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  • Burn

  • A Story of Fire, Woods and Healing
  • By: Ben Short
  • Narrated by: Ben Short
  • Length: 9 hrs
  • 4.8 out of 5 stars (93 ratings)
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Burn

By: Ben Short
Narrated by: Ben Short
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Summary

A frank and inspiring memoir about letting go of what we're told to want, risking everything to find happiness and the brutal salve of nature.

Ben Short has a successful career in advertising, a flat in a trendy part of London, a flashy motorbike. But after years of suffering with anxiety, he's a wreck. A drastic change is needed.

For a time, he finds solace working with a forester, then as an apprentice to a Gypsy woodman, setting up home in a dilapidated wagon with just a rescue dog for company. However, it is not until he feels the call of the furnace, a glowing charcoal kiln in the Dorset woods, that he can truly re-forge his thoughts, put the years of suffering behind him, and start afresh by immersing himself in the old ways of woods and fire.

Exquisitely written and deeply honest, Burn is a hopeful story of transformation, a celebration of manual work and craft, and a love letter to the English countryside.

©2022 Ben Short (P)2022 Hodder & Stoughton Limited

What listeners say about Burn

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  • mr
  • 09-03-24

Beautiful and personal.

I've never read a book that's made me so absorbed into nature. It made me shed a tear (also a first for me). Fantastic description and language, a timely gift of words so beautiful and relative to me. A beautiful life indeed.

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A moving listen

These are honest, good words from a human you instinctively feel is an honest, good man who probably can’t quite believe he has become an author … but he is honestly… very good at writing. There is poetry and goodness here.

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An absorbing& outstanding book!

Loved it all. Listened to it twice. I had a white terrier too for 14 yrs. Losing Pig brought back many memories.Would love another book, Ben. !

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  • SM
  • 31-12-23

Brilliantly told.

Told with honesty and bravery, laying himself bare with his story. We can all learn from Ben about the peace and restorative benefits of simply being outside.

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Brilliant

Really good writer and way of explaining things that make you feel like you’re in the moment and a brilliant storey.

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Well worth a credit.

I listened to this over the course of a couple of November afternoons as I cleared the garden and had my own fires on the go. Well read by the author and a fantastic listen. Surprisingly I also had a dog with the same name!

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Beautiful writing, superbly read

Wow! This is by far the best book I’ve heard in years, Beautiful writing, superbly read

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A breathe of smoky air

This is a rich story, one that inspires the reader to seek their own path to live closer to nature. It has for me anyway! Glorious , no nonsense and honest.

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Really enjoyable listen

Very well written, not a type of book I’d normally listen to but was so glad I purchased it.

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Best read of 2023

I spend a lot of time in the woods and have never heard it exsplained so well as this book did. Well worth a listen.

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