Reviews with content warning for Death - Animal Farm

Had to read this for school, but I've been wanting to read this for ages. I always love a good animal story and this was really chilling and tense to read through. The short length works really well and the metaphors are crazy.

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ghosterz's review against another edition

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emotional funny informative reflective fast-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? Yes

3.5

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_mariah_'s review against another edition

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dark informative reflective fast-paced

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

3.25

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citybookspgh's review against another edition

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dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

4.5

This is another book I had never gotten around to. It was a quick, afternoon read that left me more emotional than I expected. Glad I experienced it as an adult rather than as a teen. I have much more life/political experience now so I was able to pick up on all of the nuances.

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etherealisnt's review against another edition

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reflective

3.75

I know.. I could give it more stars, but for me something in the beginning was missing.

Don't get me wrong, it's a super interesting and chilling story, but I still stand by my opinion that these kinds of stories just make me feel discouraged or rather lose my interest at some point.

Despite that, UGH these PIGS, I swear to god. Boxer, Clover and Benjamin were the only ones I took an actual liking to. I will never forgive them for what they did to Boxer.. Also, the way the power change played out and no one could do anything about it? The delivery really did it for me.

Several of them would have protested if they could have found the right arguments.

It's sad and seriously, the manipulation and unfair favor towards pigs, especially Napoleon, is unbearable.

All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.

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adelekittey's review against another edition

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dark informative tense fast-paced

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

4.0

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aliciapiron's review against another edition

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adventurous funny reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

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literallysam's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad fast-paced

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

3.5

Animal Farm is a political allegory for the Russian Revolution, in which many of the animals (human-like characters) represent the key historical figures of the time. Though it can still be read & enjoyed if you don't get any of the allusions to Lenin, Marx, Trotsky or Stalin. But there's no doubt that the message behind this book is an important one.

In terms of Orwell's writing and the plot, it is basic. An easy read if you are 10-14 y/o. There are many quotes that I liked (slide to read). I loved the words of the proud anthem “Beasts of England". I admired Boxer’s noble sense of dedication & self-sacrifice.
However, there are some problems as well..
•The constant theme throughout the book and especially the ending suggests that Revolution is useless, that things will remain how they've always been, neither getting better nor worse. Reliving tragedy and atrocities of an evil government is just one part of the equation, making our own revolution should be the other. So, the ending could've been better.
Similarly, there's this character in the book, Benjamin who is intelligent but still doesn't "exercise his faculty" and when other animals ask for his help, he refuses to "meddle in such matters".(Real bourgeoisie behaviour)
•The book also critiques the working class more than Stalin. Orwell writes like an aristocrat- calling the animals , illiterate, stupid & forgetful throughout the book.
•Another con is that the book is too political in nature. It's like Orwell has laid down a fable in respect of only his own opinions, not allowing the readers to form their own judgements. A book shouldn't be so heavy handed in its political message and should leave room for readers to make their own opinions.
•Also the allegorical aspect of the book is another issue as it only presents one possible interpretation of reality. This leads to misunderstanding of the complexities of real-world political events.

Overall, Animal Farm serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of giving too much power to one person or group, and the importance of staying vigilant and questioning authority.

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