Burmese Days Audiobook By George Orwell cover art

Burmese Days

A Novel

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Burmese Days

By: George Orwell
Narrated by: Frederick Davidson
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Colonial politics in Kyauktada, India, in the 1920s, come to a head when the European Club, previously for whites only, is ordered to elect one token native member. The deeply racist members do their best to manipulate the situation, resulting in the loss not only of reputations but of lives.

Amid this cynical setting, timber merchant James Flory, a Brit with a genuine appreciation for the native people and culture, stands as a bridge between the warring factions. But he has trouble acting on his feelings, and the significance of his vote, both social and political, weighs on him. When Elizabeth Lackersteen arrives - blonde, eligible, and anti-intellectual - Flory finds himself the hapless suitor.

Orwell alternates between grand-scale political intrigue and nuanced social interaction, mining his own Colonial Indian heritage to create a monument of historical fiction.

George Orwell (1903–1950), the pen name of Eric Arthur Blair, was an English novelist, essayist, and critic. He was born in India and educated at Eton. After service with the Indian Imperial Police in Burma, he returned to Europe to earn his living by writing and became notable for his simplicity of style and his journalistic or documentary approach to fiction.

©1934 George Orwell (P)1992 Blackstone Audio, Inc. Classics Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Literary Fiction Burmese Days

Critic reviews

“A well integrated, fast-moving story of what life was like in a remote backcountry Asiatic station.” (Chicago Tribune)
Historical Insight • Colonial Critique • Excellent Character Voices • Cultural Commentary • Authentic Setting
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To this day, Burma (Myanmar) has never known peace. Many of the British despised them, not training them to run an independent country. Orwell captures this extremely well in his early 1930's depiction of life in an out-the-away upcountry station in Burma that then was a part of India. The novel at times is repetitive and could have used a good editing, which probably was not available to an unknown author during the depression. The audiobook is enhanced by a fine narration Fredrick Davidson.

Orwell's first novel, published nearly 90 years ag

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"Burmese days" is more reminiscent of Somerset Maugham than of Orwell, I think.

The pitiless dissection of the characters, of their ways and the vacuous reason which sets the plot in motion are what makes this book well worth listening to. The reference to Burma is almost incidental.

I was not overjoyed with the performance but possibly it is just me finding the voice of the narrator irksome.

It is a good book, not a masterpiece

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Better than Paul Theroux's Burma Sahib which lifted a lot from Orwell's modestly (at the time) received novel based on his experiences in Burma.

Orwell's story and the narration

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It’s a story of the end of the British colonial days in Burma, with the white skinned overlords ruling over the dark skinned native savages. Meanwhile the protagonist is trying to get a woman to marry him. I enjoyed it, thanks to the amazing narrator...

Amazing narrator.

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Orwells magnum opus of the glory of the britisj raj at its height. joy and pain.

dramatic funny and real

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Why bother reading reviews of such an important book in an open forum like this?

Brilliant.

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The author writes a believable story where you at times hope things turn out well for a character and then are reminded that these are flawed people who don't necessarily merit happy endings.

Poetic and well written

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The setting, the era in which the story is told. I had just finished the Paul Theroux book Burma Sahib and wanted further insight. I found it!

the charactors

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Like any brilliant author, George Orwell was a keen observer of human nature. This book delivers a scathing insight—and consequently, a loathing condemnation of a decadent society crippled by both English imperialism and rampant racism. His repudiation of colonialism and its inherent injustices is aptly made clear. I highly recommend this very entertaining novel.

Unforgettable story

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Orwell is amazing author. If you want to understand theBritish Empire this book is a must

Orwell . Most likely the best author of the last century

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