[.ca] 20th Century Burmese Days (ISBN 0140182276)

From Amazon.com:
Imagine crossing E.M. Forster with Jane Austen. Stir in a bit of socialist doctrine, a sprig of satire, strong Indian curry, and a couple quarts of good English gin and you get something close to the flavor of George Orwell's intensely readable and deftly plotted Burmese Days. In 1930, Kyauktada, Upper Burma, is one of the least auspicious postings in the ailing British Empire--and then the order comes that the European Club, previously for whites only, must elect one token native member. This edict brings out the worst in this woefully enclosed society, not to mention among the natives who would become the One. Orwell mines his own Anglo-Indian background to evoke both the suffocating heat and the stifling pettiness that are the central facts of colonial life: "Mr. MacGregor told his anecdote about Prome, which could be produced in almost any context. And then the conversation veered back to the old, never-palling subject--the insolence of the natives, the supineness of the Government, the dear dead days when the British Raj was the Raj and please give the bearer fifteen lashes. The topic was never let alone for long, partly because of Ellis's obsession. Besides, you could forgive the Europeans a great deal of their bitterness. Living and working among Orientals would try the temper of a saint." Protagonist James Flory is a timber merchant, whose facial birthmark serves as an outward expression of the ironic and left-leaning habits of mind that make him inwardly different from his coevals. Flory appreciates the local culture, has native allegiances, and detests the racist machinations of his fellow Club members. Alas, he doesn't always possess the moral courage, or the energy, to stand against them. His almost embarrassingly Anglophile friend, Dr. Veraswami, the highest-ranking native official, seems a shoo-in for Club membership, until Machiavellian magistrate U Po Kyin launches a campaign to discredit him that results, ultimately, in the loss not just of reputations but of lives. Whether to endorse Veraswami or to betray him becomes a kind of litmus test of Flory's character. Against this backdrop of politics and ethics, Orwell throws the shadow of romance. The arrival of the bobbed blonde, marriageable, and resolutely anti-intellectual Elizabeth Lackersteen not only casts Flory as hapless suitor but gives Orwell the chance to show that he's as astute a reporter of nuanced social interactions as he is of political intrigues. In fact, his combination of an astringently populist sensibility, dead-on observations of human behavior, formidable conjuring skills, and no-frills prose make for historical fiction that stands triumphantly outside of time. --Joyce Thompson

retrospective on imperial britain abroad:
Orwell provides an intense and facinating account of a group of elitist british officials in a small settlement in colonial-Burma. The setting and consequences of the story forces the reader to take stock in each and every character that Orwell masterfully portrays. The intrigue of the imperialist era is balanced by the solitude and depression of the individual and this manifests itself in a plot that keeps the reader locked in until the final pages. A must for fans of Orwell, weekend historians, and anyone else who enjoys a good read!

excellent and still relevant.:
this book follows mr. flory, a man of contradictions living and working in burma. the story really is that of love, imperialism, race and blackmail. the ending is one of the best i have read, just when you think it's going to go all sloppy we come across the most depressing and brilliant endings imaginable. among the most hated characters in the book we find mr. ellis, u po kyim and elizabeth who is mr. florys love interest. elizabeth arrives in burma to live with her aunt and uncle as her mother has recently died and she is penniless. her uncle repeatedly tries to rape her and her aunt simply wishes to marry her off. elizabeth is again a mass of contradictions but is wicked, rascist and vile. she is simply unlikeable. this book is interesting, extremely well written and highly relevant still. read and enjoy.

a disapointment to Orwell fans:
Fans of 1984 will be sorely disapointed in this book but it is enjoyable enough if you enter it with incredibly low expectations. It is the story of a man, Flory, who lives in English Burma. There he lives a meaningless existence. Until a women arrives and changes everything. Depressing but not to depressing that it is unbelievable. If you have anything else you've been wanting to read. Read that instead.

Orwell tries, but turns out not being effective enough:
As I read this book, I felt that it was really dragging along. Although Orwell tries very hard to show the shortcomings of imperialism, the book will most likely turn off leisure readers. If you are really into a book taht contains means, and a deeper understanding, at the expense of being bored, this is for you. Many will like this book, but I feel that most will not. I would recommend reading A Collection of Essays more.

A SLICE OF LIFE - DAYS OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE:
NEVER WOULD I HAVE THOUGHT THAT I COULD READ A BOOK ABOUT THE LIVES OF THE NATIVES AND BRITISH IN A BRITISH COLONY IN BURMA DURING THE TIME OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE!! BUT I DID! ... AND FOUND THE BOOK VERY ENLIGHTENING AND ENTERTAINING. THE STORY CENTERS AROUND THE PRESTIGIOUS "BRITISH CLUB" AND A GROUP OF BRITS WITH THEIR ANTAGONISMS AND PREJUDICES TOWARD THE NATIVES.ONE GENTLEMAN, THE MAIN FOCUS OF THE TALE, IS UNHAPPY WITH THE WAY IN WHICH HIS FELLOW COUNTRYMEN TREAT THE NATIVE BURMESE AND HAS BEFRIENDED A NATIVE MEDICAL DOCTOR. THE STORY'S CENTRAL PLOT FOCUSES ON HIS UNHAPPY LIFE IN BURMA AND HIS GROWING LOVE FOR A YOUNG BRITISH WOMAN WHO HAS COME TO THE COLONY TO FIND A HUSBAND. A SECONDARY PLOT INVOLVES THE INTRIGUE AND MACHINATIONS OF A LOCAL NATIVE BURMESE TO WHEEDLE HIS WAY INTO THE BRITISH CLUB. THE BOOK IS WELL WRITTEN AND GIVES ONE AN INTERESTING AND ENLIGHTENING SLICE OF LIFE IN A BRITISH COLONY.IF THIS PLACE AND TIME ARE OF INTEREST, THEN BY ALL MEANS, THE BOOK IS A GOOD READ!...