Reviews tagging 'Classism'

1984 by George Orwell

104 reviews

laurenu8's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad 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? No

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Colonisation, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Death, Murder, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, and War

Moderate: Blood, Gun violence, and Death of parent

emmalouisereads's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-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? It's complicated

4.5

The story and the world Orwell has created is chillingly realistic as a dystopian. 

I knew a lot of the story from what I gleaned from popular culture. The only surprise really is whether there is a happy or sad ending - which I won’t spoil.

I think I would have appreciated a more ruthless editor. There are times where we have the same information repeated to us over and over, and I found myself thinking, I know Orwell, you told me this. There’s also a large amount of a book read by the main character which confirms what the main character knows, which of course we also knew.. so it would have been perhaps fine to say the book confirmed his knowledge?

At any rate, this is a disturbing tale. Too close to possible in some parts.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Classism, Confinement, Murder, Police brutality, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Violence, and Misogyny

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and War

Minor: Self harm

cviii's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense slow-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? It's complicated

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Torture, and Confinement

Moderate: War and Violence

francescazksxmc's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Death, Confinement, Death of parent, Sexual assault, Child death, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Police brutality, Physical abuse, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Sexual content, and Torture

Moderate: Slavery, Vomit, War, Alcohol, and Pregnancy

Minor: Homophobia

tupsukorva's review against another edition

challenging dark 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? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Forced institutionalization, Injury/Injury detail, Emotional abuse, Violence, Sexual content, Xenophobia, Classism, Confinement, Sexism, Slavery, War, and Torture

midnacine's review against another edition

As much as I wanted to get through this just to say I actually read a classic in my free time, I just couldn't. I feel like once you're over 50 pages in, a book should be engaging, if not in its plot then at least in its characters or concept. While the concept is really intriguing, as I love dystopian lit, Winston as a main character is about as flat a glass of stale tap water. Add in his blatant hatred for women and it's painfully obvious this book is a product of its time. Maybe that's just a symptom of me trying to read this in 2022, nearly 75 years after it was initially published- God knows I couldn't even get through the first chapter of Lord of the Rings. But at the end of the day I just had no interest in continuing through pages upon pages of lengthy descriptions, intense yet vague world building, and casual sexism. It's just not for me.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Classism, Sexism, Gaslighting, Misogyny, and Murder

Moderate: Child death, Death of parent, and War

meganpbennett's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark sad tense 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? Yes

5.0

1984 is George Orwell's dystopian look at the future. Dystopias are drawn from the present, taking one or two things that are and exaggerate them until they become what could be. Some are more accurate than others, and the more accurate a dystopia, the scarier it tends to be, The surveillance state coming out of the Second World War and the Red Scare of the Cold War, all lead into the Telescreens, the retconning of history, Thought Police and Big Brother. 

1984 is a terrifying look at what could be. It was also not intended to be an instruction manual, but a look at what happens when things are taken far, far, far too far. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Death, Genocide, Police brutality, Suicidal thoughts, Alcohol, Forced institutionalization, Confinement, War, Addiction, Alcoholism, Torture, Violence, Physical abuse, Murder, Blood, Grief, Infidelity, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, Body horror, Classism, Ableism, Animal cruelty, Bullying, Medical content, Medical trauma, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Religious bigotry, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Excrement and Vomit

erin_forgie's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

• 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? It's complicated

4.75

This book is a tale of corruption. 
There are some vile comments on women: wanting to k*ll and r*pe them. 

Even after O’Brien mentally and Physically abusing Winston, Winston still idealises him

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, War, Ableism, Emotional abuse, Gore, Alcoholism, Blood, Classism, Physical abuse, Rape, Religious bigotry, Vomit, Alcohol, Misogyny, Injury/Injury detail, and Torture

jenna_justi2004's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark informative sad tense 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? Yes

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Fatphobia, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Genocide, Kidnapping, Medical content, Murder, Pregnancy, Religious bigotry, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Abandonment, Body horror, Child death, Classism, Colonisation, Death of parent, Hate crime, Infertility, Misogyny, Slavery, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, Body shaming, Confinement, Cultural appropriation, Death, Drug use, Gore, Medical trauma, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Stalking, Grief, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, and War

tiana_king's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective slow-paced

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

3.75

The world building could’ve been done much better but when you get to the last quarter of the book, it’s most interesting. It was all a set up for the author to monologue about human nature, the cyclic nature of society, and the very Voldemort-esque final message of “power for the sake of power”. Despite it being a monologue it’s pretty thought provoking so I still think it was decent.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Forced institutionalization, Injury/Injury detail, Suicidal thoughts, and Torture

Moderate: Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Sexual violence, and War