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laura_bichateca's review against another edition
dark
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
C7 A6 W7 P8 I8 L8 E7 = 51/14 => 3,64/5 ★
iswendle's review against another edition
5.0
Fahrenheit 451 is a great read especially in the information era. Originally meant to criticise TV and its effects on society, it shows how TV can be used to influence and by extent control society as a whole.
The main idea shown in the story is that when books are banned, people become mindless zombies attached to screens. While I do agree that books can expend one's mind, it feels a little shortsighted to say that it is the only medium that allows for expanding one's mind. Instead, I think Fahrentheit 451 really shows how dangerous 24/7 breaking news, sensation-filled streaming can be, whether it be a TV show, a Twitter feed or your YouTube page. When we have the opportunity to only watch sensation (or worse, sensation based on our own opinion and our own bubble, thanks to personal profiles) it becomes increasingly more difficult to view things that are slow, informatice but complex. I think this is in part what we see today with a decrease in attention span of basically any human being on the internet, myself very much included.
All in all, Fahrenheit 451 showed me the importance of taking a moment to look elsewhere, to calm down, not at a screen. And while I don't agree with the statement that people need books for this, I do think this story perfectly describes what happens when all you can do is stay inside your own digital bubble. A bubble that agrees with you and gives you endless short happy stimuli.
The main idea shown in the story is that when books are banned, people become mindless zombies attached to screens. While I do agree that books can expend one's mind, it feels a little shortsighted to say that it is the only medium that allows for expanding one's mind. Instead, I think Fahrentheit 451 really shows how dangerous 24/7 breaking news, sensation-filled streaming can be, whether it be a TV show, a Twitter feed or your YouTube page. When we have the opportunity to only watch sensation (or worse, sensation based on our own opinion and our own bubble, thanks to personal profiles) it becomes increasingly more difficult to view things that are slow, informatice but complex. I think this is in part what we see today with a decrease in attention span of basically any human being on the internet, myself very much included.
All in all, Fahrenheit 451 showed me the importance of taking a moment to look elsewhere, to calm down, not at a screen. And while I don't agree with the statement that people need books for this, I do think this story perfectly describes what happens when all you can do is stay inside your own digital bubble. A bubble that agrees with you and gives you endless short happy stimuli.
aleonak's review against another edition
tense
fast-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
1.0
ellalouisedavey's review against another edition
dark
medium-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? N/A
3.5
Very strong ideas, I found it really hard to follow at times because of the vague plot points. I did a mix of listening to and reading this book and found neither helped with my understanding of certain parts. It really picks up after the first half. I really liked how the idea is that we will live in a society where we will burn anything that doesn’t make us happy to the point of having pretty much nothing
Content Warnings
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Suicide attempt, and Death
lemnpie_'s review against another edition
dark
informative
tense
fast-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? Yes
4.0
drridareads's review against another edition
2.0
"The Things you're looking for, Montag, are in the world, but the only way the average chap will ever see ninety-nine percent of them is in a book"
I loved the power of books shown in the book. I think the overall idea of the book was great about how tv will replace books. I liked how it showed the future- a mechanical dystopian world where even in the midst of war people chose to overlook the bad things and be happy.
Other than that though i thought the book's plot was pretty vague. I think it was more of an idea of a story and less story itself.
I loved the power of books shown in the book. I think the overall idea of the book was great about how tv will replace books. I liked how it showed the future- a mechanical dystopian world where even in the midst of war people chose to overlook the bad things and be happy.
Other than that though i thought the book's plot was pretty vague. I think it was more of an idea of a story and less story itself.
cleffeler's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
novaturient_bibliophile's review against another edition
3.5
Overall, it was just kind of meh. The concept and moral and warning of it all was brilliant. The book also had an eerie sort of mood—which both helped to get the point across and also just creep me out. So, my problem wasn’t with what was being said—it was incredible in that aspect—but with how it was being said. The writing style wasn’t my favorite—truth be told, I felt like it made things drag on and it frequently lost me. The metaphors were great, though. Montag was also a very realistic character.
This book definitely spooked me out. The Mechanical Hound, the machines that revived Mildred, the bomb, Montag literally burning people alive…creepily eldritch.
It reminded me a lot of Jonathan Larson’s Superbia (you know, the musical he had to scrap in Tick, Tick…BOOM).
UPDATE: I had to read this book again for school later in the year, and I definitely liked it better the second time around. I understood more of it and was able to appreciate Bradbury’s writing style more fully. One of the things that struck me the most on this read-through was how similar our world is to the world of the book. Yes, there are a lot of differences, but the similarities are more dangerous, so they stand out much more. Was Bradbury good at predicting the future or did he just have a firm grasp and understanding on human nature?
This book definitely spooked me out. The Mechanical Hound, the machines that revived Mildred, the bomb, Montag literally burning people alive…creepily eldritch.
It reminded me a lot of Jonathan Larson’s Superbia (you know, the musical he had to scrap in Tick, Tick…BOOM).
UPDATE: I had to read this book again for school later in the year, and I definitely liked it better the second time around. I understood more of it and was able to appreciate Bradbury’s writing style more fully. One of the things that struck me the most on this read-through was how similar our world is to the world of the book. Yes, there are a lot of differences, but the similarities are more dangerous, so they stand out much more. Was Bradbury good at predicting the future or did he just have a firm grasp and understanding on human nature?
emilyhei's review against another edition
4.0
Guy Montag is a fireman. A fireman's job is to burn books, they don't question why they just do. When he meets Clarisse a girl who sees everything in a different life he begins to question everything he knows.
Ray Bradbury has a way of writing in such a way that you can visualize each description. This book is a bit haunting as some of the reasons behind each action are stuff we are seeing now. Great book.
Ray Bradbury has a way of writing in such a way that you can visualize each description. This book is a bit haunting as some of the reasons behind each action are stuff we are seeing now. Great book.