Reviews with content warning for Mental illness - 1984

Reviews tagging 'Mental illness'

1984 by George Orwell

23 reviews

gabriella_'s review against another edition

reflective tense 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

3.75

why do British dystopians always have a nursery rhyme involved? it takes me out because it’s juvenile in an otherwise pretty heavy story

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lorraine19's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

4.75

The beginning can be a bit difficult to understand and slow to get into. But once as you really get into it and appreciate the world building, it opens your eyes to why this is considered a classic. There is a deep examination on what it means to be human at the root of this book that I think is often overlooked in favor of the political debates. The characters are complex people in a complex world. It is a very dark read but not a "feels good" book if that's what you are looking for. I personally appreciate the seriousness and the depth of this book.

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lara_k's review against another edition

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dark reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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rebekahatkinson's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional inspiring tense fast-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

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reminiscences's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative reflective 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? It's complicated

3.75

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southcarolina's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad tense 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

4.75

We feel that we are paper, choking on you nightly.

You would be hard-pressed to find a book more immediately engaging than 1984. The worldbuilding is paced perfectly, firstly offering us glimpses of Winston’s small rebellions such as keeping a diary. We get to see his daily life under Big Brother and the challenges he faces before the main plotline starts. This immediately hooked me in, as I felt the book unfolded naturally and the city was easy to picture in my mind. I was able to connect to his struggles, and the pace ramps up naturally rather than a sudden shock to the system.

We’re put into Winston’s perspective, and I found not having been spoiled was thrilling. Being unsure on who to trust, was novel, and I wasn’t expecting the eventual betrayal to come from a certain character. During one part of the book, specifically the brotherhood scene, I did feel it was too good to be true. I’m glad the writing didn’t treat the audience like a fool and my suspicions were very clearly founded.

The last portion of the book is incredibly disturbing, but after the attention given to the cruelty of the party, it feels deserved and not out of left field. The ending is especially impactful, as you can feel Winston’s thoughts have been completely tangled. The narration is inconsistent intentionally, and I think it made a great impact.

Orwell has a very direct writing style, typically favouring shorter sentences, with the occasional long line for impact. He doesn’t need to bloat the text with unnecessary language, and it was a joy to read and put myself in Winston’s shoes.

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