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The Road to Wigan Pier
- Narrated by: Frederick Davidson
- Length: 7 hrs and 43 mins
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Publisher's summary
In this searing yet beautiful account of life on the bottom rung, Orwell asks himself why Socialism - which alone, he felt, could rescue human values from the ravages of industrialism - had so little appeal. His answer is a harsh critique of the Socialism and Socialists of his time.
Featured Article: 40+ Thought-Provoking George Orwell Quotes
George Orwell transformed literature with his piercing social commentary and allegorical style. His works have become so entrenched in popular culture that the term "Orwellian" is used to describe totalitarian and authoritarian societies. Orwell also wrote nonfiction books and essays that similarly express his gift for satire and controversial views on government. Throughout his writing career, he never feared tackling challenging topics, no matter how subversive.
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Story
Come on Shore and We Will Kill and Eat You All is the story of the cultural collision between Westerners and the Maoris of New Zealand, told partly as a history of the complex and bloody period of contact between Europeans and the Maoris in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, and partly as the story of Christina Thompson's marriage to a Maori man.
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a beautiful story
- By Pumpkin99 on 12-24-22
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At Home
- A Short History of Private Life
- By: Bill Bryson
- Narrated by: Bill Bryson
- Length: 16 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
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Bill Bryson and his family live in a Victorian parsonage in a part of England where nothing of any great significance has happened since the Romans decamped. Yet one day, he began to consider how very little he knew about the ordinary things of life as he found it in that comfortable home. To remedy this, he formed the idea of journeying about his house from room to room to “write a history of the world without leaving home.”
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Bryson does it again
- By Robert on 10-15-10
By: Bill Bryson
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What’s Wrong with the World
- By: G. K. Chesterton
- Narrated by: Bernard Mayes
- Length: 6 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
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In this important book, G.K. Chesterton offers a remarkably perceptive analysis of social and moral issues, even more relevant today than in his own time. With a light, humorous tone but a deadly serious philosophy, he comments on errors in education, on feminism vs. true womanhood, on the importance of the child, and other issues, using incisive arguments against the trendsetters’ assaults on the common man and the family.
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The mind that finds...
- By Darwin8u on 05-24-17
By: G. K. Chesterton
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Notes from the Underground (AmazonClassics Edition)
- By: Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Constance Garnett - translator
- Narrated by: Pete Simonelli
- Length: 4 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
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Isolated from society in a tenement basement in St. Petersburg, a malicious former civil servant vents his resentments. In the rambling notes that follow, we are exposed to the inner turmoil of the Underground Man, who represents the voice of his generation. An emotional, paranoid knot of contradictions, the spiteful narrator is also desperate to join a society he loathes, if only to prove his superiority to it.
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Amazing
- By Bryan on 02-19-19
By: Fyodor Dostoyevsky, and others
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The Gulag Archipelago, Volume 1
- An Experiment in Literary Investigation
- By: Aleksandr I. Solzhenitsyn
- Narrated by: Frederick Davidson
- Length: 25 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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Volume 1 of the gripping epic masterpiece, Solzhenitsyn's chilling report of his arrest and interrogation, which exposed to the world the vast bureaucracy of secret police that haunted Soviet society. Features a new foreword by Anne Applebaum.
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Should be required reading in US schools
- By Richard on 01-01-21
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The Town House
- By: Norah Lofts
- Narrated by: Juliet Prague, Martyn Read
- Length: 17 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
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"It was in the first week of October in the year 1391 that I first came face to face with the man who owned me… the man whose lightest word was to us, his villeins, weightier than the King’s law or the edicts of our Holy Father…” So began the story of Martin Reed - a serf whose resentment of the automatic rule of his feudal lord finally flared into open defiance.
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Another winner by Norah Lofts
- By Bird Lady 147 on 10-03-17
By: Norah Lofts
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The Pursuit of Love
- Radlett and Montdore Trilogy Series, Book 1
- By: Nancy Mitford
- Narrated by: Bessie Carter
- Length: 7 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
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Mitford's most enduringly popular novel, The Pursuit of Love, is a classic comedy about growing up and falling in love among the privileged and eccentric. Mitford modeled her characters on her own famously unconventional family. We are introduced to the Radletts through the eyes of their cousin, Fanny, who stays with them at Alconleigh, their Gloucestershire estate. Uncle Matthew is the blustering patriarch; Aunt Sadie is the vague but doting mother; and the seven Radlett children, despite the delights of their unusual childhood, are recklessly eager to grow up.
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Unlistenable
- By Michael on 10-17-21
By: Nancy Mitford
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Oil!
- By: Upton Sinclair
- Narrated by: Grover Gardner
- Length: 19 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
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As he did so masterfully in The Jungle, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Upton Sinclair interweaves social criticism with human tragedy to create an unforgettable portrait of Southern California's early oil industry. Enraged by the oil scandals of the Harding administration in the 1920s, Sinclair tells a gripping tale of avarice, corruption, and class warfare, featuring a cavalcade of characters, including senators, oil magnates, Hollywood film starlets, and a crusading evangelist.
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an outstanding book
- By Gregory on 05-18-08
By: Upton Sinclair
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The Gulag Archipelago 1918-1956
- An Experiment in Literary Investigation
- By: Aleksandr I. Solzhenitsyn
- Narrated by: Ignat Solzhenitsyn
- Length: 21 hrs and 53 mins
- Abridged
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The Nobel Prize winner’s towering masterpiece of world literature, the searing record of four decades of terror and oppression, in one abridged volume (authorized by the author). Features a new foreword by Anne Applebaum.
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Mandatory reading in Russia, not USA. Why?
- By Arlon James on 11-07-20
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Eugenics and Other Evils
- By: G. K. Chesterton
- Narrated by: Derek Perkins
- Length: 4 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
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During the first three decades of the 20th century, eugenics, the scientific control of human breeding, was a popular cause within enlightened and progressive segments of the English-speaking world. This prophetic volume counters the intellectual nihilism of Nietzsche, while simultaneously rebuking Western notions of progress - biological or otherwise. Chesterton expands his criticism of eugenics into what he calls "a more general criticism of the modern craze for scientific officialism and strict social organization."
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Truly Great!
- By No to Statism on 07-26-19
By: G. K. Chesterton
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- By: George Orwell
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- Length: 8 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
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George Bowling, an insurance salesman, hits middle age and feels impelled to “come up for air” from his life of quiet desperation. With seventeen pounds he has won at a race, he steals a vacation from his wife and family and pays a visit to Lower Binfield, the village where he grew up, to fish for carp in a pool he remembers from thirty years before. But the pool is gone, Lower Binfield has changed beyond recognition, and the principal event of Bowling’s holiday is an accidental bombing by the RAF.
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Orwell Flirts and Fishes w/ Nostalgia & Modernity.
- By Darwin8u on 07-10-12
By: George Orwell
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Homage to Catalonia
- By: George Orwell
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In 1936, George Orwell went to Spain to report on the civil war and instead joined the P.O.U.M. militia to fight against the Fascists. In this now justly famous account of his experience, he describes both the bleak and the comic aspects of trench warfare on the Aragon front, the Barcelona uprising in May 1937, his nearly fatal wounding just two weeks later, and his escape from Barcelona into France after the P.O.U.M. was suppressed.
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Excellent book, marred by narration
- By Kirby on 02-02-13
By: George Orwell
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Down and Out in Paris and London
- By: George Orwell
- Narrated by: Frederick Davidson
- Length: 6 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
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Orwell's own experiences inspire this semi-autobiographical novel about a man living in Paris in the early 1930s without a penny. The narrator's poverty brings him into contact with strange incidents and characters, which he manages to chronicle with great sensitivity and graphic power. The latter half of the book takes the English narrator to his home city, London, where the world of poverty is different in externals only.
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The King of Boldness, Clearness, and Audacity
- By Darwin8u on 05-21-12
By: George Orwell
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Such, Such Were the Joys and Other Essays
- By: George Orwell
- Narrated by: Frederick Davidson
- Length: 12 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
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Viewed as too libelous to print in England until 1968, the title essay in this collection reveals the abuse Orwell experienced as a child at an expensive and snobbish boarding school and offers insights into his lifelong concern for the oppressed. "Why I Write" describes Orwell's sense of political purpose, and the classic essay "Politics and the English Language" insists on clarity and precision in communication in order to avoid the Newspeak later described in 1984.
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Superb collection of essays, very well read
- By Christopher on 07-07-11
By: George Orwell
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A Clergyman's Daughter
- By: George Orwell
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- Length: 10 hrs and 17 mins
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Dorothy Hare, the dutiful daughter of a rector in Suffolk, spends her days performing good works and cultivating good thoughts, pricking her arm with a pin when a bad thought arises. She does her best to reconcile her father’s fanciful view of his position in the world with such realities as the butcher’s bill. But even Dorothy’s strength has its limits, and one night, as she works feverishly on costumes for the church-school play, she blacks out. When she comes to, she finds herself on a London street, clad in a sleazy dress and unaware of her identity.
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Bottom-Shelf Orwell, but still G-D Orwell
- By Darwin8u on 08-11-19
By: George Orwell
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Burmese Days
- A Novel
- By: George Orwell
- Narrated by: Frederick Davidson
- Length: 10 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
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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.
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A Sad, Fierce and Ambitious Colonial Novel
- By Darwin8u on 11-08-12
By: George Orwell
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Coming up for Air
- By: George Orwell
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- Unabridged
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-
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George Bowling, an insurance salesman, hits middle age and feels impelled to “come up for air” from his life of quiet desperation. With seventeen pounds he has won at a race, he steals a vacation from his wife and family and pays a visit to Lower Binfield, the village where he grew up, to fish for carp in a pool he remembers from thirty years before. But the pool is gone, Lower Binfield has changed beyond recognition, and the principal event of Bowling’s holiday is an accidental bombing by the RAF.
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Orwell Flirts and Fishes w/ Nostalgia & Modernity.
- By Darwin8u on 07-10-12
By: George Orwell
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Homage to Catalonia
- By: George Orwell
- Narrated by: Frederick Davidson
- Length: 8 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
-
Story
In 1936, George Orwell went to Spain to report on the civil war and instead joined the P.O.U.M. militia to fight against the Fascists. In this now justly famous account of his experience, he describes both the bleak and the comic aspects of trench warfare on the Aragon front, the Barcelona uprising in May 1937, his nearly fatal wounding just two weeks later, and his escape from Barcelona into France after the P.O.U.M. was suppressed.
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Excellent book, marred by narration
- By Kirby on 02-02-13
By: George Orwell
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Down and Out in Paris and London
- By: George Orwell
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- Length: 6 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Orwell's own experiences inspire this semi-autobiographical novel about a man living in Paris in the early 1930s without a penny. The narrator's poverty brings him into contact with strange incidents and characters, which he manages to chronicle with great sensitivity and graphic power. The latter half of the book takes the English narrator to his home city, London, where the world of poverty is different in externals only.
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-
The King of Boldness, Clearness, and Audacity
- By Darwin8u on 05-21-12
By: George Orwell
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Such, Such Were the Joys and Other Essays
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- Narrated by: Frederick Davidson
- Length: 12 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Viewed as too libelous to print in England until 1968, the title essay in this collection reveals the abuse Orwell experienced as a child at an expensive and snobbish boarding school and offers insights into his lifelong concern for the oppressed. "Why I Write" describes Orwell's sense of political purpose, and the classic essay "Politics and the English Language" insists on clarity and precision in communication in order to avoid the Newspeak later described in 1984.
-
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Superb collection of essays, very well read
- By Christopher on 07-07-11
By: George Orwell
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A Clergyman's Daughter
- By: George Orwell
- Narrated by: Richard Brown
- Length: 10 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Dorothy Hare, the dutiful daughter of a rector in Suffolk, spends her days performing good works and cultivating good thoughts, pricking her arm with a pin when a bad thought arises. She does her best to reconcile her father’s fanciful view of his position in the world with such realities as the butcher’s bill. But even Dorothy’s strength has its limits, and one night, as she works feverishly on costumes for the church-school play, she blacks out. When she comes to, she finds herself on a London street, clad in a sleazy dress and unaware of her identity.
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Bottom-Shelf Orwell, but still G-D Orwell
- By Darwin8u on 08-11-19
By: George Orwell
-
Burmese Days
- A Novel
- By: George Orwell
- Narrated by: Frederick Davidson
- Length: 10 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
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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.
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A Sad, Fierce and Ambitious Colonial Novel
- By Darwin8u on 11-08-12
By: George Orwell
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Keep the Aspidistra Flying
- By: George Orwell
- Narrated by: Richard E. Grant
- Length: 9 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
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Gordon Comstock loathes dull, middle-class respectability and worship of money. He gives up a 'good job' in advertising to work part-time in a bookshop, giving him more time to write. But he slides instead into a self-induced poverty that destroys his creativity and his spirit. Only Rosemary, ever-faithful Rosemary, has the strength to challenge his commitment to his chosen way of life.
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Gordon's Grey World is Colored with Grant
- By Timothy on 09-25-11
By: George Orwell
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Shooting an Elephant
- By: George Orwell
- Narrated by: Peter Noble
- Length: 22 mins
- Unabridged
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Shooting an Elephant describes the experience of the English narrator, possibly Orwell himself, called upon to shoot an aggressive elephant while working as a police officer in Burma. Because the locals expect him to do the job, he does so against his better judgment, his anguish increased by the elephant's slow and painful death. The story is regarded as a metaphor for colonialism as a whole, and for Orwell's view that 'when the white man turns tyrant it is his own freedom that he destroys'.
By: George Orwell
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The Lion and the Unicorn
- By: George Orwell
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- Length: 3 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
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George Orwell's moving reflections on the English character and his passionate belief in the need for political change. 'The Lion and the Unicorn' was written in London during the worst period of the Blitz. It is vintage Orwell, a dynamic outline of his belief in socialism, patriotism and an English revolution. His fullest political statement, it has been described as 'one of the most moving and incisive portraits of the English character' and is as relevant now as it ever has been.
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Very enlightening
- By Polk on 04-25-22
By: George Orwell
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George Orwell: A Sage for All Seasons
- By: Michael Shelden, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Michael Shelden
- Length: 10 hrs and 19 mins
- Original Recording
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George Orwell was more than just a writer. He was a political and social sage who valued, above all else, individual freedom. His works aren’t just entertainment - they’re cautionary tales and red flags of warning. And if we ever hope to understand threats to freedom and how to stop them, we must learn from them. In these 24 lectures, learn how the man born as Eric Blair forged himself into a writer of international importance and renown.
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A breath of fresh air to a book weary soul
- By Mike miller on 03-18-20
By: Michael Shelden, and others
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Essays
- By: George Orwell
- Narrated by: Alex Hyde-White
- Length: 25 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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With great originality and wit, Orwell unfolds his views on subjects ranging from a revaluation of Charles Dickens to the nature of Socialism, from a comic yet profound discussion of naughty seaside postcards to a spirited defense of English cooking. Displaying an almost unrivalled mastery of English plain prose, Orwell’s essays created a unique literary manner from the process of thinking aloud and continue to challenge, move, and entertain.
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Great Content; Would benefit from chapter names
- By Laimis on 08-15-20
By: George Orwell
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Devils
- By: Fyodor Dostoevsky
- Narrated by: George Guidall
- Length: 28 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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Exiled to four years in Siberia, but hailed by the end of his life as a saint, prophet, and genius, Fyodor Dostoevsky holds an exalted place among the best of the great Russian authors. One of Dostoevsky’s five major novels, Devils follows the travails of a small provincial town beset by a band of modish radicals - and in so doing presents a devastating depiction of life and politics in late 19th-century Imperial Russia.
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Excellent translation and narration
- By L. Kerr on 09-06-13
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The Painted Bird
- By: Jerzy Kosinski
- Narrated by: Fred Berman, Michael Aronov
- Length: 10 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
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A harrowing story that follows the wanderings of a boy abandoned by his parents during World War II, The Painted Bird is a dark masterpiece that examines the proximity of terror and savagery to innocence and love. It is the first, and the most famous, novel by one of the most important and original writers of this century.
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A guided tour of Hell.
- By Shawn on 12-01-11
By: Jerzy Kosinski
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Brave New World
- By: Aldous Huxley
- Narrated by: Michael York
- Length: 8 hrs
- Unabridged
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When Lenina and Bernard visit a savage reservation, we experience how Utopia can destroy humanity. Cloning, feel-good drugs, anti-aging programs, and total social control through politics, programming, and media: has Aldous Huxley accurately predicted our future? With a storyteller's genius, he weaves these ethical controversies in a compelling narrative that dawns in the year 632 A.F. (After Ford, the deity). When Lenina and Bernard visit a savage reservation, we experience how Utopia can destroy humanity.
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Michael York should stick to the stage and leave narration to the pros.
- By SD on 08-21-19
By: Aldous Huxley
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Down and out in Paris and London
- By: George Orwell
- Narrated by: Carl Mason
- Length: 7 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
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Down and out in Paris and London is the first full-length work by the English author George Orwell, published in 1933. It is a memoir in two parts on the theme of poverty in the two cities. The first part is an account of living in near-destitution in Paris and the experience of casual labour in restaurant kitchens. The second part is a travelogue of life on the road in and around London from the tramp's perspective, with descriptions of the types of hostel accommodation available and some of the characters to be found living on the margins.
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excellent book
- By toby Perry on 05-24-22
By: George Orwell
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Modern Man in Search of a Soul
- By: Carl Jung
- Narrated by: Christopher Prince
- Length: 9 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
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Modern Man in Search of a Soul is the classic introduction to the thought of Carl Jung. Along with Freud and Adler, Jung was one of the chief founders of modern psychiatry. In this book, Jung examines some of the most contested and crucial areas in the field of analytical psychology: dream analysis, the primitive unconscious, and the relationship between psychology and religion.
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Could have almost been an automated text reader
- By Chicken Love on 04-24-15
By: Carl Jung
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Animal Farm
- By: George Orwell
- Narrated by: Ralph Cosham
- Length: 3 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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George Orwell's classic satire of the Russian Revolution is an intimate part of our contemporary culture, quoted so often that we tend to forget who wrote the original words! This must-read is also a must-listen!
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If you hate spoilers, save the intro for last.
- By Dusty on 02-18-11
By: George Orwell
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The Invisible Man
- By: H. G. Wells
- Narrated by: James Adams
- Length: 5 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
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On a freezing February day, a stranger emerges from out of the gray to request a room at a local provincial inn. Who is this out-of-season traveler? More confounding is the thick mask of bandages obscuring his face. Why does he disguise himself in this manner and keep himself hidden away in his room? Aroused by trepidation and curiosity, the local villagers bring it upon themselves to find the answers.
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Way ahead of its time!
- By Brian on 06-06-13
By: H. G. Wells
What listeners say about The Road to Wigan Pier
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Braden
- 10-21-11
Very interesting book by a socialist in the 1930s!
This book is an interesting and detailed insight into the life of the working class in England in the 1930s, as well as into the thinking life of the intellectual socialists of that time. Mind you, most of the predictions Orwell made about the bleakness of the future of industrialization, and the inevitablility of socialism's adoption were way off-target, but then he didn't have the historical record of socialism's abject economic failures to draw upon as we do today, since it was almost all in the future at that time.
Nevertheless the way he analyzes from every angle, the thinking of socialists and non-socialists alike, is fascinating. What an intelligent man he was (I know, I know, if he was so intelligent, why did he get the future and the workability of socialism as an economic model so wrong? But I already addressed that in the last paragraph). Also, the details he describes in the everyday are a testimony to his incredible way with words.
The narrator's snobbish-sounding upper-class British dialect adds a lot to the reading, capturing the spirit of condescencion that Orwell clearly had for all sorts of groups he describes, whether socialists or non-socialists.
A first-class listen. I almost couldn't put it down.
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- Mark Brady
- 12-24-20
Hard to believe that was so recent
Orwell starts by recounting the living conditions of, what Victor Davis Hanson has termed, the muscular class. Post-war England’s working poor (or not working) dealt with conditions that are hard to comprehend. Made me chuckle when I think of the American college student rebelling against the ‘slave wages’ of $12/hour. After listening to this you’ll look at your bathtub or shower and H&C faucets with a sort of lust and relief.
The end of the book is a recipe for winning the cultural/political battle against the rise of Fascism. Still apropos to this day.
Worth your time to be sure.
Oh, and pay attentions to the last few paragraphs of the first 6 chapters. He polished them to a mirror-like finish with a razor’s edge.
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- William
- 09-02-20
Still relevant
Enjoyed very much. Many of Orwell’s observations remain relevant today. Perhaps not the one about the working class smelling bad!
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- chad johnson
- 12-26-22
modestly interesting
repossessed by Jordan Peterson, the last few chapters about fascism, socialism, capitalism, etc, were the best. Neat insight into the common man's world at the time. typically I don't like this Blackstone narrator, but he didn't overly dramatized his accent in this treating, somehow.
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- Scott A Kessler
- 12-29-20
The book is excellent the introduction sucks
I would highly recommend that you skip the introduction as it is written by a bore.
Unfortunately the into is part of the first chapter so you will have to manually fast forward about 26 minutes to start the actual book. Orwell is a master at his craft. Enjoy!
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- Kevin Fechter
- 01-24-20
Best read in the full context of Orwell
A well written book with great insight on the living conditions of the early 20th century and the overall political movement of that time. A very Pro-Socialist, Anti-Facist message was given by Orwell in his earlier books like this one. Orwell was spot on about Fascism and what it would do to Europe, but it is an interesting look at his early views on Socialism, a political view he would later begin to reject. This is why I would highly suggest this read (or listen), but I would make sure to read his other books after this one to make sure you understand the full context and evolution of Orwell's views on politics and culture.
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- Marie
- 03-18-19
Two books in one
I bought this because Jordon Peterson mentioned it a few times in his lectures and I figured I would buy it. So what I got was something like two books.
The first half of the book is describing the terrible living conditions of people living in Wigan Pier in the North of England circa 1937. Orwell was staying in a lodging house in a room cramped in with several men. Yet the most disgusting thing he described in this house was the food. The man of the house would hand him bread with a dirty looking black thumb on the bread. He also described this same person carrying a chamber pot (where you poop and pee in) with that same thumb resting on the inside of the bowl.
The second half of the book is more a reflection on Socialist in Britain at the time. A critic of Socialists and what they are doing wrong and what's wrong about them. The forward is a critic of this critic. So the forward, by another person, attacks the second part of the book long before you get to it. Anyway, Socialists aren't the only people he seems to have a problem with, he'll include adult Catholic converts like Chesterton, and authors such as HG Wells and DH Lawrence. He also has a healthy dose of criticism for himself and his attitude towards class and his middle class identity that is very much a part of him.
The narrator is wonderful, however I could have sworn I heard some background voices in the recording. Overall the narration was great, because it was in a British accent.
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- Anonymous User
- 02-14-22
Narrator was perfect.
This narrator was perfect for this role. He captured Orwell’s smugness perfectly. Good book with interesting perspective.
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- Ted
- 03-10-22
Indispensable Orwell — both parts are fascinating
The first part of this book, recounting Orwell’s experiences among the working class in the Midlands, is really quite riveting, especially the first chapter, which details his days boarding above a tripe shop, an establishment so horrendously filthy that Orwell’s disgusted description of it is (deliberately) hilarious. It’s a marvelous piece of journalism.
The second part of the book comprises his observations on the English class system and on his fellow English socialists, whom he skewers, at times, quite amusingly. His reminiscences about the role of class in his own background was fascinating to me; I hadn’t realized quite how much the middle and upper classes regarded the working class in Orwell’s day as virtually a different species.
I’ve mentioned elsewhere how unlucky Orwell was in having a reader like Frederick Davidson, so I’ll repeat what I said: I can’t keep track of whether “Richard Brown,” “Joseph Porter,” and “Frederick Davidson” are one and the same person or a couple of different readers who sound the same, but — assuming it’s one person — he’s the very worst reader Orwell could have had (and Davidson is credited with a number of the books): He sounds like a parody of a snobbish, effeminate head waiter and has exactly the sort of exaggeratedly effete accent that Orwell himself detested. To compound his faults, he reads every sentence the same, without understanding, going UP after each clause, again and again, then DOWN at the end. What a shame Orwell has gotten stuck with him.
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- Jay Quintana
- 11-18-14
Nice sketches of people and places.
What did you love best about The Road to Wigan Pier?
Orwell paints vivid portraits of people and place. Got claustrophobic listening to him write about visiting a mine.
What was one of the most memorable moments of The Road to Wigan Pier?
The aforementioned visit to the mine.
What does Frederick Davidson bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
I thought he did a serviceable job.
Any additional comments?
The problem I had with the book is half of it, it seems, is devoted to Orwell's thoughts on government. Frankly, it wasn't interesting at all. This book needed more people, less ideas.
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