Reviews

Fahrenheit 451 — Percentage 4 by Ray Bradbury

osborne2read's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful informative mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

msctalented's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective sad 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

3.0

f_r_e_d's review against another edition

1.0

Better then the summer I turned pretty. 
Don’t like the writing style. 
The story didn’t go anywhere or accomplish anything.
Personally, I say it’s a waste of time. 

calliek927's review against another edition

3.0

I decided to go with this one because I am going to start working through my TBR list from oldest to newest. I had heard a lot of things about this book and had some ideas about it.

This is a classic in a dystopian era where books are banned. The internal monologue of the MC became annoying at times, but it was an alright book.

I didn't love it, and I didn't hate it, so I'm going with 3 stars.

myahthebookfiend's review against another edition

3.0

It was definitely an interesting book. I liked it. I sort of feel like it fell flat a bit at the end, and sometimes the dialogue just didn't make sense to me. Maybe that's just me being dumb idk.

katias's review against another edition

fast-paced

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

2.75

On the one hand, it was a nice read and I like dystopian novels in general. On the other, minorities being at fault for censorship is just such a unbelievably stupid concept.

blogthatbook's review against another edition

5.0

My only experience with Ray Bradbury, prior to this, was The Martian Chronicles, and to put it frankly, I wasn't impressed. So I had very low expectations for this book. But so many people think so highly of Fahrenheit 451 I felt I'd be doing myself a disservice if I didn't at least give it a try.

Well, I'm happy to report, my expectations were proven completely misguided.

This was a fantastic read, I thoroughly enjoyed every page of it. I ripped through it in only a couple of days, which is unusual for my slow reading abilities. There is such an even and easy progression to this story you just flow along with it effortlessly. Considering Bradbury wrote this in the early '50s his ability to visualise shockingly accurate aspects of today's future is nothing short of staggering to me.
I'm not the most intelligent of people and I'm certain there are a lot of nuances within these pages I missed, but I derived enough to leave me in awe of the author. Especially when you consider he wrote this in just nine days!

I actually have no real criticisms of this book, although I will admit I found the whole war idea a little unnecessary amongst the main themes of the book.
I guess if anything I would simply wish it were longer, but isn't that always the way with a book you really enjoy? I would have loved to see Montag lead an underground movement, visit other cities, confront other firemen, print and distribute books and change people.

I'll definitely be reading more from Bradbury.

zioale's review against another edition

5.0

I read this book right after finishing 1984. It was the perfect follow-up to re-approach the world gradually.

Now I wonder: at which temperature does e-ink burn?

lumiokeefe's review against another edition

adventurous dark fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• 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

Clearly dated in its writing style and ideas, but the core concepts present in the book demonstrate how it became required reading in the sci-fi dystopian sphere. A quick and easy read, but I'd likely not recommend it to friends; there are other, more precise books in this genre. 

evb2000's review against another edition

adventurous challenging hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

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

3.5

Not just a work of fiction but also one of social commentary, Fahrenheit 451 has stood the test of time and (in the opinion of someone who was not alive 50+ years ago when the book was written) is just as relevant now as when it was first written, if not more. While the setting was no doubt futuristic to the book's first readers, some elements are now more reality than fiction - namely the vast availability of and society's reliance upon social media echoing core themes of the parlour rooms and the constant influx of seemingly nonsense television they bring. However, both important elements like the insectoid Mechanical Hound and mundane ones like the robotic toaster device still place the setting firmly in the future, which paired with the modern relevance of the parlour rooms inspires the reader with hope for what can still be prevented, yet forces them to reflect on how accurate the book has been in some ways, and what could be if the current trends in society continue unchecked. 

I found some of the prose difficult to follow at times, but not impossible. Whether intentional or not, I think this echoes the themes of ancient and great works of fiction throughout the book, and causes the reader to feel what Montag feels - struggling to follow parts of the story can effectively place the reader in the society the book is trying to portray, one of a lack of education and creativity.