The Unbearable Bassington
Saki
Read by NoelBadrian
The Unbearable Bassington was the first novel written by Saki (H. H. Munro). It also contains much of the elegant wit found in his short stories. Comus (The Unbearable) Bassington, is a charming young man about town. His perversity however thwarts all his mother’s efforts to advance his prospects and lands him in hot water. Like many a “black sheep” he ends up being sent off to one of the colonies to fend for himself. This book showcases Saki’s wonderful writing and that ability to be so very funny and terribly sad at the same time. (Summary by Noel Badrian) (5 hr 31 min)
Chapters
01 - Chapter 1 | 20:45 | Read by NoelBadrian |
02 - Chapter 2 | 12:50 | Read by NoelBadrian |
03 - Chapter 3 | 15:57 | Read by NoelBadrian |
04 - Chapter 4 | 22:59 | Read by NoelBadrian |
05 - Chapter 5 | 14:15 | Read by NoelBadrian |
06 - Chapter 6 | 22:23 | Read by NoelBadrian |
07 - Chapter 7 | 26:17 | Read by NoelBadrian |
08 - Chapter 8 | 18:05 | Read by NoelBadrian |
09 - Chapter 9 | 18:59 | Read by NoelBadrian |
10 - Chapter 10 | 20:07 | Read by NoelBadrian |
11 - Chapter 11 | 19:08 | Read by NoelBadrian |
12 - Chapter 12 | 25:36 | Read by NoelBadrian |
13 - Chapter 13 | 23:30 | Read by NoelBadrian |
14 - Chapter 14 | 18:17 | Read by NoelBadrian |
15 - Chapter 15 | 20:33 | Read by NoelBadrian |
16 - Chapter 16 | 15:50 | Read by NoelBadrian |
17 - Chapter 17 | 15:45 | Read by NoelBadrian |
Reviews
excellent reading
darthlaurel
Good grief.....not what I was expecting at all. I've read all of Saki's short stories and I should have been prepared. An eviscerating satire of the English upper middle class. Not many likable characters but a very skillfully told story with so many insights and incredible single lines of brilliant analysis. If you've ever wished to be a part of that set, this will cure you. I lived in England for two years and I saw some of what he is writing about. As an outsider, we can't really understand. But H.H. Munro does.
A Good Story
brown
The story is very well written and Mr. Badrian is phenomenally good at telling it. I kept looking for the good in the people but alas, found none. It’s worth a listen as it’s biting satire is so well done. Good grief people can be shallow!
A spoiled, selfish young man seeks his fortune
JD
Well read bitter satire of Edwardian life among the wannabe upwardly mobile. If you're feeling low, avoid. It is ultimately an immensely depressing tale. However if you're wealthy, privileged and happy, then you might enjoy. Nonetheless, it is sharply observed and insightful and makes one wonder how H. H. Munro's later novels would have turned out if he had survived the Great War. The reader is excellent.
Not quite as charming as later work by the same author
Timothy Ferguson
As Saki’s first novel I suppose I should cut him some slack. Witty, but not as witty as his later short pieces. Terribly cruel to his characters, but not quite so charmingly as later. Well read. Recommended for people who like class satire; Oscar Wilde fans, for example.
Noel Badrian is masterful, understated, perfect in his reading
Darlene Boda
This story is very powerful in the way that it all comes full circle. The worst thing to happen to anyone is to actually get the thing they thought they most desired.
Great reading. Good book.
SK
Excellent reading of a story that started with great promise but really tapered out at the end without much of a fizz. Still some signature Saki-isms are there to be enjoyed.
Very well read
Nora
A interesting story full of sarcasm and irony. The reader is excellent.
Excellent book, wonderful reader. Thank you
Realini Barzoi
excellent book, wonderful reader. t