
Empire of the Sun
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Narrated by:
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Jeremy Irons
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By:
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J. G. Ballard
About this listen
Jim is separated from his parents in a world at war. To survive, he must find a strength greater than all the events that surround him.
Shanghai, 1941 -- a city aflame from the fateful torch of Pearl Harbor. In streets full of chaos and corpses, a young British boy searches in vain for his parents. Imprisoned in a Japanese concentration camp, he is witness to the fierce white flash of Nagasaki, as the bomb bellows the end of the war...and the dawn of a blighted world.
Ballard's enduring novel of war and deprivation, internment camps and death marches, and starvation and survival is an honest coming-of-age tale set in a world thrown utterly out of joint.
©1987 J. G. Ballard (P)1987 Simon & SchusterListeners also enjoyed...
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"A profound and moving work of the imagination." ( Los Angeles Times Book Review)
"An incredible literary achievement....Brilliant." (Anthony Burgess)
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Overall
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Evelyn Waugh's most celebrated work is a memory drama about the intense entanglement of the narrator, Charles Ryder, with a great Anglo-Catholic family. Written during World War II, the story mourns the passing of the aristocratic world Waugh knew in his youth and vividly recalls the sensuous pleasures denied him by wartime austerities; in so doing it also provides a profound study of the conflict between the demands of religion and the desires of the flesh.
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Extraordinary
- By Vieux Carré Blonde on 12-12-12
By: Evelyn Waugh
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Manuscript Found in Accra
- By: Paulo Coelho, Margaret Jull Costa - translator
- Narrated by: Jeremy Irons
- Length: 2 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
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The latest novel from number-one internationally best-selling author Paulo Coelho is a classic of inspiration and reflection, a meditation on life, love, and the significance of change. A novel of philosophical reflection set in Jerusalem during the time of the Crusades. Here a community of Christians, Arabs, and Jews who have long lived together harmoniously have been warned of an imminent attack and certain destruction. Contemplating their demise, the community assembles to seek the wise counsel of a Greek Copt.
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Outstanding story and performance
- By Jim S on 12-13-13
By: Paulo Coelho, and others
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The Crystal World
- By: J. G. Ballard
- Narrated by: Sean Barrett
- Length: 5 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
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Through a 'leaking' of time, the West African jungle starts to crystallize. Trees are metamorphosed into enormous jewels. Crocodiles encased in second glittering skins lurch down the river. Pythons with huge blind gemstone eyes rear in heraldic poses. Fearing this transformation as a herald of the apocalypse, most flee the area in terror, afraid to face a catastrophe they cannot understand. But some, dazzled and strangely entranced, remain to drift through this dreamworld forest.
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Perfect narration for Ballard's descriptive prose
- By Miriam on 08-27-14
By: J. G. Ballard
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The Death of the Heart
- By: Elizabeth Bowen
- Narrated by: Pearl Hewitt
- Length: 13 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
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In this piercing story of innocence betrayed set in the 30s, the orphaned Portia is stranded in the sophisticated and politely treacherous world of her wealthy half-brother's home in London. There she encounters the attractive, carefree cad Eddie. To him, Portia is at once child and woman, and her fears her gushing love. To her, Eddie is the only reason to be alive. But when Eddie follows Portia to a sea-side resort, the flash of a cigarette lighter in a darkened cinema illuminates a stunning romantic betrayal.
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Beautifully Crafted Story
- By LRWord on 02-27-23
By: Elizabeth Bowen
What listeners say about Empire of the Sun
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- mrs.truthquest
- 05-12-18
A tough act to follow
I kept reading and rereading this story. This is now one of the books I can count on one hand. It ranks among the best, after a lifetime of listening to audio books.
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- Jeffrey Dreyer
- 05-11-19
Mixed feelings
There is no doubt that Jeremy Irons is a great actor. However, his delivery of this material is uniformly quiet, flat, almost inflectionless. This bothered me for much of the book until I decided this must be a choice to reflect Jim’s unflappable acceptance of all that was happening to him. Unfortunately, the sound quality of this recording is poor as well. All of this leaves me a bit undecided about this recording.
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- M.Biblioswine
- 12-29-20
I enjoyed it but it is abridged
I enjoyed it but it is abridged. It feels like things have been left out. Jeremy Irons reading is masterful.
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- Nate
- 03-22-16
Wish it was unabridged
Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?
I wouldn't recommend any abridged book to a friend, that's just not nice.
What did you like best about this story?
The story.
Which scene was your favorite?
There were a lot of them I liked, they were just too short.
Do you think Empire of the Sun needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?
No, but the unabridged version would be nice.
Any additional comments?
I like the story a lot, just not the abridged version. You might as well just watch the movie. It has young batman in it.
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4 people found this helpful
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- LVN
- 09-06-19
The one audible book to have
If you're gonna buy one audible book to immerse yourself in, this is it. Jeremy Irons reads this book like no other bringing the characters and story telling to life as vividly as it was lived. I had to listen to the last part of the the book over and over again. I lack the words to praise this audio book appropriately so I will use this cliches. It is hauntingly beautiful.
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- Anonymous User
- 01-17-23
A WW2 era classic
Always a fan of the movie and had never read the book. It is a short and well written/spoken listen.
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- Jessica Smith
- 02-29-24
I wish I had bought the unabridged version
This is the abridged version of Empire of the Sun, and I can tell that the book is probably really good. The performer is wonderful. But, I wish I had bought the entire thing and not the abridged version because I feel like I missed stuff.
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- John S
- 06-12-14
Abridged version kind of ruins it.
I love this book and found the abridged version sort of disappointing. I wish there was an unabridged one. The narration by Jeremy Irons is great though. Consequently I would recommended reading the book rather that listening to abridged version. I added it to my library because it was inexpensive and I had a $10 credit. Wish I had not.
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16 people found this helpful
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- gabriel
- 01-05-17
Well done
I grew up on this story. Listening to the audiobook made it new somehow. Wonderful narration.
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- Jesse
- 04-10-11
empire of the sun
Only giving it 4/5 because it's abridged. Why do they do this?
This is one that you will listen to a couple of times. Well done.
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9 people found this helpful