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elizabookish's review against another edition
5.0
4.5 stars rounded up. Haven’t read this since high school and the audiobook narrator was really enjoyable.
doroteadora's review against another edition
5.0
Brilliant. Especially for the time that it was written in.
I thought I would be so bored reading this, and surprisingly, I wasn't. Something was daunting about how similar it felt to today. Before reading, I knew that it was an allegory but I didn't know what it was referring to and after reading some reviews it all makes perfect sense.
I thought I would be so bored reading this, and surprisingly, I wasn't. Something was daunting about how similar it felt to today. Before reading, I knew that it was an allegory but I didn't know what it was referring to and after reading some reviews it all makes perfect sense.
districtate's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Squeeler has been impeached from his Head of Gaslighting
jasondangelo's review against another edition
5.0
How many overtly political novels can you think of that are embraced and praised by people of every political persuasion? Conservatives, liberals, capitalists, socialists, and even communists? George Orwell's Animal Farm is amazing because everyone loves it, and everyone loves it because it is amazing.
I can't imagine that I have anything new to say about this book or that anyone needs a review of it, so I will be brief. To me, the book is embraced by all because it breaks down so completely and so simply the means of manipulation that one group uses to control another. Before the invention of the photograph, how horses physically ran was a mystery. Their feet flew too fast to see, and it was popular to debate in the second half of the 19th century whether all four hooves of a horse were ever off the ground at the same time. It wasn't until Eadweard Muybridge took photos and put together a display that the case was settled. George Orwell does something similar with power and manipulation. And we can all appreciate the analysis and see it at work around us even today, no matter who is the force attempting to manipulate.
Squealer is the perfect media machine, creating numbers to "prove" what is not true, rewriting history freely and faulting the animals' bad memories and pernicious lies for the misunderstanding, and gleefully justifying why the ruling class needs special treatment "or else Jones will return." We see this combination of "facts," historical revision, and threats coming from all sides in order to gain our consent for a system that is not in our interest. Similarly, the animals don't have the wherewithal to argue against the lies, and even when they do, the distractions of the bleating sheep destroy that moment of potential protest. Our collective amnesia about the past is a common complaint today, and we see evidence of the "distractions" that pull our mind from the thing we should be focusing on. The right complains of the left employing these tactics, and the left complains of the right, and we all feel like the "lower animals" suffering in a system that is geared entirely against us.
Orwell, a literary hero of mine, manages to combine a direct and powerful writing style with a comprehensive political understanding and brings it all together with an unerring sense of story. At no point does his novel become a political tract. It is always a story first, and an incredible story at that. Stalin and Trotsky are just names in history books today, but Napoleon and Snowball will live forever.
I can't imagine that I have anything new to say about this book or that anyone needs a review of it, so I will be brief. To me, the book is embraced by all because it breaks down so completely and so simply the means of manipulation that one group uses to control another. Before the invention of the photograph, how horses physically ran was a mystery. Their feet flew too fast to see, and it was popular to debate in the second half of the 19th century whether all four hooves of a horse were ever off the ground at the same time. It wasn't until Eadweard Muybridge took photos and put together a display that the case was settled. George Orwell does something similar with power and manipulation. And we can all appreciate the analysis and see it at work around us even today, no matter who is the force attempting to manipulate.
Squealer is the perfect media machine, creating numbers to "prove" what is not true, rewriting history freely and faulting the animals' bad memories and pernicious lies for the misunderstanding, and gleefully justifying why the ruling class needs special treatment "or else Jones will return." We see this combination of "facts," historical revision, and threats coming from all sides in order to gain our consent for a system that is not in our interest. Similarly, the animals don't have the wherewithal to argue against the lies, and even when they do, the distractions of the bleating sheep destroy that moment of potential protest. Our collective amnesia about the past is a common complaint today, and we see evidence of the "distractions" that pull our mind from the thing we should be focusing on. The right complains of the left employing these tactics, and the left complains of the right, and we all feel like the "lower animals" suffering in a system that is geared entirely against us.
Orwell, a literary hero of mine, manages to combine a direct and powerful writing style with a comprehensive political understanding and brings it all together with an unerring sense of story. At no point does his novel become a political tract. It is always a story first, and an incredible story at that. Stalin and Trotsky are just names in history books today, but Napoleon and Snowball will live forever.
donnachadh's review against another edition
Since its publication fifty years ago, "Animal Farm" has become one of the most controversial books ever written. It has been translated into seventy languages and sold millions of copies throughout the world. This edition is being published to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of its original...
nortxhawk's review against another edition
5.0
A classic. A scathing satire of the totalitarian "socialist" system of the USSR. A short, but overwhelming read, much more appreciated now than it was when it was assigned as a junior in high school/
am_pugs's review against another edition
2.0
I liked the social commentary and the storyline of absolute power corrupts absolutely. It was a fast read but it was written in such a plain and simple way that it was jarring to get into. It felt like it was written for a very beginning-level reader.
evagachus's review against another edition
4.0
I was always timid to read George Orwell. Animal Farm was a class novel at my high school that many teachers used in their curriculum so I assumed that the was either boring or too "classic" to understand the book. I realize now, why it was used for class learning and why it is considered a classic. In this book, Jones owns a "Manor Farm" and often times he forgets, and even his farm hands forget, to feed his animals and treat them well. The animals have an uprising and run the humans off of the farm. Then they set about coming up with a method to run the farm on their own. Politics becomes involved and some animals consider themselves "more equal" than the others. It was a very dark story told in a child-like tone and the ending (I believe), could not have been more perfect. Definitely read this. Short read.
fablesandwren's review against another edition
4.0
In my first high school, Animal Farm was not in the works in my literature classes. When I switched my junior year to a private high school, the kids in my class had already read this book and talked about how creepy and wonderful the book was. I always wanted to read this book and was reminded about it daily with the poster of the cover in the front of my English classroom. Finally, out of college and looking for work, I decided to sit down and read the book I have heard nothing but good things about.
George Orwell has a gifted tongue. He writes in a humorous way that is easy to understand but has an underlining truth and meaning to it.
Orwell starts out the book with a very old white boar named Old Mayor giving a moving speech on how they are not living the luxurious life they could be. He dies a few days later, and the smarter animals of the farm (aka the pigs) move towards changing that.
The farm animals throw out their humans and take over the farm. The pigs, being the smartest of them all, take leadership. All is well in the beginning, and they win the Battle of the Cowshed lead by their leaders Snowball and Napoleon.
What’s this? One of their leaders hates the other? He doesn't like the other’s idea for a windmill? He has an army behind him and chases him out? He turns into a dictator?
Hypocrisy. The farm is run by pigs changing rules to benefit themselves and not making conditions better for the rest of the farm animals. The animals are loyal to the pigs and their army and believe every word they twist.
Strange enough, the end looks oddly like the beginning…
This book is very enlightening and I am surprised that all schools are not teaching the many lessons inscribed in this book. I deeply encourage all readers of all ages to read this book. It can be sad, it can be infuriating, and it can be giddy; but most of all, it is a very powerful read of 141 pages.
Orwell is a wonderful writer and I look forward to reading more of his work.
George Orwell has a gifted tongue. He writes in a humorous way that is easy to understand but has an underlining truth and meaning to it.
Orwell starts out the book with a very old white boar named Old Mayor giving a moving speech on how they are not living the luxurious life they could be. He dies a few days later, and the smarter animals of the farm (aka the pigs) move towards changing that.
The farm animals throw out their humans and take over the farm. The pigs, being the smartest of them all, take leadership. All is well in the beginning, and they win the Battle of the Cowshed lead by their leaders Snowball and Napoleon.
What’s this? One of their leaders hates the other? He doesn't like the other’s idea for a windmill? He has an army behind him and chases him out? He turns into a dictator?
Hypocrisy. The farm is run by pigs changing rules to benefit themselves and not making conditions better for the rest of the farm animals. The animals are loyal to the pigs and their army and believe every word they twist.
Strange enough, the end looks oddly like the beginning…
This book is very enlightening and I am surprised that all schools are not teaching the many lessons inscribed in this book. I deeply encourage all readers of all ages to read this book. It can be sad, it can be infuriating, and it can be giddy; but most of all, it is a very powerful read of 141 pages.
Orwell is a wonderful writer and I look forward to reading more of his work.