The Housing Lark cover art

The Housing Lark

Penguin Modern Classics

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The Housing Lark

By: Sam Selvon
Narrated by: Don Gilet
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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

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 hustlers and schemers, Trinidadians and Jamaicans, men and women make their dreams a reality?

©1965 Sam Selvon (P)2021 Penguin Audio Classics Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Dream

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Critic reviews

"Irreverent, spirited...a seriously funny novel." (New York Review of Books)

"Selvon's meticulously observed narratives of displaced Londoners' lives created a template for how to write about migrant, and postmigrant, London for countless writers who have followed in his wake, including Hanif Kureishi and Zadie Smith." (Caryl Phillips)
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It's a great little story with twists and turns and is well performed. I would love to see this produced as TV mini series.

Tantalising & enjoyable

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Loved the story, loved the performance, loved the picture Sam Selvon drew or contemporary London/Britain in 50s/60s - the people British & from the West Indies, the differentiations between Islanders and men & women, adults & children. Fantastically performed. A treat for the ears. And a great sense of nostalgia looking back from the first quarter of 21st century Britain

Wonderful sense of mid 20th century London

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This was a short but punchy insight into wind rush immigrants living and renting in London. The performance was flawless. It was amazing to hear the actor depict the accents of each islander. Very impressive. The ending was somewhat sudden, but an entertaining take all the same.

Marvellous insight into windrush friends

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humourius characters based on reality of British life for Westindians. keeps you interested to the end

enjoyable reading

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