Plain Tales from the Hills

Named a "prophet of British imperialism" by the young George Orwell, and born in Bombay, India, Rudyard Kipling had perhaps the clearest contemporary eye of any who described the British Raj. According to critic Douglas Kerr: "He is still an author who can inspire passionate disagreement and his place in literary and cultural history is far from settled. But as the age of the European empires recedes, he is recognised as an incomparable, if controversial, interpreter of how empire was experienced. That, and an increasing recognition of his extraordinary narrative gifts, make him a force to be reckoned with." This force shines in THE PLAIN TALES FROM THE HILLS. -- MH . (Introduction by Mike Harris) (7 hr 3 min)

Chapters

01 - Lispeth	10:51	Read by Mike Harris
02 - Three And—An Extra	8:37	Read by Mike Harris
03 - Thrown Away	16:51	Read by Mike Harris
04 - Miss Youghal's Sais	11:22	Read by Mike Harris
05 - Yoked With An Unbeliever	8:55	Read by Mike Harris
06 - False Dawn	16:32	Read by Mike Harris
07 - The Rescue Of Pluffles	10:57	Read by Mike Harris
08 - Cupid's Arrows	10:02	Read by Mike Harris
09 - His Chance In Life	11:59	Read by Mike Harris
10 - Watches Of The Night	11:57	Read by Mike Harris
11 - The Other Man	8:10	Read by Mike Harris
12 - Consequences	11:16	Read by Mike Harris
13 - The Conversion Of Aurelian Mcgoggin	11:12	Read by Mike Harris
14 - A Germ Destroyer	10:50	Read by Mike Harris
15 - Kidnapped	10:24	Read by Mike Harris
16 - The Arrest Of Lieutenant Golightly	12:02	Read by Mike Harris
17 - The House Of Suddhoo	18:27	Read by Mike Harris
18 - His Wedded Wife	12:20	Read by Mike Harris
19 - The Broken Link Handicapped	11:42	Read by Mike Harris
20 - Beyond The Pale	13:17	Read by Mike Harris
21 - In Error	8:39	Read by Mike Harris
22 - A Bank Fraud	14:00	Read by Mike Harris
23 - Tod's Amendment	12:32	Read by Mike Harris
24 - In The Pride Of His Youth	13:10	Read by Mike Harris
25 - Pig	14:38	Read by Mike Harris
26 - The Rout Of The White Hussars	20:25	Read by Mike Harris
27 - The Bronckhorst Divorce-Case	11:13	Read by Mike Harris
28 - Venus Annodomini	9:31	Read by Mike Harris
29 - The Bisara Of Pooree	11:26	Read by Mike Harris
30 - The Gate Of A Hundred Sorrows	13:30	Read by Mike Harris
31 - The Story Of Muhammad Din	7:23	Read by Mike Harris
32 - On The Strength Of A Likeness	11:35	Read by Mike Harris
33 - Wressley Of The Foreign Office	11:00	Read by Mike Harris
34 - By Word Of Mouth	9:34	Read by Mike Harris
35 - To Be Held For Reference	17:38	Read by Mike Harris

Reviews

worth listening to

(4 stars)

gardengirl

I've always enjoyed Kipling's works, and this one no less for the style of writing. But many of the stories have what may be termed, a 'sad' or tragic ending. shattered hopes, shattered dreams, and broken deaths. some, though, are simply that- stories, with no significant ending. a few though, are pleasent, even amusing, and it is worth listening to the whole collection if only to hear those.

INTERESTING COLLECTION

(4.5 stars)

Avid Listener

I can only surmise that most of these vignettes are based on actual happenings in the realm of the Raj, told with great skill by Kipling. In many of them we see a satirical strain ( not as bitter as Swift's satire) concerning the government of the Raj. Underlying the entire collection I note a sadness based on what life in service to the Raj does to most native Britons. I truly enjoyed most of the storirs, off-beat as they were. Mike Harris does one of his best readings .

Excellent

(5 stars)

Mary Ann Mays

I enjoyed every anecdote, every tale, in this collection. There was sympathy, empathy, and a humanness in the description of character and events. The only small weakness I felt was the writer's portraiture of children...but there were on,y two children in the tales.

A little gem

(4 stars)

Al Green - Light Through Glass

Another wonderful time machine from a different universe.

(5 stars)

sarah farrer

Intriguing stories and I could listen to this narrator for hours