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3.73 AVERAGE
3.73 AVERAGE
An outstanding, and chilling, piece of dystopian science-fiction. It is easy to see where Orwell got his inspiration for 1984, however this is a superior work in style and form. Apart from a few translations errors (the translation I read was by Bernard Guerney), I found this a real pleasure to read, and I look forward to reading other translations in future.
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This is a very weird book. It's written in a very strange fashion that almost seems like the ravings of a madman or like someone trapped in a dream. Like its descendants "Brave New World" and "1984," "We" is a chilling tale of a "utopia" that tries to make people act as close to machines as possible, culminating in a lobotomy of the imagination. Having a "soul" is considered an illness, and for D-503, the protagonist whose journal we are reading, everything changes when he meets the intoxicating and enigmatic woman I-330.
Since we are only seeing this world through D-503's journal, we get only tantalizing hints of what this glass utopian world looks like, and D-503 seems incapable of writing a complete, coherent sentence of dialogue. I don't know if that's just the style of the author or partially a problem with translating from Russian, but it was a bit frustrating trying to understand what was going on. "1984" and "Brave New World" are much more accessible to a modern audience, and while I recommend reading "We" at least once, because it is an interesting style and there's some lovely imagery in it, I did not enjoy myself enough to read it again.
Since we are only seeing this world through D-503's journal, we get only tantalizing hints of what this glass utopian world looks like, and D-503 seems incapable of writing a complete, coherent sentence of dialogue. I don't know if that's just the style of the author or partially a problem with translating from Russian, but it was a bit frustrating trying to understand what was going on. "1984" and "Brave New World" are much more accessible to a modern audience, and while I recommend reading "We" at least once, because it is an interesting style and there's some lovely imagery in it, I did not enjoy myself enough to read it again.
We is one of those works that gets better in my mind the more removed I am from reading it. I think a part of this is due to the ending of the novel and how it haunts my memory. But We scared me, just like 1984, Fahrenheit 451, A Clockwork Orange, and The Handmaid's Tale did simply because I can actually trace lines, connect things together, that lead to a dystopian future presented in We (and those other works I mentioned) becoming quite plausible and less theoretical.
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Really struggled with the language of this, found it dry and a slog to get through
dark
tense
fast-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:
Complicated
A pioneering work of dystopian fiction that explores themes of individuality, freedom, and the dangers of a collectivist state. Its abstract and philosophical tone can be challenging to follow at times. The fragmented structure mirrors D-503’s psychological unraveling, but it can leave readers feeling disoriented. Additionally, the character development, especially of secondary figures, feels sparse, making it harder to connect emotionally with the story. The prose is both poetic and dense, with vivid mathematical imagery that immerses the reader into the glass-walled world of the "One State." A visionary but occasionally difficult read, We is best appreciated for its influence and bold ideas rather than for its narrative flow or character depth. Despite these shortcomings, I can see it as a thought-provoking and historically significant novel that laid the groundwork for later dystopian classics like 1984 and Brave New World. However, the abstract narrative and lack of emotional depth might not appeal to all readers, making it a mixed but worthwhile experience.
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-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
Demasiados pasajes confusos, demasiadas incógnitas, ensoñaciones...Tal vez tenía demasiadas expectativas.