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cursed_sapphire's review
challenging
dark
informative
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
The world and concepts are fascinating. If you can look past some of the dated ideas, you'll see a surprising amount of our world here. Huxley predicted some parts of our society too well.
The characters are interesting but not likeable, I recommend knowing that going in. This book is an exploration of a potential future built on consumption, sameness, and constant pleasure. The characters are meant to embody different parts of humanity/society. Bernard is only content if he's more special than everyone else, Lenina wants more monogomy than is normal but otherwise accepts everything, Helmholtz is just kinda bored and wants to be a tortured poet, etc. John is supposed to be the last real person, representing a true believer in religion and art which cannot survive in this society. Mind you, John is a very 1930's Christian ideal of a true, good person. And while his obsession with suffering for his sins serves as a counter to the painless society of the book, it came across a bit overzealous for me. It felt like Huxley was trying to make John suffer all the pain everyone else never had to, but that made him feel a little too obsessed with pain instead of the virtues he claims to care about. The same could also be said about his obsession with chastity.
This is a book more focused on ideas than on characters. The plot is a bit sparse, but that leads to a slice-of-life feeling, where the day-to-day life is the focus. There's a certain horror in the mundaneness that the characters experience, and that brings out the themes in a different, but still very effective way.
Overall I recommend this for anyone who likes the philosophical side of sci-fi/dystopia, as long as they are able to handle the old-fashioned lense.
The characters are interesting but not likeable, I recommend knowing that going in. This book is an exploration of a potential future built on consumption, sameness, and constant pleasure. The characters are meant to embody different parts of humanity/society. Bernard is only content if he's more special than everyone else, Lenina wants more monogomy than is normal but otherwise accepts everything, Helmholtz is just kinda bored and wants to be a tortured poet, etc. John is supposed to be the last real person, representing a true believer in religion and art which cannot survive in this society. Mind you, John is a very 1930's Christian ideal of a true, good person. And while his obsession with suffering for his sins serves as a counter to the painless society of the book, it came across a bit overzealous for me. It felt like Huxley was trying to make John suffer all the pain everyone else never had to, but that made him feel a little too obsessed with pain instead of the virtues he claims to care about. The same could also be said about his obsession with chastity.
This is a book more focused on ideas than on characters. The plot is a bit sparse, but that leads to a slice-of-life feeling, where the day-to-day life is the focus. There's a certain horror in the mundaneness that the characters experience, and that brings out the themes in a different, but still very effective way.
Overall I recommend this for anyone who likes the philosophical side of sci-fi/dystopia, as long as they are able to handle the old-fashioned lense.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse, Drug use, Child abuse, Addiction, and Suicide
Moderate: Sexual content, Religious bigotry, Racism, and Sexual harassment
viviankeithley's review
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Self harm, and Death of parent
Moderate: Sexual content, Suicide, and Classism
carlaabra's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
It’s well beyond the time that I should’ve read this. Gosh.
A dys?/u-topian future where humans are mass manufactured, embryos conditioned and children brainwashed into predetermined castes (Alpha through Gamma) and personalities (make the future miners like the dark, make the farmers like the dirt, make the laborers enjoy their labor). Above all, make everyone unthinking and “happy”—no suffering, no obstacles, just base desires and their immediate satisfaction, perfect workers and consumers. We follow Bernard, the self righteous loser, Helmholtz, the writer created with too much intelligence yet yearning for something valuable to say, Lenina, a woman beginning to question society but who chooses the hollow comfort of drugged happiness over true feeling, and finally John (The Savage), born the old-fashioned way on Savage Reservations where humans live a harsh but felt existence. John is removed from the reservations into the Civilized World in an experiment: can the savage appreciate such easy and empty pleasures? Should he?
Some of this book seriously lagged. But it’s worth it for the themes. What does it really mean to live a good life - to fulfill a purpose? What is happiness - is it always good, and is suffering always bad? Is the primary goal for human civilization to extinguish, indeed to obviate, any and all hardship? At what cost? There’s an interesting religious parallel that’s touched on, the holiness of suffering (the *passion* of the Christ; asceticism more generally). I was reminded of Calvin: how terrifying it is to consider predestination and therefore how strong a test of our faith to go on believing, God‘s will be done.
A dys?/u-topian future where humans are mass manufactured, embryos conditioned and children brainwashed into predetermined castes (Alpha through Gamma) and personalities (make the future miners like the dark, make the farmers like the dirt, make the laborers enjoy their labor). Above all, make everyone unthinking and “happy”—no suffering, no obstacles, just base desires and their immediate satisfaction, perfect workers and consumers. We follow Bernard, the self righteous loser, Helmholtz, the writer created with too much intelligence yet yearning for something valuable to say, Lenina, a woman beginning to question society but who chooses the hollow comfort of drugged happiness over true feeling, and finally John (The Savage), born the old-fashioned way on Savage Reservations where humans live a harsh but felt existence. John is removed from the reservations into the Civilized World in an experiment: can the savage appreciate such easy and empty pleasures? Should he?
Some of this book seriously lagged. But it’s worth it for the themes. What does it really mean to live a good life - to fulfill a purpose? What is happiness - is it always good, and is suffering always bad? Is the primary goal for human civilization to extinguish, indeed to obviate, any and all hardship? At what cost? There’s an interesting religious parallel that’s touched on, the holiness of suffering (the *passion* of the Christ; asceticism more generally). I was reminded of Calvin: how terrifying it is to consider predestination and therefore how strong a test of our faith to go on believing, God‘s will be done.
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual content and Suicide
Nihilismtheveleveteenrabbit08's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Seriously the best book I've ever read. Changed the way that I think about the modern world's luxuries and government. The world building is absolutely excellent and realistic, yet subtly terrifying at the same time. Characters' interactions aid this world building perfectly, immersing us in the minds and society of this 'brave new world'. If you are even the slightest bit interested in this book, READ IT! You won't regret your choice.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Grief, Medical content, Forced institutionalization, Drug use, Drug abuse, Death of parent, Death, and Self harm
Moderate: Alcohol, Suicide, Body shaming, Alcoholism, Murder, Sexual content, Mental illness, Infertility, and Blood
Minor: Pregnancy and Vomit
ju10ma's review against another edition
challenging
dark
slow-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? It's complicated
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism
Moderate: Sexual content
triniparade's review against another edition
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia, Medical content, Forced institutionalization, Body shaming, and Death of parent
Moderate: Drug use, Toxic relationship, Drug abuse, Sexism, Addiction, Suicide, Sexual content, Misogyny, and Infertility
Minor: Colonisation and Xenophobia
livimack's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
informative
reflective
sad
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? It's complicated
4.75
Firstly, Sally Rooney could definitely write this. Secondly, I can see why some places banned this book. And finally, I severely underestimated this book. The blurb also seriously underestimated it, too. And not gonna lie, I could probably analyse this for weeks and still have material to chat about. Good book. Philosophy in action innit.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Drug use
Minor: Death, Sexual content, Death of parent, Sexism, Suicide, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Grief, and Violence
woundedhouse's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Minor: Body shaming, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicide, and Drug use
katkatniss's review against another edition
dark
funny
lighthearted
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- 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
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Addiction, Sexual content, Classism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, and Suicide
Minor: Alcohol, Racism, Blood, Vomit, Body shaming, Death of parent, Misogyny, Self harm, Alcoholism, and Injury/Injury detail
jj_99's review against another edition
dark
reflective
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? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism, Drug use, and Body shaming
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Misogyny and Sexual content