Listen free for 30 days

Listen with offer

Preview
  • Burn

  • A Story of Fire, Woods and Healing
  • By: Ben Short
  • Narrated by: Ben Short
  • Length: 9 hrs
  • 4.8 out of 5 stars (106 ratings)

£0.00 for first 30 days

Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Burn

By: Ben Short
Narrated by: Ben Short
Try for £0.00

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £12.99

Buy Now for £12.99

Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.

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
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

Listeners also enjoyed...

The Flow cover art
Woodsman cover art
Return cover art
Finding Hildasay cover art
The Runaways cover art
Tasting Sunlight cover art
The Circling Sky cover art
Rooted cover art
Mr Finchley Discovers His England cover art
Wild Fell cover art
The Barrakee Mystery cover art
Sky Dance cover art
Black Gate Tales cover art
The Yorkshire Shepherdess cover art
15 Minutes to Happiness cover art
British Woodland cover art

What listeners say about Burn

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    92
  • 4 Stars
    10
  • 3 Stars
    4
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    87
  • 4 Stars
    6
  • 3 Stars
    3
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    84
  • 4 Stars
    10
  • 3 Stars
    1
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    1

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Must listen!

What a great book! Beautifully written and captivating.
I was there in the woods with Ben the whole time.
Should have been longer

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A new way of life

A story of living in the woods that will make you reach for your boots!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Awesome!

Just so in depth if not just the mental side to life but the way he speaks about charcoal burning I myself burn charcoal and relate so much to this! Wish to meet Ben one day!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Really enjoyable listen

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

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Brilliant book !!!

I’ve a few friends that know Ben personally and recommended the book due to the fact I work the woods and make charcoal down in Dorset and so many things in the book resonated with me, the personal things about not being satisfied in a career I was in and moving down to Dorset….to the characters that I’ve worked with in the woods and village life. I found it deeply moving at times even bringing a tear to my eye on more than one occasion, aswell as laughter at some of the situations he found himself in ….. working the woods will never make you a millionaire in cash terms but in other ways it can bring you a sense of well-being and satisfaction that money or things can never match and this book definitely tells the story of that …. Well done Ben

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A truly fantastic listen 10/10

The first time I listened to Burn, I absolutely loved it. As soon as it was over, I went back and started listening again. Bens voice is spot on. I found Burn to be a pretty emotional journey. No easy thing to do, live in a wood in the back of a cart. I felt real affection for the characters that helped forge this journey and non less than Pig. It’s also hilarious at times. Proper belly laughs.
I’ve since played it to my wife on a trip to Cornwall. She didn’t want it to end either. It won’t be the last time I listen. For me Burn has a calming effect that makes you stop for a minute and reevaluate what’s important. Highly highly recommended.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A must read!

A fascinating journey through Ben's life and a great encouragement to those struggling with anxiety. Ben has a wonderful ability to draw you into his world with a colourful and honest narrative.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Personal, honest, and beautifully written

From a fellow woodland escapee. Burn is fantastic and should be read by all.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Brilliant

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

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

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. !

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!