Reviews tagging 'Suicidal thoughts'

1984 by George Orwell

121 reviews

buud_w0rm's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

This book superseded my expectations

The ending was heartbreakingly realistic. This book should be a requirement for every person on earth to read. The way it tackles totalitarianism, the constructed language  in the book was incredible. especially when the appendix  goes to to much more detail on how oppressive the truth of newspeak really is. you do get the idea while reading the book but even more so at the end. I felt sorry for Julia, Winston even Parsons and Symes surprisingly. The journey through Winstons eyes was sometimes so violent or anxiety inducing or paranoid, i couldn't tear my eyes away from the page. Towards the end i felt like i lost my mimd with him. My heart broke at the realization of the decrepit broken old man he had become. The bleak acceptance that there may never be a change in the minds of individuals because BigBrother has realized every psychological advantage.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Xenophobia, Torture, War, and Dysphoria

Moderate: Body horror, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Suicidal thoughts, and Physical abuse

Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, and Vomit

I think the world can benefit from reading this book and knowing Winston’s story. The amount of commonalities between the book and the world we already live in brings dread to my stomach. What makes me dread it even more is the final message in the book which is that an individual no matter what they believe has no choice but to go with the flow of the collective mind. Even if the collective is wrong, the individual alone can’t fight the current nor can they change the power in which controls the current of the collective minds. An individual WONT change the “party” aka gov’s kind if their (gov) only concern is gaining more and more power. Each day I pray that the small sect of people that want to uprise against their gov will find each other and with all their might (together) push against the wrongness that’s been perpetuated in the first place… I feel sorry that Winston quite literally got the fire put out from him. I think everyone can learn something vital from this novel

jana07's review against another edition

challenging dark tense slow-paced

• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism

Moderate: Alcohol and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Antisemitism and Sexual content

skipper1513's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.0

• A fairly quick read for a classic
• Unforgettable moments (both good and bad..)
• Lengthy political details scattered around

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Physical abuse, Forced institutionalization, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, and Torture

pr1ncessj's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Rape, Murder, Gore, Death, and Injury/Injury detail

leeela's review against another edition

dark reflective tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Misogyny and Gaslighting

Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Rape, Police brutality, Vomit, War, and Violence

cowardlyteaman's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense 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

4.0

To be honest, I kind of feel like George Orwell gaslighted me. The first half of this book was just---bad. I didn't like it. Not in the slightest.

Winston would randomly get this urge to either rape or kill people who did nothing else but exist in his presence. It was tiring, not thought-provoking. I liked him much better in part three of the book, though! Ironically enough, maybe, but his whole character during part one and two was being a pig. That was completely out of focus during part three! Splendid.

Julia should have been removed entirely. I didn't like her in the beginning, and I didn't like her at the end. Her whole character was having sex and saying foul things. If you try too hard to make a character who's supposed to be controversial and rebellious, you end up with a character I only want to die in a pit.

O'Brien.🫶 He saved the book, to be honest. I genuinely believe that this book would have been 5 stars for me if Orwell had removed Julia and spent more time building on Winston and O'Brien's relationship instead.

All in all, I do believe that this book was worth it. I read it for history, and during the first half, I thought of this book as complete and utter bullshit. But at least I came to like it—really like it towards the end.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Classism, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Drug use, Physical abuse, Alcohol, Body shaming, Bullying, Confinement, Gaslighting, Misogyny, Sexism, Torture, and Violence

Moderate: Antisemitism, Racism, Body horror, Child death, Abandonment, Xenophobia, Fatphobia, Death of parent, Suicidal thoughts, and Rape

susie_reads's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

The additional essays at the back of the book are excellent. They are about the use of language-in the book and in real life; the dropping of the atom bomb; and several short items written by Orwell’s contemporaries to him or about him. The extensive notes section is also helpful. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Alcoholism, Torture, Sexual violence, Sexual content, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Body horror and Body shaming

Minor: Child death and Suicidal thoughts

iwishihadmoretimetoread's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective sad medium-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

This book is an amazing work of art and I think it is important for everyone to read it, however it was quite difficult to get through and very difficult emotionally.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, Body horror, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Vomit, War, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, and Torture

Minor: Antisemitism

kendal_reads's review against another edition

dark reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Gaslighting, War, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, and Alcohol

natalia64's review against another edition

dark reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Tiene cosas muy interesantes y vigentes para las discusiones actuales, pero no me resultó tan alucinante porque ya pasaron muchísimos años de su primera edición y tuvo un impacto muy significativo en la cultura masiva occidental - había ideas que me parecían interesantes, pero conocidas. No me resultaron tan atrapantes los fragmentos tan largos de "explicación del regimen" (en particular el capítulo del libro de Goldstein, que está metido dentro del capítulo sin ninguna observación/pensamiento del personaje), me pareció que sumaba más y era mucho más efectivo a nivel idea-experiencia de lectura-efecto de sentido cuando narraba y atravesaba "la teoría" con lo más vivencial del personaje.
La homosexualidad es un tema recurrente en el libro: el Socing lo considera como "poco deseable" y una "desviación". La sexualidad es hetero, pero desligada siempre de todo tipo de deseo - el acto sexual tiene que ser no-placentero y con el único fin de la reproducción. Sin embargo,

  Winston, el protagonista, piensa en O'Brien desde que lo comienza a registrar hasta en la misma sala de torturas de una forma que dista la sencilla admiración fraternal. A veces me preguntaba si era que yo estaba leyendo "demás", aberrantemente (Umberto Eco), la relación en un instinto de re-lectura queer (me acordaba del canal Are they gay?) porque cuando mi mamá lo leyó en su momento ni se le cruzó. Cuando pensaba en Julia, incluso en alguna fantasía sexual, empezaba a pensar en O'Brien. Para mí, que se sienta tan "comprendido" cuando O'Brien lo TORTURA es porque le pasan otras cosas. Siento que toda la temática de la homosexualidad de Winston es todo un ejemplo de doblepiensa, salvo que este está tan preparado con las barreras del antecrímen que ni se le ocurre. Si 1984 hubiera sido escrito en el SXXI, hubieran sido un poco más canónicos. Incluso sin perder el mensaje y aumentando la "traición" de O'Brien. 

 
Con respecto al ritmo, se relaciona con lo que decía al principio: cuando es más narrativo, cuando se enfoca en contar ese mundo "desde el cuerpo" me resultó rápidísimo y demasiado interesante. En este sentido creo que el principio, la mitad tardía y el mismo final son los más atrapantes.

Las torturas en el Ministerio del Amor fueron adictivas de leer, visuales, potentes. Llegué tarde a una juntada porque no me di cuenta que había pasado tanto tiempo. Tenía que seguir leyendo para detener el dolor. Con la tortura de la habitación 101 tuve que parar un segundo de leer, consideré dejarlo ahí, pero no pude. Di vuelta la página y me encontré leyendo la restitución a la sociedad de Winston. Primero no entendí, pensaba "debe ser un sueño" y después "debe ser una farsa", no lo pueden haber roto tanto. Fue tristísimo y amargo ese final. Yo seguía esperando una revolución, aunque sea leve, aunque sea emocional. Que cuando vea a Julia, además del vuelco en el corazón (quizá una mínima revolución - la primeridad no la pueden borrar con ninguna tortura), ambos sientan una conexión, una cuestión duradera, la continuidad del flechazo. El mismo personaje lo dice: podrían tener relaciones ahí nomás, en el espacio público, pero son distintos, eso ya no está, la desilusión y la desesperanza le ganaron al deseo, a la utopía y a que valga la pena arriesgarse. En ese pasaje no priman los antecrímenes, como en la escena del bar y Africa.

 
Con el epílogo me cerró más la postura de Orwell porque me faltaba info de contexto 

sobre el partido laborista inglés y pensé que sólo criticaba al stalinismo

. Creo que si lo hubiera leído antes de cursar Historia Social General e Historia Arg no hubiera cazado tanto de las críticas particulares. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Police brutality, Violence, and War

Moderate: Sexual content, Misogyny, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Slavery