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joshkiba13's review against another edition
- 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
3.0
I found this not to just be a fictional commentary on the censorship of books, but it was also a warning about the influence of technology and media. Bradbury feared a time when people sat together, unaware of each other's existence because of the "Seashell radios" in their ears, or the parlor TV walls yelling nonsense at them. Not too far off from today.
The version I checked out from the library also had some really interesting background and afterwords from Mr. Bradbury, which was really interesting to read. He included a scene or two from the play of the same name, giving a bit more background on the characters of Beatty and Clarisse.
Moderate: Suicide attempt and War
awesome_archaeology's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Moderate: War, Drug abuse, and Fire/Fire injury
maryellen's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury and Death
Moderate: Gaslighting
Minor: War
manatad's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
My favorite thing about the novel is actually Ray Bradbury's writing style. I found his imaginative use of simile to be quite wonderful, and I did sense a feeling of great passion from the book in general. I think the short length of the novel is appropriate too, because the prose would very likely have worn out its charm if I had to read 300 pages or more of it.
There's not much else I can say about such a famous book that hasn't already been said a hundred times before. Overall, I think it is an enjoyable read, and quick, so there is no reason for anybody who is interested to not to read this classic.
Moderate: Suicide attempt, War, and Car accident
singalana's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Minor: Abortion, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Drug abuse, Medical content, Suicide attempt, Violence, Child death, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Blood, Car accident, and War
liri_reads's review against another edition
- 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
3.5
Graphic: Suicide attempt, War, Fire/Fire injury, Death, and Murder
gravitybreaker's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.5
Graphic: Suicide attempt and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Death
Minor: Violence and War
magfx's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: War and Suicide
backitupmoony's review against another edition
4.75
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Death, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: War, Murder, and Child death
gvstyris's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
There must be something in books, something we can’t imagine, to make a woman stay in a burning house; there must be something there. You don’t stay for nothing.
Fahrenheit 451 was the bane of my existence when I first read it, and I can now confidently confirm that my original 14-year-old opinion was incredibly based.
This book is a slog. For one thing, the world-building is pretty messy. The 'book ban' in this dystopia isn't a harrowing tale of authoritarian censorship, or particularly topical given what's happening in the 21st century US, because it's not about censorship at all: it's a 'metaphor' for a world where television rots everyone's braincells and short attention spans kill public interest in literature. In that way, Fahrenheit 451 reads as a 1950s time capsule that has not stood the test of time. It's anti-progress and (lowkey) just technology fear-mongering, which made a lot more sense once I unpacked Bradbury's political beliefs.
Honestly, this novel probably would've worked better in its original short story format. Montag's character arc is underdeveloped and unconvincing regardless, and I would've preferred to not to suffer through all 200-something pages of it.
Also, I feel the need to add that I can see why this book is so popular with a bunch of book lovers...lol. Anyways, I'm excited to re-read 1984 soon!
I'd like to conclude with some of Ray Bradbury's other words of true wisdom:
I don't believe in government. I hate politics. I'm against it. And I hope that sometime this fall, we can destroy part of our government, and next year destroy even more of it. The less government, the happier I will be.
Graphic: Murder and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Suicide attempt, Suicide, and War