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Burnt Shadows
- Narrated by: Jane McDowell
- Length: 12 hrs and 50 mins
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Burnt Shadows
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Summary
August 9th, 1945, Nagasaki. Hiroko Tanaka takes in the view of the terraced slopes leading up to the sky. Wrapped in a kimono with three black cranes swooping across the back, she is twenty-one and in love with the man she is to marry.
In a split second, the world turns white. In the next, it explodes with the sound of fire and the horror of realisation. In the numbing aftermath of a bomb that obliterates everything she has known, all that remains are the bird-shaped burns on her back, an indelible reminder of the world she has lost. In search of new beginnings, she travels to Delhi two years later....
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What listeners say about Burnt Shadows
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Veegee
- 26-07-21
Fabulous
Absolutely brilliant. Great narration. Wonderful story. Thought provoking. Really enjoyed this audio production. Really ace.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Pea
- 27-12-12
A captivating story, beautifully read.
The story spans a number of countries and captures international politics and the complexities of inter-cultural and inter-generational relationships. It's a beautifully written book (beautifully read by Jan McDowell). I never wanted to it to end, and the characters have stayed with me long after.
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5 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Ranjit
- 11-02-16
A book full of soul read beautifully
Kudos to Jane McDowell for her reading, excellent.
The story is one that kept me enchanted for the 12 hours I was listening to it. At times i had to pause for fear of my reaction in a public space . Highly recommended audiobook.
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4 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- motee
- 25-07-18
Good story, poor job with accents
I liked the story, but the narrator did a poor job with the accents (Urdu and Japanese sound alike), and Pakistani place names and words are mispronounced throughout. A little research would have helped. Still enjoyed the story overall though.
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5 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Sigrin
- 19-05-22
Beautifully written
This s a powerful story cstarting with the atomic bomb devastation in Nagasaki. The whole book covers love, loss, identity, unhappy marriage, multicultural relationships, racism, isolation, the war in Afghanistan, the rise and conquests of the mujahedin etc……
However with such a strong story line it is written with a gentleness and softness that is almost palpable.
My only criticism and this is purely personal is the narrator Jane McDowell reads the Ruth Galloway series and her distinctive voice had me flummoxed on numerous occasions when I was not sure what book I was listening too
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Mrs. P.
- 25-02-19
A different perspective
A really believable, compelling story, written from unusual and interesting perspectives. I found the narrators American accent really annoying as it was so clearly laboured and fake, but otherwise enjoyed the narration.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- P F Stockwell
- 03-05-16
An emgaging read
an engaging read on. an interesting and very relevant topic about what is happening now
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 10-06-22
Well written but depressing
A fascinating cultural exploration, however I struggled with this because the human pain was relentless and felt strangely once removed at the same time.
The narration was mixed. I was aware of being impressed by all the accents though also noticed some errors and awkward bits. Mostly I could overlook that.
I wonder if another reader would have made it a less depressing read, a more passionate one?
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- ***
- 14-10-18
My lord
Excellent writing and story. The narrator is good except - and this is a big except - her pronunciation is terrible. This occurs with words in other languages, for example essential Arabic words, and also the way characters speak English with an accent. It’s a wonder she wasn’t given any guidance on pronunciation, and a pity as a aside form that she is very good. Honestly cringed so much as basic words were said completely wrong.
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9 people found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- LeBoucher
- 09-05-20
Didn't really work for me
Much to like in this book, but ultimately I didn't find the character of Hiroko Tanaka truly three dimensional, nor credible.
I also found the narration a little hard-going with the interchange between Indian and Japanese accented English both stereo-typical and jarring.
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1 person found this helpful