My Sweet Orange Tree
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My Sweet Orange Tree
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Narrated by:
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Alfred Enoch
About this listen
A worldwide classic of children's literature—a moving, life-affirming childhood story, finally available in English again
Meet Zezé—Brazil’s naughtiest and most loveable boy, his talent for mischief matched only by his great kindness. When he grows up he wants to be a ‘poet with a bow-tie’, but for now he entertains himself playing pranks on the residents of his family’s poor Rio de Janeiro neighbourhood and inventing friends to play with. That is, until he meets a real friend, and his life begins to change....
My Sweet Orange Tree is a worldwide classic of children’s literature—never out of print in Brazil since it was first published in 1968; it has also been translated into an astonishing number of languages and won the hearts of millions of young admirers from Korea to Turkey, Poland to Thailand and in many other countries, too.
José Mauro de Vasconcelos (1920-84) was a Brazilian writer who worked as a sparring partner for boxers, a labourer on a banana farm and a fisherman before he started writing at the age of 22. He is most famous for his autobiographical novel My Sweet Orange Tree, which tells the story of his own childhood in Rio de Janeiro.
Translated by Alison Entrekin.
©2008 Pushkin Press (P)2022 Audible, LtdListeners also enjoyed...
What listeners say about My Sweet Orange Tree
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 09-07-22
A beautiful story with an interesting perspective
This classic Brazilian story transports you to a period of poverty as seen through the eyes of a child.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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- Sweet Tooth
- 01-11-24
The main character
A little insight into the stark differences and glaring similarities of times past and present, mingled with the ever choppy navigation of familial life
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Helen SJ
- 01-05-22
Wow, What a beautiful book.
Sometimes you happen upon a book that just thwomps you in the feels! This is that book. Told through the eyes of an often severely beaten little 5 year old it tells how love, understanding and compassion always wins out.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Yogacat
- 26-04-22
A Tale of Bittersweetness that rambles beautifully
The main character is a 5 year old boy who is small in stature for his age. It is an account of a period of his childhood, where he is recognized for being supremely naughty and supremely kind and intelligent. He is a sensitive child but also courageous!
His home life holds a fair amount of misery, yet still there is love to be found.
He has the most amazing imagination, bringing trees, animals and places to life! He is very intelligent and loves to learn.
He makes an unexpected adult friend that goes from enemy to dearest friend. This is very sweet.
There are a lot of severe beatings that Zezé endures, and it broke my heart to hear him speak of himself in awful, hateful terms! He has an indomitable spirit though, and kind heart that will not let him give up or fade away.
Though it was heartbreaking in places, it was equally heartwarming.
I looked up some information about the story as it felt like the author may have lived this life or similar himself, and lo and behold, it seems this is a largely autobiographical tale!
Here is a quote and source I found online:
My Sweet Orange Tree is an autobiographical novel, based on José Mauro de Vasconcelos' childhood in the Bangu neighbourhood of Rio de Janeiro in the 1920s. The book introduces us to Zezé, a precocious five-year-old with a tendency to play pranks on others, which often leads to him being beaten.22 Jan 2018

http://www.davidsbookworld.com › ...
I hope you take the time to listen to this book, perhaps just as something different to your normal fare, as I think it's a wonderful piece of writing and the narration is lovely. 🥰🫶🏽
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 18-07-23
amazing book and very touching
Such a great experience to listen to this audiobook, I hope all Zeze is around the world are happy and having a fulfilling life.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Travelling Listener
- 06-04-24
A beautifully read story.
I loved the wonderful reading of this evocative story. Emotional, inspiring and funny. A delight!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Liz S.
- 15-05-22
Such a beautiful story
A wonderful, bittersweet story. I loved every word. The writing is delicious and the narration perfect. This is one story I know will come back to and I intend to buy the book to have a physical copy to hold.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Alžběta
- 16-11-22
Beautiful but absolutely heartbreaking.
"My Sweet Orange Tree" is a beautiful, moving, funny, but heartbreaking story. The narration is sublime and makes the book even more of a treat.
Trigger warning and potential spoiler:
The physical abuse portrayed in the book is horrific and the scenes showing what this kind of treatment does to the heart and soul of a child are gut-wrenching. The idea of any child going through these things is beyond heartbreaking.
The book is beautifully written and the narration is truly sublime, but the treatment of Zeze, the main character, by his family is just horrifying.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Amazon Customer
- 09-01-23
Magical, atmospheric and utterly moving
A perfect gem. Savour in small instalments, it's too beautiful to sweep through. Translation is exquisite and so is the narration. Both of these capture the story's joys and tenderness wonderfully. If not left with a huge lump in the throat, something has surely gone wrong at the ear.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Rebecca H.
- 04-12-22
Wonderful
This is Such as wonderful book, and a lovely albeit sometimes difficult hear. Worth listening to
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