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tweetiebird27's review against another edition
I was just reading it for a university course, and the course did not include reading the entire novel.
_jpmh_'s review against another edition
2.0
I was supposed to read this for my university course 20 years ago, but gave up after a couple of pages. Thought I'd give it another go now with a bit more maturity behind me, but I fear my first instinct was correct. Calling this a novel is seriously stretching the definition of the term – it's more a philosophical musing on what a utopian world would look like, with occasional bits of narrative thrown in for reasons not readily apparent. The frustrating thing is those bits of narrative are so nicely written it leaves you wishing he'd just gone for a straight-up novel instead of this weird hybrid thing. Interesting aims and ideas I guess, but just not an enjoyable read.
rowanarchy's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
slow-paced
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcohol and Forced institutionalization
theconorhilton's review against another edition
3.0
Funky! Interesting in form and ideas, well worth considering alongside the other utopian novels (and political tracts since it’s both?). Also, some doubling going on, both narratively and conceptually, with Utopia as a double of Earth or something. Revisits the idea of Utopia as a place, not just a time, hearkening back to some of the older utopian fiction (More and Cavendish for example).
danielgwood's review against another edition
3.0
Though the Penguin Classics blurb on the back suggests this is a novel, I'd say it's more of a philosophical discussion/extended essay, occasionally making use of the two ostensible characters to illustrate a point or provide a breather.
Not to say that this is a bad thing; as lengthy theses on Utopias go, this is very readable, and shows some remarkable foresight in places. With the exception of the gender roles perhaps, it's dated well, and still reflects current thinking about a semi-liberal Utopia today.
Not to say that this is a bad thing; as lengthy theses on Utopias go, this is very readable, and shows some remarkable foresight in places. With the exception of the gender roles perhaps, it's dated well, and still reflects current thinking about a semi-liberal Utopia today.
keyreads's review against another edition
2.0
Unfortunately, I just could not force myself to finish this book . The fact that this read more like an essay than a work of fiction did not help any. I ended up reading other peoples reviews and opinion for the past 30 minutes. I've come to the conclusion this book just isn't for me.
argixian's review against another edition
4.0
Clearly some things are dated and obviously the products of his time, but I do think he was still a bit ahead of his time. Some of his ideas merit thinking about. Also, the way the story and idea are presented is quite unique.
ianjsimpson's review
2.0
Originally published (as so many novels of the time were) in serialised form from October 1904 to April 1905, A Modern Utopia came to be a book later in 1905. I use the term book deliberately. This is no novel. I read a free Gutenberg edition published of the first edition.
Read the full review...https://theforgottengeek.wordpress.com/2015/04/03/the-history-of-science-fiction-literature-a-modern-utopia-by-hg-wells-1905/
Read the full review...https://theforgottengeek.wordpress.com/2015/04/03/the-history-of-science-fiction-literature-a-modern-utopia-by-hg-wells-1905/