Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

16 reviews

singalana's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Omia ajatuksia ja tuntemuksia oli hankalaa summata yhteen tämän kirjan lukemisen jälkeen. Luulen, että se pitääkö tästä kirjasta vai ei, riippuu paljon siitä mitä asioita kirjassa arvostaa.

Fahrenheit 451 on dystooppinen novelli tulevaisuudesta, missä kirjat on kielletty ja ihmiset pidetään tyytyväisenä viihteen avulla. Sodat ovat normaaleja ja ihmiset tekevät itsemurhia, mutta kukaan ei pysähdy miettimään ovatko he onnellisia. Päähenkilö Guy Montag kuuluu palomiehiin, joiden tehtävä on etsiä ja rankaista rikollisia: ihmisiä, joiden hallussa on kirjoja. Kirjat, sekä niitä hallussa pitäneen ihmisen talo poltetaan. Montag pitää työstään, kunnes eräänä päivänä nuori tyttö kysyy häneltä onko hän onnellinen. 

On suorastaan hämmästyttävää miten paljon kirjan yhteiskunta muistuttaa maapallon nykytilaa: aivoja turruttavaa viihdettä, mekaanisia robottikoiria valvomassa lainrikkojia, kirjojen kieltämistä. Kuitenkin on sanottava, että kirjan sanoma on vaikuttavampi kuin toteutus. Jos pidät syväluotaavista hahmojen ja maailman kuvauksesta, saatat pettyä tämmän kirjan proosaan. Täytyy kuitenkin miettiä, onko tämä tarkoituksella: onko esimerkiksi Montagin hahmon tarkoitus toimia kehyksinä, joihin voimme asettaa itsemme? Kirjassa esitetään myös muutamia hyviä havaintoja esimerkiksi siitä, mitä ihminen jättää jälkeensä kuollessaan. 

Valitettavasti olen itse sellainen lukija, että kaipaan hahmoilta hieman enemmän syvyyttä. Lisäksi olisin toivonut välillä hieman viipyilevämpää kerrontaa, etenkin kun esiteltiin tarinan kannalta tärkeitä konsepteja. Fahrenheit on kuitenkin nopealukuinen ja teemoiltaan tärkeä, joten suosittelen sitä kyllä lämpimästi kaikille.

Tämän painoksen kansi on graafisesti miellyttävä ja kuvaava, ja selkämyksen kuviointi on tehty muistuttamaan tulitikkulaatikon raapaisupintaa. 

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Content Warnings

Minor: Abortion, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Drug abuse, Medical content, Suicide attempt, Violence, Child death, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Blood, Car accident, and War

te_ss_i's review against another edition

dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, War, Toxic relationship, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Grief, Miscarriage, Suicidal thoughts, Abortion, Murder, Suicide attempt, Violence, Drug use, and Police brutality

lermaline's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark hopeful reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fire/Fire injury and Drug use

Moderate: Drug use, Classism, Drug abuse, Murder, and Toxic relationship

Minor: War, Police brutality, and Mental illness

just_lily's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

3.0

The book is meaningful and has a massage but is complicated with difficult ideas to understand.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Toxic relationship, Injury/Injury detail, Fire/Fire injury, Emotional abuse, Self harm, and Murder

izypup's review against another edition

challenging hopeful reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Suicide attempt, Violence, and Drug abuse

Minor: Toxic relationship, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Confinement, Bullying, Abandonment, Car accident, Murder, Child death, and War

lynxpardinus's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective tense

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Violence, Gaslighting, Grief, Police brutality, War, Suicide attempt, and Medical content

Moderate: Death, Gun violence, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Pedophilia, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, and Vomit

akvolcano's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

I’m glad that I’ve read this now, I doubt I’d have the same perspective if I read it in high school. I find it quite ironic and ignorant that the author claims that “minorities” are the ones destroying literature and thoughtfulness. That THEY would be and ARE the reason information censoring exists. When in current times, it is people who look and think like him, a rich white old man, who are the main source of people who like to censor stories written by and about minorities. He also thinks that complexity can only be created, exist, maintain, in an exclusionist and harmful environment. It is a shame he does not see the beautiful endless deep complexities in inclusivity and understanding and active listening and having empathy for others. He is missing out.
As for the book itself, I wish parts of the afterword was included in the book. I also wish that this book was longer….where it left off still feels like the backstory. I do enjoy the futuristic exploration! I also agree with placing high value on letting ourselves slowing down and giving us a chance to think and to feel. I would like to write down some quotes from this book!
I also find it ironic that this book has been banned on and off. I feel like it proves part of his point that it is more of so the thoughts and actions that happen after reading a book-that is more dangerous than the book itself. The power comes from people, books help with the process of  preserving and sharing those ideas.
Overall, I am glad I finally read this book myself. I wouldn’t read it again, nor would I recommend it without heavy discussion, but it does paint a good picture. Oh and also-

The idea of people memorizing books, stories, history-is not original. It comes from Indigenous people and it comes from so many other cultures. But it doesn’t surprise me that credit is not given to the source of which gave him the idea to include it in the book

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Colonisation, Death, Gun violence, Pregnancy, Rape, Self harm, Racism, Ableism, Blood, Car accident, Cursing, Police brutality, Violence, Bullying, Miscarriage, Classism, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Murder, Physical abuse, Grief, Abortion, Mass/school shootings, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Child death, Emotional abuse, War, Vomit, and Suicide attempt

night3aven's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

• Fahrenheit 451 - review

"Fahrenheit 451" is undoubtedly an excellent novel, and it is easy to see why it is considered one of the great classics of modern literature. However, while the work has a fascinating premise to say the least, it still has some flaws in its execution.

Bradbury's style is engaging and capable of capturing the reader's attention, thanks in part to his frequent use of rhetorical figures or narrative techniques such as stream-of-consciousness (which can be a bit over the top at times, though).
The author is able to make interesting reflections on various themes, such as the importance of reading and free expression, as well as education and teaching, while also highlighting the possible dangers of excessive dependence on technology and frivolous and unsubstantial means of entertainment, and also managing - implicitly - to highlight some of the problems present in the society of the time (focusing especially on the issue of marital problems and marriages established solely out of necessity).
The characterization of the characters is not well developed (also due to the eximious length of the work) but this nonetheless enhances the point Bradbury wants to make, a.k.a. the loss of identity and reason in a society where one is constantly addicted to entertainment and has no time for reflection. Some potentially interesting story-lines or characters, however, are dropped too quickly or unexpectedly (

Clarisse or her family members come to mind: intriguing characters but removed from the narrative already shortly after their first appearance

), and this can certainly create confusion in the narrative rhythm.
The rather heavy presence of unrealistic elements (even though this is in fact a science fiction tale) may not always be appreciated by the reader: creative ideas such as the four-walled television set or the Mechanical Hound may even be interesting, however the final solution proposed to solve the problem of book burnings is certainly not the best one (

memorizing every book in existence in order to keep remembering is not a realistic solution, and given the subject matter of the work, the problem presented should be given at least a plausible solution

).

Overall, Ray Bradbury acts as a spokeperson for a rather profound theme that is open to many insights, approaching it in an original and compelling way but perhaps not always with the right approach; Fahrenheit 451 still asserts itself as a manifesto in honor of reading and literature, even if the goal and premise may sometimes seem better than the substance and content of the literary work itself.

Don't ask for guarantees. And don't look to be saved in any one thing, person, machine, or library. Do your own bit of saving, and if you drown, at least die knowing you were heading for shore.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder

Moderate: Fire/Fire injury and Emotional abuse

Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, War, Alcohol, Drug use, and Police brutality

gellyreads's review against another edition

challenging dark slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I feel so conflicted about this book after teaching it. This is my 3rd time, and while I can see how the students are grappling with the lack of a government, and how that could empower the story more, I also see the absolute detail and restraint Bradbury puts throughout this. Although the ending is fairly anti-climatic and unrealistic. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Misogyny, Vomit, Panic attacks/disorders, Fire/Fire injury, Drug use, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Police brutality, Child death, Abortion, Child abuse, Forced institutionalization, Mental illness, Pregnancy, and Miscarriage

Minor: War and Adult/minor relationship

agatha_hopkins's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

Wow! This book really surprised me. When I first read this book sometime in upper elementary or middle school, I didn't really understand it for what it was. I couldn't see through a lot of the flowery language and metaphors (a warning for those who struggle with this). However, now that I'm a bit older, I can appreciate it for all that it is.

It's ironic that this book about banning and burning books is a banned book itself, but I bet the reasons why are because of the use of profanity and the

ripping out of pages of the Bible by Montag

.

I would recommend this to pretty much anyone as long as they are mature.

Previous rating: 4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Medical content, Death, Animal cruelty, War, Cursing, Violence, Murder, and Mental illness

Minor: Toxic relationship, Injury/Injury detail, Animal death, Toxic friendship, Pregnancy, Grief, Child death, Body shaming, Suicide, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Car accident, and Abortion