share a house with the Cato, the Most Interesting Man in the World, and Monica, the Most Beautiful Girl in the World.'

The whole book is like this. Every character is the smartest/hippest/most beautiful/handsome boy or girl in the world. Everyone is a dropout from a Harvard or Yale or Duke or Michigan. Everyone immediately recognizes how hip and cool they all are. Yet at the same time they are all walking cliches. Joe, draft dodger. Cato, black radical. Monica, rich, spoiled slut dope fiend (thankfully she ODs and dies - the high point of the book). Yigal, tough, smart, little Jew.

I suppose if I am being charitable I can see how a young reader (who hasn't read very much yet) or a reader who hasn't traveled very much might really enjoy this book. Otherwise, it's just pompous bloviating. It's like Michener took a correspondence course on the '60s from East Panhandle State and then decided to write a novel about them.

I have a really bad habit of plowing through books even when I am not enjoying them. I trudged through 750 pages of this book and I really should have quit about 650 pages back. I think I am off Michener. I wish Goodreads would allow negative stars.

[Armin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ein schwieriges Buch für das Michener immerhin seine historische Komfortzone verlassen hat. Dafür, dass er das absehbare Risiko des Scheiterns eingegangen ist, hat er meinen vollen Respekt, schließlich waren die Gegenwartskapitel meist der Schwachpunkt seiner historischen Romane, die Frühwerke aus dem Pazifik (Bis Sayonara) sind keine Vergleichsgröße mehr, seitdem Michener große geschichtliche und gesellschaftliche Panoramen ausgebreitet.
Beim Entwickeln der Charaktere der sechs Aussteiger, die auf einen aufgeschlossenen Angehörigen jener Generation treffen, die zwischen Onkel und Opa angesiedelt ist, profitiert der Leser von Micheners historischen Stärken. Sechs Stories über sechs junge Menschen, die alle ihr altes Leben und die Zwänge satt haben, die krank machen oder die Leute in Alkoholismus oder Selbstmord treiben, zeigen Michener auf der Höhe seines Könnens als Erzähler. Man gewinnt sie alle irgendwie lieb, sogar die aggressiven Ärgerbazillen, die alle so ihren wunden Punkt haben.
Die Schwachstellen treten auf der euphorisch begonnenen Reise im Bully so nach und nach zu Tage, die Weltverbesserer oder Konsumverweigerer scheitern an sich selbst und dem unklaren Entwurf einer besseren Zukunft, die über das Generationsgefühl hinaus geht. Statt einen brauchbaren Gegenentwurf zur Konsumwelt ihrer Eltern zu entwickeln, gehen sie weltanschaulichen Rattenfängern auf den Leim, rutschen in Drogen oder Kriminalität ab und werden Opfer von Polizeibrutalität und Rassismus. Mehr als Rechtshilfe für einen Wehrdienstverweigerer, der sich der Einberufung nach Vietnam durch Flucht entzogen hat, ist nicht drin.
Immerhin hat der ernüchterte Kriegsgegner den Anspruch zu Hause etwas zum Besseren zu bewegen und nimmt dafür sogar einen Prozess mit drohender Haftstrafe in Kauf.
Die Kinder von Torremolinos sind ein schwieriges Buch mit zu vielen offenen Fragen, auf die Anno 1971 niemand eine Antwort wissen konnte. Ein wenig scheitert Michener aber an einem Problem, das er selbst in Roman thematisiert. Der Erzähler bekommt von den jungen Leuten, die im Hippie-Paradies an der Südspitze Spaniens zusammen finden, keine Antworten auf seine Fragen nach ihren Zielen. Eine Kommunikation findet nicht statt, echtes Verständnis kommt nicht zustande.
Weder im Roman und wohl auch nicht im Leben. Insofern war das Buch, trotz aller gut gemeinten Absichten, auch Wasser auf die Mühlen derer, die den Protest der jungen Leute in Bausch und Bogen ablehnten. Bis auf den einen Einsichtigen, der gerettet werden kann, sind die Kinder von Torremolinos ja alles Drogensüchtige und Kriminelle.
Meine Mutter fühlte sich deshalb in ihrem Urteil über die Gammler seinerzeit voll bestätigt.
Bin alles andere als ein kritikloser Bewunderer jener Ära, zumal der traurige Rest der Ansprüche auf eine bessere Welt ja als political correctness auf uns gekommen ist und genauso gnadenlos als Herrschaftsinstrument genutzt wird, wie einst Gumminknüppel und Wasserwerfer, aber irgend etwas muss Michener falsch gemacht haben, wenn die Hoffnungsträger der Hippiegeneration so missverständlich rüber kommen.

[Nunyah Biznuss · Rating 3 out of 5]

Whilst the first half of the book starts off strongly, introducing each of the six young people to whom the narrator has some link, the second half of the book becomes more about place; especially history and description of place. I found it annoying that the last half of the book completely dropped the bundle when it came to characterisation. In the first six chapters, you have these long, beautifully drawn characters, each with their own inner turmoil which they 'drift' out of mainstream society and into travelling to solve. In the rest of the chapters, however, the characters become one-dimensional, and the reader is pulled along by the 60-something narrator and his opinions of young people and the lifestyle they're creating. The ending felt rushed, too, as if Michener was trying to tie together too many threads left flapping in the wind.

In other ways, this book is a window into a time of major cultural shift in the Western world, where the largely conservative status quo was being tested and challenged by youth. It's interesting to ponder some of the visions of the future which the book puts forward, and that a great many of them have not come to pass- African Americans have not wholeheartedly embraced Islam, for example. Also, the attitude to people about the Vietnam War - seen as a huge mistake nowadays- in the book seemed to suggest that people would generally accept that it was a war that the US had to fight.

Of all the ideas in the book, I found the narrator's dogged faith in war (along with that of his bizarre friend, Holt) repugnant. In fact, I found the character of Holt sleazy and unsavoury and his sudden pairing with 18 year old Britta both forced and farcical. Likewise, Cato's behaviour at the end of the novel seemed like some kind of stereotype and cultural comment on white and black society in the US never being able to co-exist. The way Michener also disposed of Yigal was lazy: he made up his mind about his identity and was shipped off to the airport in a paragraph.

One final criticism: the never ending and totally ignorant portrayal of Australia as a nation of cattle farmers. Australia is one to the most urbanised nations on Earth. Almost 90% of people live in cities. Very few of us are cattle farmers. Enough with the stereotypes..

[Penny · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book by James A Michener, as I have enjoyed everything else he has written. He has a way of writing that just drags you into a story and keeps you hooked there. They are always very well researched, you get the feeling he is confident in all aspects of his story.
six young people from different parts of the world Britta, from dark brooding Norway, Joe from America, Yigal from Isreal, Cato from America , Monica from Englad and Gretchen from America, all their own individual reasons for leaving their homes and travelling, all of them escaping though from things they cannot or have no wish to understand. They are trying to "find themselves".
They all come together in Torremilinos in a bar called The Alamo, which is where their adventures start. They drift around Spain, the Algarve, Pamplona, Mocambique experiencing new things and end up in Marrakech, where tagedy stikes the group.
I found myself shouting at them in my head because whilst they were bumming around doing dreadful things to their minds and bodies, you weren't quite sure if they would find themselves or just make a whole mess up of their lives!!
I think if I had read this book 30 years ago I would have thought about it in such a different light. It is a young persons book, as this is what they will do for ever more, try and change things for the better and never really suceeding in understand what it is they want.

[Rasma Haidri · Rating 1 out of 5]

Gag me with a beach towel in Ceylon. What kept me reading for a while was the sheer momentum of my astonishment at how poorly written this is, how zilch he knows about being a young person in the wake of the end of the summer of love, and most of all how much misogyny, racism and anti-Semitism he manages to squeeze onto each page. He even disparages the place I live, North Norway.

There are other erudite reviews here that give the book a well-deserved analysis, better than I can be bothered to do typing with one finger on my phone so it remains to say only that the abundance of linen colored pages in my old hardback are going to come in handy for the art installation we are planning in the house: papering the banister with literature. Although I have my doubts that it will in the final analysis be deemed literary enough for that end. I may use it as kindling to fire up the old wood stove, a light in the dark Norwegian tunnel.

[Maria Fledgling Author Park · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Generation Writ Across the World

This is my second time through The Drifters, I originally read it when I was in my twenties. Michener's prose is just as lush as I remembered. He captures the desperation, amazement, intense questioning and driving need of a generation to break free of their parents value system.

Flung across the gorgeous landscapes of frozen Norway's Trömso, Africa's British colonies in turmoil, Spain's sunny and free Torremolinos, Portugal's quiet and intimate Algarve, down miles of Africa's unspoiled coastline to the ancient city of Marrakesh, our Drifters story plays out.

Through the eyes of Mr. Fairbanks of World Mutual Funds, we meet Britta, a dazzling Norwegian girl who desires to escape the dark nights of Scandinavia and her father's obsession with Ceylon, a land he'll never get to see.

Monica, the stunning daughter of English parents just barely holding onto power in a British colony in Africa, contemptuous of her father's fear of failing, is eager to flee the coop.

Gretchen, a lovely, intelligent girl from Boston, runs up against the tension between the protesters of the Vietnam War and the Police. After a seriously violent encounter, her parents beg Mr. Fairbanks to take her away from Boston for some healing.

Cato, a bright and inquisitive black man from Philadelphia, is rising to the top of his peer group. He is tired of watching his neighborhood and friends being beaten down by the system. A mentor sponsors his flight to find better answers.

Yigal or Bruce, as he's known as by his American grandparents, is caught between two worlds. He becomes known as'The boy from Quarash' for his part in the six day war in Israel. But his Grandfather wants him to give up his Israeli citizenship for a life in America.

Our Drifters meet Joe, an American young man, faced with the emotional choice of fighting an immorral war or running from the draft and facing jail, in Torremolinos, Spain.

Their adventures begin at the bar called The Alamo, where Joe tends bar and holds down the business for a friend. This sweeping tale will entertain, amuse, educate and break your heart. This is a read for all generations.

[Helen Bothwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book made me want to travel! Michener paints many pictures of places I'd love to visit, but also does not leave out the grimy side of the 60s-70s. The ending is a particularly vivid reminder that the flower children were much more (and much less) than sunny, idealic people full of love. He does a great job of portraying this generation from many viewpoints so that the reader can gain an understanding of the vibrancy and excitement of embarking on this new path of freedom, but also shows the clashing of beliefs, ideals, confusion, and loss of direction. The mix of beauty and sadness witnessed through Michener's full perspective of a time endeared me as well as removed a veil of idealism I've heald for this generation and time in history. It also reafirmed my belief that you don't necessarily grow by traveling all over to new places, but more so by looking within yourself. I feel lucky to be living in a time when we have both the acceptance of freedom to opt out of the status quo, but also the wisdom gained through time of the value of combining this with responsibility. We have the luxury of building on the best that was gained in the 60s-70s, while leaving behind much of the confusion, anger, and lack of direction. I look forward to reading more of Michener!

[Olethros · Rating 3 out of 5]

-El tiempo no perdona algunas cosas.-

Género. Novela.

Lo que nos cuenta. En los convulsos años finales de la década de los sesenta, seis jóvenes de distinto origen e historia terminan en la localidad costera de Torremolinos, donde tratarán de vivir en medio de la sociedad en miniatura que ha creado el empujón del turismo en esa zona de la España de Franco que, en algunos temas, permitía una relajación en las normas fuera del alcance de otras zonas del país.

¿Quiere saber más de este libro, sin spoilers? Visite:

http://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com/...

[John Rachel · Rating 1 out of 5]

Don't waste your time. Michener had no feel for the counterculture of the 60s. Very stiff writing. Ugh!!

[Carolyn Walsh · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book explores the culture, politics, views on the Vietnam Nam war, changes in music, sexual freedom, racism, and drugs in late 1960's and early 1970's. The Drifters was published in 1972.
The narrator is a 61 year old man, Fairbanks, who feels close to six young people who travel through Spain, Portugal, Morocco and Mozambique during the Vietnam Nam era. There are three female 'drifters': one an American university student who worked on Eugene McCarthy's presidential campaign and then supported Bobby Kennedy, another from a Central African Republic where her father had been a British government official, and a girl from northern Norway craving summer climes.
The three men were an American draft dodger, a young black American man, and a 17 year man of dual Israel/American citizenship who fought in the Israel war against Egypt. All were wandering for different reasons explained in the first part of the book. They are disillusioned with government and rebelling against parents and are in search of truth, drugs and pleasure.
Fairbanks,age 61, frequently drops in on the six young people, often accompanied by another older man, Hunt. Their conversation and arguments from both sides of the generation gap. Is a plot device which gives us some insight into the ideas of the time. The older men give advice, mostly ignored or ridiculed. They try to understand the youths' morality, music, drug taking and their individual beliefs. This plot device gives us much insight while they argue into much which was going on in the counter culture of the late 1960's and early 1970's. This seems like a relic of a time very long ago.
My greatest enjoyment was realizing how much the world has changed for better and worse, and not in the ways
predicted by the characters in the book..
The young black American expresses that change and power will only come for his people through their conversion to Islam and armed rebellion with the help of the Jews. A South African Boer official plans to make apartheid even more stringent and to work to keep South Africans of British descent out of any political power. South African blacks discuss the need for armed revolt. A Rhodesian couple predict that the white settlers will control the country for at least a hundred more years. In a world before El Qaida and ISIS it seemed the greatest danger in Arab countries was death by heroin overdose, or a drug addled young girl going off with several native men for sex and being sold into white slavery.
I was aware of these ideas, events and philosophy at the time, but had only a minimal part in that era. I probably envied my contemporaries who could travel the world so freely until I read about these experiences and the futility for most, as expressed by Fairbanks. As the saying goes, "those who remember the 60's were never a part of it."
This is a long 720 page book, but very readable. (less)

[Yigal Zur · Rating 5 out of 5]

l loved the book when i read it years ago. so many years ago. it spoke to my traveling spirit. i have been to all the places from tanjir to timboktu and the israeli young guy have the same name as i do - yigal.

[Samantha · Rating 2 out of 5]

my best friend in college, pam, wanted me to read this. I think this was her seminal 60s text the way the electric kool aid acid test was mine. I read it either on or before our weeks long trip to california where we hitchhiked and met people to get around, including my friend john d. who I am still in touch with. the book itself is less memorable to me than electric kool aid acid test. we spent some time in big sur on that trip (that's where we met john d.) and that in turn inspired me to read kerouac's big sur, which is my favorite of his books I've read.

ok, that was my retrospective initial review. here is my review after rereading it, as I was instructed to do by the universe (I dreamed I was reading it and then the next day I found it in a little free library I was passing). initially I had given this book four stars, which I just knocked down to two. I'm not quite sure why the universe wanted me to reread it but I was a very different experience.

god, james michener. I didn't remember much about the book, other than hippie youth go to marrakech. I have had a copy sitting on my shelf all these years, even when I took the copy from the little free library.

I assume pam loved it for the hippie travelers. however, the elements of youth traveling was heavily buried under michener's blowhardiness. first of all, you know he likes to research and his books are like when someone's mother purees up vegetables and sneaks them into your food. you think you're reading a novel, but there are a lot of nonfiction elements.

the book isn't just youth traveling. they are followed/guided from spain to portugal to italy to mozambique to marrakech by a middle aged man who serves as the narrator and a semi-creepy uncle figure to them. he also drags in another middle aged man. with them in the picture, it becomes more about one generation trying to make sense of the next, seeing how they are different and how they are the same, and concluding that despite sexual liberation, marijuana and draft dodging, they all have the same tasks as his generation - figuring out who they are and what their contribution to society will be.

michener has a couple of big axes to grind - black/white race relations (in the US and africa), and drug use. on race relations you can tell he's trying to be progressive but he is paternalistic and has a lot of unexamined racism. there are a lot of different discussions - african nations coming out from european colonial rule, cities in the US, south africa, muslim counties in africa and their contribution to the slave trade, etc. if you boil it all down, michener seems to think that black people (in 1971, this was) have to really develop themselves - get a work ethic, get educated - in order to escape oppression and be on equal footing. characters who say incredibly racist things are still fondly regarded.

the drug use - well, it often seems to involve convulsions and catatonia, whether it's lsd or heroin. one hash cookie knocks a woman unconscious to the floor a few minutes after she eats it, and she doesn't wake up for 18 hours. it doesn't seem like michener has much first or even direct second hand experience with drugs. he has kind of the same attitude as the movie forrest gump has towards drugs.

the women he writes....michener doesn't want to be so crude as to talk about t&a, so there is a lot of "finely proportioned" and architectural description of figures. almost all his women are "unusually attractive" and I can tell you he is partial to blondes and big white teeth. it was very tiresome to read all that. also there is a lot of crap about manliness, including a couple of multiparticipant fist fights, running with the bulls in pamplona, being soldiers, etc. etc. also very tiresome to read.

and as I said, he's about nonfiction, really. he only wrote novels to trick people into reading all his historical background and philosophical musings, it seems like. (despite this, the book did move fairly quickly. yes, it took me a good three weeks to read it, but it is 750 pages long). and this shows in that some of his scenes are absolute pulp novel crap. just completely unbelievable. the group on safari watches as five large crocodiles slip into the river - although one remains camouflaged on the bank. one of the girls - "euphoric" from having witnessed this, gets out of the car - apparently no one tries to stop her - and runs toward the riverbank. the remaining crocodile knocks her over with his tail and two others lunge out of the water towards her but she is saved by the men of the group. no one admonishes her. or, the most beautiful woman in the book - the vast proportion of men who see her fall in love with her immediately - who is 18 and has escaped from arctic norway, suddenly decides she is in love with an over 40 year old manly man who is a complete curmudgeon and kind of obsessed with humphrey bogart movies. ok, if that isn't unbelieveable enough, she insists on the narrator's creepy uncle presence while she visits him in a hospital room - he has been gored by a bull in pamplona while saving the black character, despite his racism, because men save people - and proposes to him. as the guy is like, um, why is this super hot super young chick begging me to marry her, this seems weird, she returns, again with the narrator, a few days later, takes off all her clothes, gets in be with the guy, and tells him she is going to heal the wound in his soul. then they wave the narrator away.

does any part of those stories ring true? just as absurd as john irving having a woman parachute naked into a pigpen, but pretending not to be absurd.

so yes. I wouldn't read this if I were you. not unless the universe directs you to.

[David Canford · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite different to the normal Michener novel where the story is almost always about a country or region from the dawn of time to the twentieth century. This one is set in 1969 around six young characters who all end up together in southern Spain.
Each one is introduced at length with their background story which makes for a great start and gives an insight into things such as avoiding the draft for the Vietnam war, existence for African Americans in inner city Philadelphia, and life in Northern Norway.
Eventually they move on from Spain to Portugal, then to Pamplona, Mozambique and finally Marrakech.
It was like a travelogue at times and a commentary on 1960s youth culture at others.
It’s overly long - 750 pages - and not good enough to sustain that length so at times I skimmed the pages, but mostly I enjoyed it.

[Kevin · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's been a long time since I've read this, but the book has stuck with me.

It was written in the late-60s / early-70s and is set in the 60s. It's a story deeply wrapped up in the issues of American culture at that time - the Vietnam War and the changing views on drugs and sex. Through Mr. Fairbanks there are also threads back to the past and the generation that had come before.

Michener is well known I think for books that focus on a place. Hawaii being once such book of that type I recall. I've never read those and suspect that this book is a bit different in that it's really focused on a time and a culture, not a place.

I can't find anything to substantiate it now, but when I read it back in the late 80s I had been given to believe that Michener supported the war in Vietnam. Considering the views of pro-war people at the time, I viewed this book as rather enlightened. It paints a sympathetic view of several views of the war. Likewise it's pretty open to the other elements of the time as well.

The main driver of the book is the group of young adults as well as a few older characters as well. Not all are American and little takes place in America, but the book does have a very American-culture focus. They are all well developed as they are introduced in turn. Later when you follow them from place to place you know them as you would a friend. The non-Americans are still affected by events and views in the States - with Britta being the one exception and even she's influenced by individual Americans. Along the way you get a taste of that time in other countries - Britain, Norway, Israel.

I wasn't alive in the late 60s and by the time I was learning to speak in the 70s the echoes of that decade were muted and distant. But I think The Drifters gives a peek at that time. It is not the only view of that time - I think that time was too chaotic to be captured by a single view - but you get a taste. There's good writing, the characters stay with you and it is a view of a time from the perspective of those surviving it, not driving it.

[M.L. Rio · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the kind of book that some people will love and some people will abandon after forty pages. I just happen to belong to the former category. I think what's so brilliant about it is actually the same thing that a lot of less enthusiastic reviewers have expressed their distaste for: namely, that it's a story about six young people coming of age in a volatile decade narrated by a sixty-year-old man. It could be easy to get hung up on Mr. Fairbanks' old-fashioned prejudices, but I think the juxtaposition between him and his band of adolescent vagabonds--and their unexpected rapport--are actually what make the book such a fascinating read. Neither Fairbanks nor the titular drifters can be remotely objective about the issues they clash over (sex, drugs, music, religion, Vietnam), and it's exactly that incompatibility of ideologies that made the late sixties/early seventies such a tumultuous time. Michener renders that universal identity crisis in vivid, precise, and often hilarious prose. But what really kept me reading were the people: the characters who populate the story are sometimes endearing, sometimes infuriating, but presented with such keen and uncompromising detail that you can't help hearing their stories and feeling some kind of kinship, even if it's just the conviction that you've met someone exactly like this somewhere in your life before. Lastly, of course, it's an epic adventurous travelogue in high Michenerian style. As someone who has spent much of the years between 18 and 25 rambling around the world with not much more than pocket change to live on and has always prized art, music, and cultural experience above steady paychecks, I couldn't help loving a story like this.

[John F · Rating 1 out of 5]

Yes, I still have the book I started in 1973. Guess what? I'm in the age bracket of the subjects in this book and I was living in Europe, a semi-student and hard worker. I traveled a lot as a race car mechanic, driving day and night. This book was written by an old man who wrote about young people like an old man. The characters are very fictional because he knew so little about them and the post-war generation in Europe. This is NOT what it was like. Yes, there were drugs and sex and rock and roll but also hard work, shortages of food and whatnot. I kept this book because it was such a glaring example of really bad writing, no let me say, really awful writing, stilted conversation, contrived scenes, a concoction of garbage, made up by a person who had never experienced what he was trying to write about. Michener wrote some good books; this is not one of them. If you're interested in writing, however, I think you should have a copy of this book as a reference guide for what not to do.

[Patricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is still one of my favorite Michener books. I read this book for the first time in about 6th or 7th grade and it shaped the way I saw the world and looking back, I think this book is what started my desire to travel. And to read even better books. To be more open-minded. To love all music. It's a great read.

[Marilyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

maybe closer to a 4*, however certainly not my fav. James Michener book. My suggestion is you have a series of maps available to you as I was totally unfamiliar with most of the settings that the Drifters travelled to. Michener's writing makes these free-spirited characters come alive and if you were a teen trying to find your way in the 60's, this fiction story will appeal to you.

[Emmy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I couldn't finish it, I disliked Monica too much to get past her chapter.

[Stephen Hayes · Rating 2 out of 5]

Plastic hippies.

It is supposed to be the chronicle of a generation yet it seems too plastic. The characters seem to be cardboard cutouts, yet the things they did are real enough. The guys who held up the church remind me of a friend of mine, who set fire to Westminster Abbey.

[Hải · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cuốn sách đầu tiên của năm 2021. Thật ra là một phần đọc cuối 2020 rồi. Đi resort đẹp lung linh, mình ngồi đọc sách thích ơi là thích.
1/ Lần đầu hiểu tại sao Kindle Oasis lại có chức năng chống thấm nước làm gì. Đó giờ nghĩ là phí, cho đến hôm nay nằm dài ngâm mình trong bồn nước nóng và đọc sách mà không sợ rơi.
2/ Truyện hay. Tính đọc lâu rồi mà giờ mới có dịp. Truyện là lời kể của một ông già 6x về thế hệ thanh niên 2x đầy sôi nổi, điên rồ, và khờ dại. Nghĩ về mình ở những năm đầu 3x, chưa khắt khe bảo thủ, nhưng đã qua rồi thời được-phép-rồ-dại như các thanh niên kia.
3/ Nhiều đoạn quá dài dòng không cần thiết. Nhưng nói chung mình đọc thích.
4/ Góc nhìn người hiện đ/tại đánh giá về những dự đoán của một tác giả trong quá khứ về người hiện đ/tại nên khá lý thú.

[Erik Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Long review for a long book! Incredible one overall, really enjoyed reading it. Great character book, great travel book, and the quote on the front from the Chicago Sun says “conveys a sense of a new time, a new generation” is an accurate summation of the entire thing. I had heard of Michener, hadn’t read any of his books before, but went with this, even though it’s not as popular as some of his others off of my Dad’s recommendation. The book follows a group of 6 kids, high school / college aged, about half of them Americans, other half from around the world as they tour through Southern Europe and parts of Africa. It’s narrated by a guy, Mr. Fairbanks, who kind of knows them all from different places, and winds up joining them on many of their trips. I think there's quite a bit of exaggeration, but hey it's fiction.

First of all, this is a great character book. Each of the six (eventually seven) main characters get their own chapter dedicated to them to start the book. They each have lots of depth and background which becomes very rewarding as the story gets going, but I’ll admit, was a bit tough to read through at first. Each of their personalities depict a couple of the different pervading ideologies or common experiences happening during this time period. I really liked reading Yigal, Britta, and Gretchen.

Second, oh my god what an amazing travel book. I mean talk about something that’ll make you want to just drop everything you’re doing and buy a one way ticket somewhere exotic. They cover Spain, Portugal, Mozambique, Morocco, in the backstories you get Israel, Philly, the midwest, Norway, fictional countries like Vwarda. They discuss Egypt, Nepal, Switzerland, England, you name it. Really cool look into what travel must’ve been like before it was so commercialized. No one had phones and you just had to go off of maps and word of mouth. It just seems like such a unique way to live, and the descriptions of these places are done so well and so positively, it’s so enticing.

Third, I think besides Lord of the Rings, I’ve never read a book with so many song lyrics in it. Music is such an important part of the story, it’s brought up very often in discussions about the old vs new generations. Long analysis is done of the modern lyrics, and how they’re inferior to the new age ones, until Fairbanks and Holt sit down with the kids to hash it out and the old balls get clowned. I’m sure it’s the same story repeated each generation, about how the current music is “garbage” and doesn’t make sense. Speaking of music, there is much about the drug culture of this book and more broadly about the psychedelic age. There’s a lot of debate about weed, LSD, and ultimately heroin, how it impacts the young people, how it’s compared to alcohol, and how normalized it was becoming, especially in the music, a key example being Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds. Monica’s arc really serves as an example of the danger in drug experimentation during this period. I enjoyed reading these back and forths on music and someone should go through and make a playlist of all the songs that get mentioned, would be fun to listen to and would capture a good sense of the aesthetic at the time.

And then last, it should be mentioned how much of the anti-war ideology is shouted out in the book, specifically with Joe dodging the draft. The futility of war really shines through from him, not only because of how the war itself was seen as illegal as it was never declared by Congress, but also because of the existence of the H bomb, so why even fight when an entire nation can be wiped out immediately. But what’s interesting are the three characters around him whose background is defined by war and violence. Yigal fought in war at 17 in the Middle East, Holt was a WWII and Korean War hero, and Cato helped run a violent civil rights group. As you can guess, each of these makes up for really interesting conversation of when is war justified and ethical, and when is it not. Speaking of Cato, and of the Civil rights movement, I was surprised about how much open discussion there was about race throughout the book, just because it has become so taboo lately, I was surprised at how unfamiliar these passages felt to me as I was going through it, because published in 1971, it for sure wasn’t that long ago. That being said, I think a few of these sections do read to be a bit outdated, to say the least.

At the end of the day, this book really is about what it must’ve been like to be a young twenty something in the late sixties. It must’ve felt very current when it came out. So much of the discourse is about the Vietnam War, the civil rights movement, and the disillusionment of what the government was doing at the time, how the corruption of our institutions caused a lot of the young people to “drift” away from society. Also much a lot of discussion about relationships and the sex culture of this period. Narrated from the perspective of Fairbanks who’s a generation (maybe two) older, you get a really good sense of how it feels like the times were changing, and which parts of societal norms were rejected and/or taken for granted as the youth came up. He serves as a really good foil for the rest of the group. “Each generation has to defend its own values” is a quote which I think sums up this feeling well. You get a continued sense of worry from these older characters throughout that society might crumble once it’s in the hands of the new generation, but looking back now a few generations later, it seems this is a fear which was unwarranted.

It’s hard to read this without thinking about my own generation, drawing parallels from today to what it was like back then when Vietnam and the rejection of Lyndon B Johnson and the draft were so close to the forefront. I think of the major challenges my generation has faced which could be compared. The COVID pandemic that ripped two years of our youth away due to lockdowns that went on far too long. Continued wars in the Middle East and Ukraine. Big tech companies creating algorithms that hack our attention mechanisms for engagement. A divisive and aging government elected by a population that refuses not make concessions or create opportunities for young people (see lockdowns, see affordability crisis). Not to mention how difficult it has become for new graduates to get jobs because of the incoming AI technology. All of these things combined, I feel like there could be a serious return to this “drifting” sentiment from my generation, similar to how it existed about 60 years ago. Prior generations that subsidize the lifestyles of the more fortunate kids while they figure it out, while the less fortunate will either struggle in the wage cage or be set adrift. What’re the values of our own generation we want to defend? There’s so much more pessimism and polarization lately, it’s difficult to say. The space of ideas feels much broader now and it’s not easy refining and pinpointing them.

I do have to say, it was really tough to read this without feeling pretty discouraged about my own job, particularly how monotonous it is, without having my eyes set on bigger or meaningful or autonomous pursuits. (Moment of self reflection to notice this as a common occurrence in like over half of the novels I read lol). There’s a really great line from Fairbanks towards the end about how the leaders will come from both Michigan and Marrakech, and although he calls out that the majority of these (with a much higher success rate) will be from Michigan (meaning traditional institutions), it would be really fun to go out and explore Marrakech. And it is easy to romanticize this lifestyle, but I mean if we return to the outcomes of what actually happened to our group, I won’t give spoilers but for the majority, it wasn’t necessarily the best. I wish there was an easier way to try and chase both paths within today’s system, or at least a way to strive for some of these other goals without feeling like you’re sacrificing huge swaths of opportunity and stability on the financial side.

Lots and lots of good quotes in here. Too many to call out. The section on Pamplona was top notch, that chapter I think had to have been my favorite, but there are so many good ones. I think if I had some criticisms of the book, the first would be that setting up the six main characters took a long time, maybe a third of the book, and more generally, the pacing can kind of stall, it loses its momentum in a few places. Definitely a bit on the longer side too. I was a little confused on the narrator’s role for a bit, he goes on many tangents throughout the book, but once I was on board, I thought it was done well (although like the dude is 60 and he hangs out with 6 20 year olds for like 4 months…). Before I had my bearings though, I almost wanted these long tangents to get a bit more surreal and dreamy, almost like some Bolaño passages, ultimately wasn’t the vibe but it could’ve been and I think it really would’ve worked.

Overall, loved it. For sure hyperbole, but it’s what I was looking for. “Youth is truth”. 5/5.

Dad, if you made it this far and sometime down the line I quit my job to go romp around the globe for a period of time, all I’m saying is that it’s not my fault because you recommended this one

[Alana Weed · Rating 1 out of 5]

I would not recommend reading The Drifters by James A. Michener, actually if I were you I would stay far far away from this book. It was very hard for me to get into this book, and I got lost during the chapters very easily. I really only understood a few paragraphs from the whole book, and if I was lucky maybe a page every chapter. The most memorable thing from the book was when everyone was trying to figure out sleeping arrangements and Joe said to Britta that his bed was open. But one of them already had a significant other and they were having an affair together. Another thing I do remember is when, maybe, Joe and Britta had skinny dipped for a month before they told each other that they liked the other. Obviously I didn’t absorb and understand most of the book since I don’t remember most names and details of events.
I also didn’t like how long each chapter was and how for most it seemed that three-quarters were background about the person instead of connecting them to the rest of the story. Every chapter was about 50 pages on on single person or place. In the first chapter, Joe, half of it was background about Joe and his actions, then the story finally started. Background is a good thing but too much just feel overdone and overused. This combination make the book super slow to get through and by the end of the book I was wondering what the whole point of writing this book was.
The only thing that I was okay with about the book was the face that eventually all the chapters did connect. For example, on page 57 Michener reveals that Britta wants to go on vacation to Torremolinos. Then 5 chapters later we are in Torremolinos and all of the characters we have met so far have meet and living with each other. Overall I would not suggest reading The Drifters, unless you enjoy reading torturous and very confusing material.