Reviews

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

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emomaggie's review against another edition

dark reflective sad

4.0

"You got rid of them. Yes, that's just like you. Getting rid of everything unpleasant instead of learning to put up with it. Whether 'tis better in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous for-tune, or to take arms against a sea of troubles and by opposing end them ... But you don't do either. Neither suffer nor oppose. You just abolish the slings and arrows. It's too easy."

Haven’t resonated with a book in a long time. The best science fiction accurately predicts the future and this was written nearly 100 years ago.

"But I like the inconveniences."
"We don't," said the Controller. "We prefer to do things comfortably."
"But I don't want comfort. I want God, I want poetry, I want real danger, I want freedom, I want goodness. I want sin."
"In fact," said Mustapha Mond, "you're claiming the right to be unhappy."
"All right then," said the Savage defiantly, "I'm claiming the right to be unhappy."

leahmit's review against another edition

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challenging dark

3.5

pmarf46's review against another edition

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4.0

I think you can recognise this book as a very important and foundational text for a lot of modern dystopian fiction, whilst also acknowledging that its plot is a bit thin and its characters somewhat ill-defined. The world-building is what makes *Brave New World* pop; unfortunately, it peaks in its first 30 pages when providing us with the grim, clinical detail of the genetic engineering factory. The plot, however, fritters between different points of view and arcs, never fully feeling earned or justified. We spend a comparably short amount of time with the novel's true protagonist, John, compared to the less interesting and ill-defined Bernard.

greentealeavesss's review against another edition

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challenging emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.25

jt_perrim's review against another edition

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challenging dark informative reflective slow-paced

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

3.5

Brave New World's critique of comfort and happiness are incredibly relevant and worth engaging with. However, it's characters, prose, and pacing leave much to be desired. All-in-all the book provides rich intellectual challenge, but grants little emotional connection.