Kosina

I first read this in the 80's when my native Czechoslovakia was still an Animal Farm. I appreciate Orwell's foresight even more, now that most of Eastern Europe is back to Manor Farms - with "reconciliation" with the West proceeding almost exactly as predicted in the final chapter.

Narration is good and the easy British accent fits well with the setting and Orwell's overall sardonic tone.

So like lot of people I skipped this one in high school, but now understand why its a classic. Steinbeck won a Nobel prize for literature for a reason.

I really liked Baker's performance, too - it borders on acting, but never in an obtrusive way, he strikes just the right balance there.

Riveting story in a larger socio-political backdrop that Tea Party fans should listen to at some point.

That said, I did not like Affleck's narration too much. His tone is almost dis-interested at the beginning, with a lazy pronunciation of sorts. However, it somehow gets better (or I just got used to him) later on and the distraction is not enough to ultimately get in the way of this classic.