Customer Reviews

The Drifters

5 star:		(47)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This book changed my life. In 1986 I actually followed the characters travels through Europe. The goal of the trip was to find the Alamo bar in Torremolinos, Spain. Even though no one had heard of such a bar and it was not listed in any business or telephone directory I did what the characters did-I wandered through the city.

At the end of a small alley was a hand scrawled sign that read "Alamo Bar". I followed the arrow and came to a tiny hole in the wall bar that had an upside down horseshoe over the door and a sign that said "Alamo Bar, open 8 til late". It seems that the people who ran the Alamo moved into a larger bar called the Stagecoach. According to the bartender, I was the second person who had found them because of the book. The other guy was from Poland and actually kissed the floor when he arrived. My copy of the book is still behind the bar waiting for the third visitor.

Five years later I met a woman who had just come back from Europe and I asked her where she visited. She replied "Have you ever heard of a book called "The Drifters"? A year and a half later she became my wife.

Read this book at the risk of changing your life too.

The Drifters is thought provoking and entertaining. If you are older you will feel nogstaltic for your younger days.

The first half of the book sets up the stories on all the main characters who are all very interesting. We see what drove them to wind up in Spain in the resort town of Torremolinos. Once everyone is situated, we follow the group throughout their journeys to Pamplona, Southern Africa, Morroco, and Portugal.

James Michener, who wrote this when he was about 60 or so, shows that he has a great understanding of the youth culture. Even though this takes place over 30 years ago, it did not seem dated as Michener captured youth's universal characteristics.

My advice to anyone who is travelling around Europe, order this book right now and take it with you in your backpack!

I am 21 years old, obviously far removed from the generation of the characters in this book. Even though it reads as dated at times, the themes are still relevant. The whole time reading it, one should stop to compare the issues of that era, the late 60's early 70's, to issues of today. The war, the situation in Israel, race relations in America. To see what these young people predicted and how they thought things should be and to see now how things are now, is fascinating. To see how things have changed or stayed the same. Despite the far out coincidences which hold the plot together & keep it moving, the act of travel and finding yourself overpowers any convenient plot twists.

I was upset to finish the book. I wanted to keep reading about these characters for as long as possible! My only gripe is the ending, it seemed too rushed. Other than that, essentially, if you have one ounce of wanderlust in your heart, you will enjoy this book.

My first Michner book was Hawaii, required reading in high school (the mid-sixties). After that i read whatever Michner book i could get my hands on. When i read The Drifters i was 18 years old and it blew me away. These characters were who i wanted to be; they did everything i wanted to do. I wanted to be them. But the further i read the more i realized i wanted to be anyone BUT them. It was a real education for a starry eyed, naive young girl. But this book is so timeless and applies to our young people perhaps even more today so i gave a copy to my 20 year old son. He's been having trouble with identity crisis and drugs and i think this gave him a new perspective. If not, it's not because of the powerful message within these pages.

I am not exaggerating when I say that The Drifters truely moved me, so much so that it changed the way I view life forever. I'm a lover of adventure and travel and the journey of life and this book gave me a new understanding of what life can be. Finally, through Michener I understand the hardships of the 60's and the effects that the Vietnam war had on the world. Before reading this book, it was hard to imagine those revolutionary times that my parents grew up in. I loved each of the six main characters in a different way. They were real and easy to relate to. And the way they became a family and took care of each other was so touching. I wanted the story to go on forever. This book is also very inspirational. It makes you want to spring forward and book a ticket on the next flight to anywhere. Someday I hope to make the journey of The Drifters.

Just as Dorothy had to travel far away from home to "find herself" (excuse the cliche)James Michener's very real characters travel to the beautiful coast of Torremolinos,Spain - to escape conventions and restrictions, to experiment with sex,drugs,love,friendship all in attempt to define and become themselves. Reminiscient of the romantic haze of the sixties - The Drifters speaks most directly to those of us who've been 'drifting' through life in search of that which lies at our very core. It chronicles our struggles, our obstacles, our hopes and narrates the story of that bumpy and incredible path on which we become ourselves - for better or for worse. An engrossing and awesome read - and a particularly good travel book! READ IT!

While I was living in Switzerland on a cultural exchange for a year, my mother would periodically send me books that she thought I might be interested in. When she sent me the Drifter's I didn't know what I was getting myself into.
For the most part, I knew what the characters were going through as they journeyed at a young age to foreign countries away from everything they knew and so I adopted a bond with the book right away. The more I read of it, the deeper it pulled me into its grasps.

Although I did not get the chance to visit Spain while in Europe, its the next stop on my itinerary of life. As soon as I get the chance, there I will be in Torremolinos, Spain.
although I have not read it in several years, the book is still one of my favorites and probably will remain one of my favorites for the duration of my life. :)
to this day, it still makes me smile.

I grabbed this book from my roommate's bookshelf one day because I had nothing to read, but I never could have guessed at the effect this book would have on my life. I read this my senior year in college, and the book gave me the courage to travel on my own after school, an experience I have since treasured. I love all six characters, all extraordinary in some way, and I loved Harvey Holt and riding the bulls in Pamplona. This is a book for the travel bug, or just for someone who wants an unforgettable experience!

I am a 15 year old girl who has just finished reading Michener's The Drifters for a second time. Although I cant relate to the turbulence and unsettling changing period in history, I can relate to the sentiments of the six characters. I agree totally with Michener when he states that "To be young is to one of the immortal Gods." Reading this, I have a clearer picture of my parents and their views and have had quite some interesting conversations with them regarding the Vietnam war and the music of the time. The Drifters, although a fictional book, has many elements of truth in it. As a youth in 2000 reading of youth in 1967, I could relate to the themes in this epic story of coming-to-being. Which makes you wonder if the generations really do differ in soul, or do we simply differ in time?

Michener has almost perfected the art of character development, and he does so from a creative angle - presenting six young adults as they unfold in the eyes of a 50 something year old man. The narrator at first watches from afar but by the end has become as caught up in the world of these adventurers as the reader is. I have never felt so close to characters as I have with these six. Nor have I ever yearned as much to actually see the places in Europe and Africa that these travelers not just visit, but experience. The rich descriptions bring the life of these places to the foreground of the novel so they almost provide a reflection of each character, with their dreams, zest for life, thirst for knowledge, and search for their own fulfillment. I ended this novel with a desire to meet each person and travel to each place, perhaps even following their exact path, perhaps with the subconscious hope of catching up with them.