AuthorSam Selvon
NarratorCarl Mason
Duration4h 10m
CategoriesYoung Adult and Teen Fiction
Key StageKS3
PublisherInhouse
VersionUnabridged
At Waterloo Station, hopeful new arrivals from the West Indies step off the boat train, ready to start afresh in 1950s London. There, homesick Moses Aloetta, who has already lived in the city for years, meets Henry 'Sir Galahad' Oliver and shows him the ropes. In this strange, cold and foggy city where the natives can be less than friendly at the sight of a black face, has Galahad met his Waterloo? But the irrepressible newcomer cannot be cast down. He and all the other lonely new Londoners - from shiftless Cap to Tolroy, whose family has descended on him from Jamaica - must try to create a new life for themselves. As pessimistic 'old veteran' Moses watches their attempts, they gradually learn to survive and come to love the heady excitements of London.
Author: Sam Selvon
Author Sam Selvon
Narrator Don Gilet
Duration 4h 31m
Sitting in his cramped basement room in Brixton, Battersby dreams of money, women, a T-bone steak - and a place to call his own. So he and a group of friends decide to save up and buy a house together. But amid grasping landlords, the temptations of spending money and the less-than-welcoming attitude of the Mother Country, can this motley group of...
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Anonymous 30 Mar 2023
Amazing narration that brings the story to life
I am studying this book in my Black British Literature module at University. In analysing this book, the author's use of phonetic patois in the narrative is a crucial pillar of this narrative. The narrator of this novel made the book a pleasure to read. Not only did the aural form eliminate the need to not only read, but semi translate the vocabulary as well, he perfectly encapsulated the cultural significance of this novel's format. There are words I wouldn't have been able to decipher if not for the impeccable narration, as my ties to my Caribbean heritage do not relate to the written format, only the verbal. It brought an important element of familiarity, that without it, would've been a disservice to the author and his intentions with this narrative. Not only was reading this novel made more enjoyable through the narrator's skill, it also alleviated the hurdles I can face with reading as a result of my ADHD.