The General Danced at Dawn
The McAuslan Stories, Book 1
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The General Danced at Dawn
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Narrated by:
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David Monteath
About this listen
Private McAuslan was ‘the biggest walking disaster to hit the Army’. Loosely based on his own experiences in a Scottish regiment, and written with rare humour, a sense of the ludicrous and real affection for soldiering, the first volume of George MacDonald Fraser’s McAuslan trilogy now finally comes to life on audio.
Private McAuslan, J. – the Dirtiest Soldier in the World (alias the Tartan Caliban) – demonstrates his unfitness for military service in this first volume of stories of life in a Scottish regiment. Unkempt, ungainly and unwashed, civilian readers may regard him with shocked disbelief. But generations of ex-servicemen have hailed him with delight as a familiar friend – because every old soldier can remember a McAuslan!
McAuslan first shambled into public view – manfully swinging his right arm in time with his right leg – in George MacDonald Fraser’s THE GENERAL DANCED AT DAWN in 1970. Greeted with laughter and great affection (and spawning two sequels and a TV adaptation), these hilarious memoirs of life in a Highland regiment after the last war capture the exploits and misadventures of life in the British Army.
Based on MacDonald Fraser’s own experiences in the Border Regiment and the Gordon Highlanders, which took him to India, Africa and the Middle East, these stories demonstrate the celebrated author of the swashbuckling FLASHMAN series at his hilarious best.
©2021 George MacDonald Fraser (P)2021 HarperCollins Publishers LimitedListeners also enjoyed...
Critic reviews
‘Thanks to Fraser’s passion for history, his rare gift for rattling narrative and his infectious delight in robust, rollicking language, we can rejoice in a work of genius worthy of being ranked with P.G. Wodehouse – there can be no higher accolade’—Daily Telegraph
‘Written with the kind of unaffected vigour which has characterised the greatest British humorists, these stories do for the Scots what Flann O’Brien did for the Irish and P.G. Wodehouse for the English’—Daily Mail
‘The third McAuslan volume should certainly be among the first books you pack this or any other holiday season’—The Times
‘One takes leave of these characters with real and grateful regret’—Sunday Times
‘It’s a while since I enjoyed a book so much, and once I’d finished it, I felt like starting it all over again’—Glasgow Evening Times
‘It’s great fun and rings true: a Highland Fling of a book’—Eric Linklater, author of The Wind on the Moon
‘The greatest book about soldiers since Ian Hay wrote The First Hundred Thousand … MacDonald Fraser is magnificent’—Eric Hiscock, author of Around the World in Wanderer III
‘As well as providing a fine assortment of treats, George MacDonald Fraser is a marvellous reporter and a first-rate historical novelist’—Kingsley Amis, author of Lucky Jim
What listeners say about The General Danced at Dawn
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- chris
- 06-11-22
The Perfect Reader
As a huge GMF fan, I read ‘The General Danced at Dawn’ and the follow-on books the best part of thirty years ago, but I have enjoyed listening to them on Audible SO MUCH because David Monteath is perfect in every way as the reader. His accent for all the, in the main, Scottish, characters is sublime…and I say that as an Englishman! Nonetheless, I wish all my ‘books’ could be narrated by him, or at least someone with his style and delivery. I have no doubt at all that the great GMF himself would be nothing but delighted and, indeed, impressed with these recordings.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Amazon Customer
- 29-07-21
Highly recommended
Loved the books, and this is a great rendition- highly recommended! Accents are excellent; very good recording.
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- Boonfoog
- 15-06-21
Am absolute gem
I’ve read this book many times and am so pleased it’s now available on audible. The narrator is very good and sets just the right tone for the mix of accents. Set in a Scottish regiment just after WW2 and made up of the author’s experiences and a dose of imagination the stories are rich and full of charm. The book is both lyrical and nostalgic and does reflect the attitudes of the day so there are some non p c terms in there. I for one am looking forward to the release of the other 2 books in the series.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Don Quixote
- 24-09-22
Highland regiment amusing tales
A v accurate portrayal of the mindsets and carry-ons with Scottish soldiers. great writing & oration, aye S
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Duncan R McGugan
- 17-07-21
Don't listen and drive!
Very funny stories, written with obvious love. Brought back happy memories of my time in the forces. Sit back and laugh you'll not be disappointed.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Amazon Customer
- 06-07-21
Welcome to old friends!
Delighted to discover GMF 's classic stories on Audible. Very nicely read, though some of the phrasing sounded a bit off (though I've read the books so often that I know how they should be phrased, if you were less familiar you might not).
Overall a very good version & good value for money.
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- jdg
- 05-07-23
Great
This book is fantastic and has great wee stories George Mac Donald fraser is at his best
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