Continental Drift: Amazon.ca: Russell Banks: Books

Product Description

From Publishers Weekly

On the extravagant, shallow promises of his brother, Bob Dubois, 30, a burnt-out New Hampshire oil burner repairman, takes his family to Florida. There the Duboises meet their destiny in the form of a counterpoint familythat of Vanise Dorsinville, a woman who has fled Haiti with her infant and nephew for a better life in the U.S. PW praised Continental Drift as a "vital, compelling novel."
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.

--James Atlas, The Atlantic

"A great American novel...a lesson in history...It is the most convincing portrait I know of contemporary America."

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Customer Reviews

8 Reviews

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

Average Customer Review

4.2 out of 5 stars (8 customer reviews)

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Most helpful customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Almost Too deep, May 12 2002

By	Haitianlover (Tallahassee, Florida) - See all my reviews

This book was suggested to me by a professor (Preston Allen, author of the fine novel Hoochie Mama), whose opinion I respect very much; and thus, I continued reading even when I felt overwhelmed with emotion and was ultimately rewarded with a story that is really two stories. Mr. Banks is perhaps the finest writer I have ever read, his prose refined to the point of being almost too self-conscious. He is a master at making the reader FEEL for his characters. So I followed the main character from the Northeast to Miami, as he fled his boring life and found himself in more trouble than he knew was possible. That first story, surface story, works because of rich writing and some semblance of plot. As a Haitian American, I had a serious problem with the second main story (especially because of Banks' fine style), Claude and Vanise's story. I wept. It was fiction, but I wept. I remembered how I came here as a small boy. I remembered what happened to my mother, but I won't go into that. And I was angry because Mr. Banks is not Haitian. I kept waiting for him to get it wrong--there were some stereotypical things, but they were minor. This is the story I kept wishing someone would write. Both Haitians and Cubans see Miami as a haven from poverty and political oppression in their countries, but America usually sees only the Cubans as deserving of refuge. I am still a bit bothered that Banks is not Haitian, but for selfish reasons I wish every American would read this book. I number it among my favorites of all time.

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3.0 out of 5 stars Too Much Ado, April 12 2002

By A Customer

A nice novel, but I'm surprised to see the effusive responses here. To me the novel badly lost steam in the second half, and many of the characteers we see there (Ave Boone, Honduras, the neighbors in the trailer park) are very thin and stereotyped. I thought Bob's character was weakened by dialog like "There's nothing wrong with her that a little discipline couldn't cure!" when referring to daughter Ruthie's emotional problems. That's a line right out of a bad TV drama. Also, the in-depth look at Haitian ritual, which was probably very attractive to some readers, didn't work for me. I kinda felt like I was being lectured to about Haitian culture by a white guy from New England . Having said that, I did enjoy the book (especially as I read it on the heels of Robert Olen Butler's shockingly bad "The Deep Green Sea") and won't hesitate to read more of Banks's work.

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2.0 out of 5 stars As I read, I was filled with hope., Jan 4 2002

By	Frank J. Aredia "zebulonbooks" (The Greater Chicago Metropolitan Area) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

In the end I was disappointed. Throughout the book two separate stories take place. One is a record of Bob Dubois, whose life is ruled by circumstances and bad life management skills. The other tells of Vanise Dorsinville, a young Haitian woman, who struggles to survive as she makes her way to America. Neither is a pretty story, and when the two characters finally meet it gets even worse. When I finished reading this book I was angry at myself for muddling through all the italicized Haitian accent dialogue and French Creole voodoo terminology. Yah mon, true!

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Most recent customer reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars An outstanding read!
We meet the protagonist, Bob Dubois who is tired of his rather boring life in New Hampshire. The whole family packs up and they get ready for the better life in Florida, where Bob... Read more

Published on Aug 18 2001 by Hilde B

5.0 out of 5 stars The Great American Novel
This book is underrated and underappreciated. All who want to find, read (or write) The Great American Novel should start and stop here. This is it. Read more

Published on Jun 14 2001 by Ellen M. Shapiro

5.0 out of 5 stars Petr Lynch's review of Continental Drift
CONTINENTAL DRIFT

My choice book Continental Drift was a very enjoyable book for me to read. It had a strong plot and many good characters with whom I could easily relate to... Read more

Published on May 18 2001 by Petr Lynch

5.0 out of 5 stars Morally adrift in contemporary America
Truly a great book of the past few decades. Continental Drift parallels the lives of two individuals co-existing in North America. Read more

Published on Jan 8 2001 by TerryB

5.0 out of 5 stars This book will shake you up - Immensely powerful!
This is an almost perfectly crafted book. With the exception of maybe one or two scenes that were slightly confusing, this is one of those extremely rare books where after... Read more

Published on Oct 12 2000 by The Gooch