Reviews with content warning for Misogyny - George Orwell's 1984: An Audible Original adaptation

Reviews tagging 'Misogyny'

George Orwell's 1984: An Audible Original adaptation by George Orwell, Joe White

205 reviews

anna26's review against another edition

4.75

dark inspiring mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I hated Winston (the main character) because of the way he talks about and to women (he fantasises about rape and murdering women, etc) but aside from this "character flaw" (wich ultimately represents the way women are treated in this dystopian society, so it's fine) i really liked this book, it's somewhat inspiring but equally terrifying and overall really "entertaining" (as entertaining as a dystopian, terrifying novel can be)!!!!

Content Warnings

james1star's review against another edition

3.0

challenging dark mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

How to summarise my thoughts? Umm… I honestly don’t know! I didn’t necessarily enjoy 1984 but I respected its importance and impact I’d say. In Orwell’s novel we follow Winston Smith who lives in London in a dystopian 1984 where ‘the Party’ and ‘Big Brother’ is always watching you, controlling you, controls the past, present and future. Smith commits thought-crime amongst other things and Yhh I don’t want to explain the plot too much but basically it’s his journey.

What I did like was the tension and eggarness to read on in how Orwell writes. The world building is continuous and vivid that you can theorise this dystopian world with pretty realistic characters. However, I personally though this detail and repetition of certain events, ideas, ‘facts’ and the like are very tiering and long. This was very apparent in Goldstein’s thesis being plastered into the middle of the book taking up a huge chunk of repetition that is seemingly never-ending that I despised. Why was it so long and drawn out? No thank you! Also, the characters do all lack depth and a likeness so in some sense you don’t care about what happens to them no matter how horrible it is - but then again they do live in a world built on terror and control so to find positivity is hard enough… but Yhh I didn’t warm to them. They’re also kinda annoying but I was still intrigued enough to read on. A LOT of it was also quite confusing with contradictory phrases and stuff I dunno - yes this was good in terms of world building the messed up nature of the society and party but still my brain was a bit whirled up.

Overall, I didn’t like the story, plot or characters (not really my vibe) and was far too repetitive and long in my opinion. However, it was written mostly well, kept me intrigued and has became a staple due to its importance where many takes and comparisons to ‘our world’ can be made. So a solid 3 starts from me.

Content Warnings

zos's review against another edition

3.0

challenging dark sad tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

I know this is a "classic" but it might be one of the books that solidified my love for the dystopian genre. I love the world that was built, I love the characters and the decision that they make. This is one of my re-reads every year or so. I keep a physical copy of this book in my car in case I go anywhere and need something to read (once my phone and kindle die).

Content Warnings

pine_barren's review against another edition

4.5

challenging dark reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I am still mulling over this book. There is so much. I will definitely need to read it again, perhaps even multiple times, to better understand everything Orwell is laying out here.

Update: Upon some reflection, this book has really stuck with me since reading it. The analysis of language and the written word, the manipulation of memory and the past, and the movement of power and the surveillance state... they were all such incredible frameworks for understanding the worlds we live within. It was incredible to me that analysis from the 1940's was still so sharp and applicable to the present. This was a book that really encouraged the reader to ask questions and reflect.

With all that said, the book was heavily misogynistic. Winston's character said a lot of horrible things and Julia's character was basically treated like a manic pixie dream girl. I don't think these flaws should be excused and instead should be met with rigorous critique.

The ending was also very bleak, which some people may have a problem with. I personally didn't mind it so much because I felt like it captured the feeling Orwell was writing from - that deep hopelessness and despair, the anti-utopia as discussed in Erich Fromm's afterward.

Overall, this was a book where you take what you need and compost the rest. And even with it's many faults, I think there was still a lot to hold onto.

"We know that no one ever seizes power with the intention of relinquishing it. Power is not a means; it is an end. One does not establish a dictatorship in order to safeguard a revolution; one makes the revolution in order to establish the dictatorship."

Content Warnings

annasapples's review against another edition

3.5

dark

Content Warnings

toodeadtoread's review against another edition

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Content Warnings

sevenantidotes's review against another edition

5.0

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

This is my favorite novel of all time. Despite a few flaws, every thing is so deeply profound, emotional, and compelling, and I do mean literally every even tiny element of this novel, from the history of its writing and its author to the novel itself and its impact on pop culture and journalism is, as I described before, deeply profound and emotional and compelling. To be honest, almost every book I've read since has disappointed me since I read it, it's just so impressive.

Content Warnings

secretly_a_human's review against another edition

3.0

challenging dark reflective tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: N/A

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Content Warnings

nikenacs's review against another edition

4.5

challenging dark informative reflective tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

[Book club - May 2022]

I now liked this SO much better than when I read it in school at 15. Also really, really reminded me why I like philosophy. '1984' takes the essential philosophical questions "What is (objective) reality? Who constructs reality?" and builds an entire state on the thought that a government could prescribe reality, fleshed out to the last detail. The society and world-building in this is nothing less than spectacular (if absolutely horrifying, of course). Also a great example for a book that puts plot over characters - Winston, Julia etc are just vehicles for the story, examples of people who have been brought up in the society this book aims to paint. Anyways, this was a tough read, but I'm so glad I did read it, and it will stay with me for a long time.

Content Warnings

poirot's review against another edition

2.5

dark tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Content Warnings

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