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3.98 AVERAGE
3.98 AVERAGE
dark
funny
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
reflective
tense
medium-paced
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Oh, Ford. I don't think I was planning to, but I really enjoyed this book. It is very poignant culturally, philosophically, scientifically, and psychologically more than 75 years later. Impressive. Much better than 1984 (in my opinion).
Well, I'm glad that's over. I knew this going in and should have been more prepared for it, but Brave New World is almost entirely a book about IDEAS. Yes, there are characters, but they're all one-dimensional. Yes, there is a plot, but it's only in service to the IDEAS. Yes, there are a few nice turns of phrase, but they don't make up for the blandness of everything else.
Maybe this is all intentional on Huxley's part. If he wanted to write an engaging novel, I'm sure he could have. His characters are meaningless because their existences are meaningless; his story is forgettable, because in A.F. 624, civilization's problems have been forgotten; his novel lacks passion, because the London Hatchery has made it scientifically impossible to experience true passion.
We're still reading Huxley's vision of totalitarianism because it's oddly prescient (the pursuit of pleasure, not happiness, at all cost, is as modern as any else, though usually self-prescribed) but it's just not that interesting to me. The best parts of the book for me was the Shakespeare!
Maybe this is all intentional on Huxley's part. If he wanted to write an engaging novel, I'm sure he could have. His characters are meaningless because their existences are meaningless; his story is forgettable, because in A.F. 624, civilization's problems have been forgotten; his novel lacks passion, because the London Hatchery has made it scientifically impossible to experience true passion.
We're still reading Huxley's vision of totalitarianism because it's oddly prescient (the pursuit of pleasure, not happiness, at all cost, is as modern as any else, though usually self-prescribed) but it's just not that interesting to me. The best parts of the book for me was the Shakespeare!
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I wish more people read this book, and not just Orwell's 1984.
This was an amazing, eye-opening read. It definitely isn't a book you read to have a fun, lighthearted time. It really makes you think about a world that Huxley had already imagined in 1932 and that's very close to what we are living now and to what our future might end up looking like. It's dark, scary and unsettling and it's something we all need more of. I was already a hater of radio and TV, but after reading this, I can't stand to have them around me even more than before. Read this. For real.
The book has definitely sparked my interest for other works of Huxley, too. I feel the need to read some of his more philosophical pieces, now, and his books about drugs and hallucinations.
This could definitely be a life-changing book for someone who has never looked at the world in a certain way. Personally, I was already one to have the same view on things as Huxley, so reading this was like finding someone who understands me pretty well.
This was an amazing, eye-opening read. It definitely isn't a book you read to have a fun, lighthearted time. It really makes you think about a world that Huxley had already imagined in 1932 and that's very close to what we are living now and to what our future might end up looking like. It's dark, scary and unsettling and it's something we all need more of. I was already a hater of radio and TV, but after reading this, I can't stand to have them around me even more than before. Read this. For real.
The book has definitely sparked my interest for other works of Huxley, too. I feel the need to read some of his more philosophical pieces, now, and his books about drugs and hallucinations.
This could definitely be a life-changing book for someone who has never looked at the world in a certain way. Personally, I was already one to have the same view on things as Huxley, so reading this was like finding someone who understands me pretty well.
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I struggled with whether I wanted to give this book 4 stars or 5 stars for a solid couple of hours. I think if I were to rate Brave New World on its own, I would probably go with 4 stars. The story is incredibly ambitious and has a lot going for it, but I really think the early chapters drag. I find Bernard to be an almost intolerable character to spend time with, and its not until John is introduced that I really become invested in the world and the story. John is, quite clearly, a twisted sort of stand-in for the reader, and it is through his perspective that I think the themes Huxley is exploring really pop off the page.
What really pushed me to give 5 stars here is the second half of this book, Brave New World Revisited. I can not stress enough how interesting and delightful it was to explore the mind of Huxley and his musings on the current state of the world in the '50s in regards to the totalitarian "utopia" he dreamed up back when Brave New World was originally published. If you have ever read Brave New World or if you ever plan on reading it I cannot stress enough how important I think it is to give Revisited a read through also, as it both enriches the experience of Brave New World as well as providing an incredibly engaging exploration of society and the problems we face.
What really pushed me to give 5 stars here is the second half of this book, Brave New World Revisited. I can not stress enough how interesting and delightful it was to explore the mind of Huxley and his musings on the current state of the world in the '50s in regards to the totalitarian "utopia" he dreamed up back when Brave New World was originally published. If you have ever read Brave New World or if you ever plan on reading it I cannot stress enough how important I think it is to give Revisited a read through also, as it both enriches the experience of Brave New World as well as providing an incredibly engaging exploration of society and the problems we face.