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Burnt Shadows

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Burnt Shadows

By: Kamila Shamsie
Narrated by: Jane McDowell
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In a prison cell in the US, a man stands trembling, naked, fearfully waiting to be shipped to Guantánamo Bay. How did it come to this? he wonders.

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....

©2009 Kamila Shamsie (P)2014 Audible, Inc. Contemporary Fiction Fiction Genre Fiction
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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.

Good story, poor job with accents

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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.

Didn't really work for me

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Absolutely brilliant. Great narration. Wonderful story. Thought provoking. Really enjoyed this audio production. Really ace.

Fabulous

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A story of love without sentimentality. Modern history crossing continents cultures ongoing consequences of war

Harrowing and beautiful

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Read beautifully, giving the story the justice it deserved - this cleverly and beautifully written story unfolds many layers, giving personal insights into wars. It allows you to feel and understand some very difficult issues in ways you might not previously have thought about.

Intwined and detailed story that reveals the sadness of war in a very personal way

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