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3.98 AVERAGE
3.98 AVERAGE
I feel dramatically different reading BNW this time around.
This is another difficult book to review, because it's more of a historical document than a novel. Plus, it's hard not to compare it to 1984, which I just read.
I'll say this: I like this book more than 1984. 1984 is as subtle as a sledgehammer to the face. While Brave New World does its share of preaching, its vision of the world is much less horrific. On the surface, it seems like a great place to live. Sure, there are horrible caste systems, but it's not like they *know* there are horrible caste systems, right? Everyone's a promiscuous drug user and no one is all that unhappy. It sounds like the 1960s minus Vietnam.
The ending with the whip led me to compare this book to the Lars Von Trier film Manderlay. In Manderlay, Bryce Dallas Howard ends up on a plantation in Georgia (I think) in the 20s. No one told them that slavery had been abolished. Yet, it's that uncanny utopia/dytopia that leads you to believe that /this works/. Von Trier does the unthinkable: he makes you think that abolishing slavery was a bad idea. Huxley does the same thing in Brave New World: he makes you think that this society is a good idea.
That achievement makes this novel complex and thought-provoking, unlike 1984 which just beats you over the head with BIG BROTHER IS BAD over and over and over again.
I'll say this: I like this book more than 1984. 1984 is as subtle as a sledgehammer to the face. While Brave New World does its share of preaching, its vision of the world is much less horrific. On the surface, it seems like a great place to live. Sure, there are horrible caste systems, but it's not like they *know* there are horrible caste systems, right? Everyone's a promiscuous drug user and no one is all that unhappy. It sounds like the 1960s minus Vietnam.
The ending with the whip led me to compare this book to the Lars Von Trier film Manderlay. In Manderlay, Bryce Dallas Howard ends up on a plantation in Georgia (I think) in the 20s. No one told them that slavery had been abolished. Yet, it's that uncanny utopia/dytopia that leads you to believe that /this works/. Von Trier does the unthinkable: he makes you think that abolishing slavery was a bad idea. Huxley does the same thing in Brave New World: he makes you think that this society is a good idea.
That achievement makes this novel complex and thought-provoking, unlike 1984 which just beats you over the head with BIG BROTHER IS BAD over and over and over again.
3.5 stars rounded up, definitely one of the books of all time
Pierwszy i ostatni dzień wakacji :’)
ale przynajmniej poczytane
chociaż i tak mood na zaczynanie miliona książek na raz dalej trwa
ale przynajmniej poczytane
chociaż i tak mood na zaczynanie miliona książek na raz dalej trwa
While this wasn't my favorite dystopian novel, I am glad that I read it. The concept behind it was interesting, but I didn't myself invested in the characters. For me, they were not memorable. A lot of people have really enjoyed this book, but for me, it was just ok.
Il mondo distopico immaginato da Huxley mi ha lentamente incantato. Non si tratta di uno dei migliori mondi possibili in cui vivere eppure fa riflettere. Inoltre il fatto che quest’edizione aggiunga al romanzo la serie di saggi del 1958 intitolata Ritorno al Mondo Nuovo è utilissimo per capire i pilastri su cui si regge il Mondo Nuovo.
Lumea distopică imaginată de Huxley m-a captivat încet. Nu e în niciun caz de una din 'cele mai bune lumi posibile', dar pune pe gânduri. Iar ediția aceasta este perfectă pentru că pune alături și eseurile scrise de autor în 1958 numite Reîntoarcere în Minunata Lumea Nouă, foarte folositoare pentru a înțelege pilaștrii pe care se ține Minunata Lumea Nouă.
“Può darsi che le forze opposte alla libertà siano troppo possenti e che non si potrà resistere a lungo. Ma è pur sempre nostro dovere fare il possibile per resistere.”
Lumea distopică imaginată de Huxley m-a captivat încet. Nu e în niciun caz de una din 'cele mai bune lumi posibile', dar pune pe gânduri. Iar ediția aceasta este perfectă pentru că pune alături și eseurile scrise de autor în 1958 numite Reîntoarcere în Minunata Lumea Nouă, foarte folositoare pentru a înțelege pilaștrii pe care se ține Minunata Lumea Nouă.
“E posibil ca forțele împotriva libertății să fie prea puternice și nimeni să nu poată rezista mult timp. Dar este încă datoria noastră să facem tot posibilul pentru a rezista.”
challenging
dark
sad
medium-paced
Three stars for the main book.
Brave New World rung a lot more true to me than 1984, and less viscerally unpleasant to read. The parts most far-removed from modern day were the ones about genetic manipulation and mass-production of people into different castes. Everything else, showing how people cheerfully participate in their own dumbing-down and will accept all manner of societal atrocities if provided with enough food, drugs, and entertainment, seemed uncomfortably insightful.
The story itself was, of course, horrible: every character was nearly worthless, nobody grew and no real change happened. But that's not the point of a book like this, and Brave New World delivered the eerily prescient warnings of doom I was expecting, so that's all I can ask for.
The fourth star is for Brave New World Revisited, which apparently is an essay Huxley wrote about his own work. He interprets his own book, and contrasts it with 1984 and the direction in which he saw his own society moving. It's pretty dated and somewhat scientifically questionable in parts, but overall does all the commentating that's necessary, so I don't have to. I'm also coming to the conclusion that it's just so much more pleasant for me to read about these kind of topics in essay or article format, rather than works of grotesque satirical fiction.
Brave New World rung a lot more true to me than 1984, and less viscerally unpleasant to read. The parts most far-removed from modern day were the ones about genetic manipulation and mass-production of people into different castes. Everything else, showing how people cheerfully participate in their own dumbing-down and will accept all manner of societal atrocities if provided with enough food, drugs, and entertainment, seemed uncomfortably insightful.
The story itself was, of course, horrible: every character was nearly worthless, nobody grew and no real change happened. But that's not the point of a book like this, and Brave New World delivered the eerily prescient warnings of doom I was expecting, so that's all I can ask for.
The fourth star is for Brave New World Revisited, which apparently is an essay Huxley wrote about his own work. He interprets his own book, and contrasts it with 1984 and the direction in which he saw his own society moving. It's pretty dated and somewhat scientifically questionable in parts, but overall does all the commentating that's necessary, so I don't have to. I'm also coming to the conclusion that it's just so much more pleasant for me to read about these kind of topics in essay or article format, rather than works of grotesque satirical fiction.
adventurous
challenging
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes