Animal Farm

By: George Orwell

Narrated by: Simon Callow

Length: 3 hrs and 11 mins

Publisher's summary

Animal Farm is George Orwell's great socio-political allegory set in a farmyard, where the animals decide to seize the farmer's land and create a co-operative that reaps the benefits of their combined labours.

However, as with all great political plans, some animals see a bigger share of the rewards than others, and the animals start to question their supposed utopia. They decide that working for humans is doing them no favours, so under the leadership of Napoleon, the only Berkshire Boar on the farm, and the other pigs, they drive out the farmer and his cohorts and set about structuring their own society.Based on a list of supposedly animal-friendly rules such as "four legs good, two legs baaaaad", the animals work together to harvest their own food and run their own farm. However, little by little, the rules begin to mysteriously change, and the pigs seem to gain power little by little, making the animals question what society they were striving for in the first place and whether their new-found freedom is as liberating as they might have hoped.

With direct allusions to political figures such as Lenin, Marx, Trotsky, Stalin, and Molitov, to name but a few, Animal Farm is one of the greatest socio-political works of all time, and this UNABRIDGED audio does it absolute justice.

©1945 George Orwell Estate (P)2009 CSA Word

I Don't Remember It Being This Good In High School

Would you listen to Animal Farm again? Why?

Yes, It is an interesting commentry on society.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Boxer. His strength and deturmination where impressive

Which scene was your favorite?

The Pigs realising they had been paid for the wood with a fake note.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Boxer being tricked into being taken to the Knackers

Essential

Everyone should buy this audiobook, whether you’ve read Animal Farm previously, or not.

For those familiar with the story, there is so much joy to be had from Simon Callow’s fantastic and fantastical reading. From the first sentence, I was mesmerized. His interpretation of Stalin… sorry… I mean Napoleon… is a delight. And at just over 3h, why not revisit the material?

For those who haven’t read the book before, what a great introduction. I’m not an expert on the Soviet revolution and the subsequent Stalin cult of personality, so Animal Farm – for me – remains the best and simplest allegory of this strange period of human history. Because the symbols have been boiled down to their most basic elements, I wouldn’t describe anything here as “dazzling”. But it’s this very simplicity that will keep you engaged. Strip away all the metaphor and dystopia, and you’ll see that Animal Farm is also a touching and charming story.

Insightful and relevant to our day and age

The insight of Orwell into the mechanism with which leftism drives reason out... Truly brilliant.

Just as relevant as it ever was!

Magnificent and clever story. Brilliant writing and so very relevant. Come on sheeple - wake up!
If you have never experienced this book it is worth every minute. Everyone should hear this book at least once.

Thought Provoking

It's one of those stories I can't honestly say I liked due to the subject matter but am glad I listened to. Read excellently by Simon Cowell so much do I put off listening to certain portions of the book.

Great Preformance

loved it. It is a great story and the voice performance was astounding. I would recommend.

Great short read on development of communism

Loved the book and how it reflects a journey of a fictional society that adopts communism as a ruling form. A great read with a simple explanation about how communism works in an isolated setting. Easy to listen, a relaxing story, very short.

Amazing Production

Already a great book, but made even more entertaining through the awesome voiceover and sound effects.

+

Loved the book and the listening experience. Became a fan of audio books. Starting the next asap

Excellent and still perfectly relevant

If you could sum up Animal Farm in three words, what would they be?

Thought provoking Read and strongly reminding me of 'King Rat' or 'Lord of the Rings'

What was one of the most memorable moments of Animal Farm?

Molly's escape

Which scene was your favorite?

Final scene

If you could rename Animal Farm, what would you call it?

Irrational Revolution

Any additional comments?

Orwell's 'Lord of the Rings'