Scan barcode
lily1304's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.5
Worth reading because it's a classic and it's so influential - "Big Brother" being synonymous with surveillance, and thoughtcrime/Thought Police are common references as well. Glad I could check this one off the list.
In its merits as dystopian literature... I'm not convinced. Winston and Julia are both kind of non-characters with very few discernable traits or motives. Julia is especially vapid, given that she constantly lets Winston speak for her and doesn't seem to be interested inthe rebellion they pledge their lives to. It's possible that Orwell intended his two main characters to be deeply uninteresting to demonstrate that that's what a fascist surveillance state does to people. But it's a slog to read sometimes.
That, plus, it seemed like a large portion of the book was dedicated to Goldstein's writing or O'Brien's lectures. In some ways, 1984 is a great example of fiction as a medium for political ideas. But in other ways - if he has to interrupt the narrative with a direct lecture on power to get his point across, then he's not a very effective storyteller.
In its merits as dystopian literature... I'm not convinced. Winston and Julia are both kind of non-characters with very few discernable traits or motives. Julia is especially vapid, given that she constantly lets Winston speak for her and doesn't seem to be interested in
That, plus, it seemed like a large portion of the book was dedicated to Goldstein's writing or O'Brien's lectures. In some ways, 1984 is a great example of fiction as a medium for political ideas. But in other ways - if he has to interrupt the narrative with a direct lecture on power to get his point across, then he's not a very effective storyteller.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Classism, Alcoholism, Torture, Police brutality, Colonisation, Confinement, Death, and Suicidal thoughts
ribert's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
sad
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
4.25
Content Warnings
Minor: Gaslighting, Police brutality, Torture, Vomit, Abandonment, Alcoholism, Classism, Emotional abuse, War, Physical abuse, Violence, Xenophobia, and Body shaming
stardustdreamer's review against another edition
challenging
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Classism, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Body horror, Police brutality, Death, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: War, Alcoholism, Blood, and Sexual content
Minor: Misogyny, Vomit, Death of parent, and Rape
cottage_kaare's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
An amazing exploration of more political sci-fi fiction. An amazing piece to set the real world into perspective, as a lot of the plots in it are relevant to different parts of the world we live in. Classic Orwell political Satire. And a personal alm time favorite.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Hate crime, Police brutality, Classism, Death, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Violence, and Antisemitism
Moderate: War
Minor: Kidnapping, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Death, Torture, Vomit, Abandonment, Hate crime, and Violence
It was hard to tag but this book is so heavily drenched in gaslighting and institutional brainwashing through propaganda. Alsoremytherat's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
slow-paced
3.75
It's easy to see why this is a classic, and why it's so important to read. There were, however, things that I didn't love. It's clear Orwell has never met a woman, for one, and some parts in the middle dragged quite a lot. There were moments where the writing didn't flow as well as it did in Animal Farm; moments that were written to be dreamlike felt a bit too stiff. While this is definitely an impactful book, if only to understand the cultural references and the themes brought up, it's nowhere near my favourite classic.
Somehow, it feels different when a lot of the contents of the book already happen in one way or another; less like it's a dystopian future, and more like it's a worse version of the present.
Somehow, it feels different when a lot of the contents of the book already happen in one way or another; less like it's a dystopian future, and more like it's a worse version of the present.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Gaslighting, Police brutality, Sexism, Medical trauma, and Torture
Moderate: Classism, Alcoholism, Body shaming, and Suicidal thoughts
manu_k's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
tense
fast-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
5.0
Beautifully horrifying, this book is a ride from start to finish. We know it has been a cornerstone for the dystopian fiction genre, but reading it makes me realize just how much this book has shaped this genre.
On the writing style: I thought it was very beautifully written, descriptive but not very much so, the exact kind of thing I like. The way it was written and the analogies and the non - linear storytelling in some parts came together so well, it was immersive in the best way.
On the story:the first part was almost boring, which I thought was the point. It showed us how the regime worked, some background to Winston, but didn't actually contribute to advancing the story line as such. The second part was much more fast paced and actually exciting in regards to the advancement of the story, and by far some of the chapters in this part are my favorites. I didn't appreciate the whole 'I love you' debacle in the beginning, but I guess it shows how much sexually and emotionally repressed these people are. I believe it seems very fitting that Julia is introduced as a central character at the start of the second part and her role ends at the end of the second part. The third part was one of the most difficult parts to get through, despite me having experience with reading torture scenes (I read The Surgeon when I was 15, it still haunts me). It was brutal no holds barred kind of writing, with the descriptions, O'Brien's almost - almost - loving teacher like treatment of Winston, and then the change in the way of Winston's thinking, how different it was from the other two parts. The ending was surprising to me, despite knowing that it won't end happily as other dystopian books I have read.
On the writing style: I thought it was very beautifully written, descriptive but not very much so, the exact kind of thing I like. The way it was written and the analogies and the non - linear storytelling in some parts came together so well, it was immersive in the best way.
On the story:
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Forced institutionalization, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Drug use, Violence, Sexism, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Body shaming, Classism, Cursing, War, Torture, Suicidal thoughts, Stalking, Medical trauma, Injury/Injury detail, Infidelity, Gun violence, Gore, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Alcohol
Minor: Alcoholism, Slavery, Sexual violence, Rape, and Vomit
amandawie's review against another edition
dark
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Physical abuse, and Self harm
Moderate: Alcoholism, Suicidal thoughts, and War
autumnsykes1's review against another edition
dark
informative
tense
slow-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
3.5
Content Warnings
Minor: Alcoholism, Confinement, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Violence, War, and Torture
librarymouse's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
tense
medium-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
4.75
1984 is a deeply upsetting book. It does not give me hope for the future. By the end of this book, the reader is left with the feeling of having finally reached a handhold at the top of an almost insurmountable summit only to have the bones in your hands systematically crushed by someone you had assumed loved you.
1984 almost makes the unwavering patriotism/belief in a singular person/undefined political ideology, that some of my older family members feel understandable. To see the hero worship for an untouchable ideal that contradicts itself and causes harm without room for critique or progress is painfully relatable for me as an American reader in 2022. I think that crushing dread that there may never be a better world than the one you currently live in with all of its flaws and hardships has been one of the few, traumatic, incorporeal heirlooms that's been passed down for generations.
I really enjoyed the character of Mr. Charrington. I loved the idea of someone lovingly curating ephemeral garbage from generations passed to create a museum of unsellable antiques, and I loved that that persona was an artfully constructed façade for a nefarious character. Orwell drew a brilliant parallel between the telescreen being concealed behind one of the few truly valuable antiques and the thought police officer being behind the studious looking façade that made him look almost like a relic from the past. Behind one of the last few images of the long dead world Winston longed for, which gave him hope for the future, was the symbol and force of the omnipotent presence they thought they were momentarily free from.
I was genuinely convinced that Winston's fear of rats was going to have stemmed from his baby sister being eaten by them. The repeated mentions of proll women not leaving babies unattended for fear they be eaten by rats combined with the thing Winston had been blocking out, the poverty his family lived in in his early childhood, and his mother and sister's disappearance made that thought a tangible possibility.
Winston's character development before his time in prison was quite interesting. Initially, he was internally quite violent and held a deep hatred for the people around him, especially the women. His dreams of bashing in Julia's skull and his distaste for his neighbor's wife mixed with his misogynist internal monologue made Winston an intensely unlikable character for the first part of the book. Julia's complacency with party rules and regulations so long as they didn't interfere with her sex life, her zealously performed orthodoxy that she performed fluidly and without thought made her similarly unlikable at the beginning. Their pre-prison development made them into almost beautiful people, in terms of personality. They were both developing forms of self expression and learning to appreciate the small joys afforded to the prolls that their stations did not allow. Winston's longing for familial past he could barely remember and Julia's desire to break the rules slowly morphed into a tentatively explored new way of life and love that pulled from both the pre-party way of life and engsoc orthodoxy. The total destruction of their sense of selves during and after their time in prison was upsetting to read, but gave the book a satisfying ending. Winston's breaking point being something so benign and mortal as rats humanized him in such a way that it felt like the culmination of his characterization throughout the book. To have the thing that shatters his psyche be something so ingrained into him that all the mind tricks and double think in the world couldn't erase was weirdly oxymoronic. O'Brien's promise was that they would want to confess and die for the party and the love of big brother before they would be killed, and Winston's descent into truly believing party orthodoxy happened in a way that is recognizable in the real world in the reactions of people with zealous, deeply held belief systems.
I'm glad I didn't read this book in high school. I had too much optimism for the fate of the world then. It would have gone right over my head.
1984 almost makes the unwavering patriotism/belief in a singular person/undefined political ideology, that some of my older family members feel understandable. To see the hero worship for an untouchable ideal that contradicts itself and causes harm without room for critique or progress is painfully relatable for me as an American reader in 2022. I think that crushing dread that there may never be a better world than the one you currently live in with all of its flaws and hardships has been one of the few, traumatic, incorporeal heirlooms that's been passed down for generations.
I was genuinely convinced that Winston's fear of rats was going to have stemmed from his baby sister being eaten by them. The repeated mentions of proll women not leaving babies unattended for fear they be eaten by rats combined with the thing Winston had been blocking out, the poverty his family lived in in his early childhood, and his mother and sister's disappearance made that thought a tangible possibility.
Winston's character development before his time in prison was quite interesting. Initially, he was internally quite violent and held a deep hatred for the people around him, especially the women. His dreams of bashing in Julia's skull and his distaste for his neighbor's wife mixed with his misogynist internal monologue made Winston an intensely unlikable character for the first part of the book. Julia's complacency with party rules and regulations so long as they didn't interfere with her sex life, her zealously performed orthodoxy that she performed fluidly and without thought made her similarly unlikable at the beginning. Their pre-prison development made them into almost beautiful people, in terms of personality. They were both developing forms of self expression and learning to appreciate the small joys afforded to the prolls that their stations did not allow. Winston's longing for familial past he could barely remember and Julia's desire to break the rules slowly morphed into a tentatively explored new way of life and love that pulled from both the pre-party way of life and engsoc orthodoxy. The total destruction of their sense of selves during and after their time in prison was upsetting to read, but gave the book a satisfying ending. Winston's breaking point being something so benign and mortal as rats humanized him in such a way that it felt like the culmination of his characterization throughout the book. To have the thing that shatters his psyche be something so ingrained into him that all the mind tricks and double think in the world couldn't erase was weirdly oxymoronic. O'Brien's promise was that they would want to confess and die for the party and the love of big brother before they would be killed, and Winston's descent into truly believing party orthodoxy happened in a way that is recognizable in the real world in the reactions of people with zealous, deeply held belief systems.
I'm glad I didn't read this book in high school. I had too much optimism for the fate of the world then. It would have gone right over my head.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Body shaming, Death, Vomit, War, Xenophobia, Death of parent, Excrement, Fatphobia, Forced institutionalization, Alcoholism, Blood, Body horror, Gaslighting, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Slavery, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: Racism, Police brutality, Racial slurs, and Classism
Minor: Antisemitism
vivi_99's review against another edition
challenging
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Torture
Minor: Sexual content and Alcoholism