On the Edge of the Great Rift: Three Novels of Africa [Paperback]

Paul Theroux (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 1996

This omnibus edition contains "Fong and the Indians", "Girls at Play" and "Jungle Lovers".

Product Details

• Paperback: 656 pages
• Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics) (October 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140248358
• ISBN-13: 978-0140248357
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,325,148 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An enjoyable compiliation, October 5, 2000

By 

William R. Douglass "Gotham Globetrotter" (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: On the Edge of the Great Rift: Three Novels of Africa (Paperback)

This is actually a compilation of three previously-published novels, set in sub-Saharan Africa. To the best of my knowledge, all three are out of print, so the publisher has done the reader a service by re-printing all three in this volume.

Each of the novels in this volume has certain merits, and all three are worth your time. As a whole, they serve to encapsulate the experience of being a foreigner in Africa, in the 1970s. By foreigner I don't just mean Caucasian; the stories are told from diverse points of view. My personal favorite is the one about a group of women running a boarding school in upcountry Uganda, but anyone who either likes the writings of Paul Theroux or has an interest in Africa would find that all three stories are worth his while.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars three well- written and topically interesting short novels, April 14, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: On the Edge of the Great Rift: Three Novels of Africa (Paperback)

I am very glad I found this paperback at the library and took a chance on it. The first novel, Fong and the Indians, concerns a hapless petty merchant in East Africa. It is delighfully politically incorrect while maintaining a sympathetic opinion of the underlying humanity of all the characters. The third, Jungle Lovers, could have been written by a heavy drinker attracted to African women, because, well, the protagonist has these characteristics. It is also well-paced and mixes politics, plot, and character quite well. I am currently reading the "second" placed novel and it is also delightfully juicy and descriptive. Overall, these books made me want to read more novels set in Africa, by Africans as well as visitors.