Reviews

Animal Farm and 1984 (Centennial Editions) boxed set by George Orwell

alexandraknaub's review against another edition

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5.0

Literary Classic- but tough

(I just read 1984) I read both books in high school and continuously thought, "this is dystopian and can't ever happen." While 1984 IS still dystopian, I read it this time looking at the tactics and reasoning used to better understand the present. This IS a literary classic for a reason but it is BLEAK. Just like a book about the Holocaust or the Depression is challenging to read, this one is tough but necessary.

4.5 ⭐for bleakness rounded up to 5⭐ because the story is so compelling.

ratsofdoom's review against another edition

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5.0

1984 is my all time favorite. Enjoyed reading Animal Farm again after too long to count...

avalin1's review against another edition

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

4.0

joehbooks's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

alkruger_readinglibrary96's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective tense slow-paced

4.0

knitswithbeer's review against another edition

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4.0

Stephen Fry's narration is wonderful but I'd forgotten how bleak Orwell is.
I cried as Boxer was taken away to the knackers yard but at least Animal Farm has some beautiful moments.
1984 has absolutely no redeeming factors. There are some truly horrible things in it.
Orwell's disillusionment with Socialism is total.
The original film was pretty bleak (I haven't watched the remake) but even that falls short of the book.

pkadams's review against another edition

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5.0

Out of the mouths of babes: "It was very realistic about human nature, even if it was about pigs."

espressoreader's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging informative tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

taramara's review against another edition

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

4.5

der_kiffer's review against another edition

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dark reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0