Reviews

Animal Farm by George Orwell

irisverstraeten's review against another edition

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dark reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? N/A
  • Strong character development? N/A
  • Loveable characters? N/A
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.5

stphylla's review against another edition

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dark medium-paced

4.0

rinnyssance's review against another edition

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3.0

I re-read this book because I'm 4 books behind on Goodreads and it's bothering me.

How to explain the woes of "the system" to your kids. I always saw this book as an English class supplment to what they didn't teach you in 8th grade civics. It's a cool story. I've heard people say it's their favorite book. They didn't read many books.

achillz's review against another edition

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3.0

I could admit it is a really good book, but it is way to depressing for me to actually like it.

mayamcc's review against another edition

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dark reflective fast-paced

4.0

“several of them would have protested if they could have found the right arguments”

a deceptively easy read. the allegorical characters were so well done, especially squealer as propaganda and moses as religion. even all the name choices echo details of the russian revolution. i loved figuring out what / who each one represented; i learned so much about that time in history so it was fascinating to see it explained in such a simple way, like the neighbouring farmers representing western democracies / nazi germany, and the prevalence of trotskyism. since it’s such a short read the progression throughout feels that much more drastic, especially the constant alteration of the original ideas and the corruption of power. they rebuilt what they toppled but replaced who was in charge.

mudder17's review against another edition

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5.0

Okay, I'm not entirely sure that I've read this before, but this was really engrossing and the narrator (Ralph Cosham) was perfect for it. I can't do a classic like this justice, but I will say that as I listened, current events kept rearing its ugly head as this story ran to its conclusion. Whew! This may have been written in 1945, but it's still relevant today. I think this is a book that we should revisit from time to time as responsible adults to remind us what happens when we bury our heads in the sand and refuse to speak up when we see an injustice. I'm so glad I finally opened up this book, but it won't be the last time!

fluffysarcasm's review against another edition

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5.0

I never read this one in Junior High/ High School but had always wanted to. I don't think I could have picked a more fitting political climate to read it in. I know that Animal Farm is an allegory for Communism and was written in a time period where Communism was seen as a threat to the US, but I can't help but see the many of the same allegories apply to the current state of US politics. So much of what the pigs do match what many of our elected officials have and are doing.
It would be fitting to send them each a copy except that I'm afraid they would take inspiration from it.

st_urmer's review against another edition

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4.0

Sean was assigned this for his class, so I decided to read along with him. While the book probably has less meaning post-cold war, it does offer a nice allegory on the power of ideology to control people. Movements all over the world, from the Islamic State to the Tea Party in the US, share some of the same tendencies as the Marxist/Bolshevik ideology Orwell presents here. Some people get involved for what they believe to be noble reasons and others to gain power. Whatever the movement is called and whatever its motivation, it is ultimately human nature that dictates its actions.

martyomenko's review against another edition

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4.0

Very interesting

It seems a tale that can be related to no matter the era or the storyline. A hunger for power and control can take over.

kerris84's review against another edition

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I really enjoyed this classic and I can clearly see how it has stood the test of time. Despite having been written 80 years ago, unfortunately it still feels so very relevant. It was short, not too challenging, and made politics and propaganda easy to understand. Highly recommended.  
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