Reviews

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

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alkruger_readinglibrary96's review against another edition

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challenging dark reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

seedreads's review against another edition

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dark reflective fast-paced

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

4.0

gillybourne's review against another edition

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3.0

5 things I liked:
The concept is believable as an advent beyond religion to a religious obsession with science.
Lenina's character is fleshed out and almost likeable- you truly see the conditioning.
Likewise, Bernard's character somewhat defied his conditioning, something I thought would be inevitable amongst the 'alpha' class, and as such I felt Huxley handled this well.
The novel creates a great balance between the advanced world and the world of the savages.
The inclusion of Shakespeare as a representation of art and beauty.

5 things I disliked:
The novel takes a long time setting up the parameters of it's setting.
John's character descends into a manic Christian stereotype.
Modern society features many aspects, such as sexual freedom and genetic engineering, that the novel used to shock a reader of the 1930's, as such it does not translate in it's full power to our audience.
I'm unsure which side the reader is intended to take when John beats Lenina, but it seemed out of character and counteracted my impression that the reader was supposed to admire him.
Bernard's character annoyed the hell out of me.