Reviews tagging 'War'

Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell

322 reviews

smallpanini's review against another edition

dark reflective tense medium-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

3.75

"1984" by George Orwell is a powerful book about a scary future where the government controls everything and watches everyone all the time. The story shows how bad things can get when people lose their freedom and privacy.

The main character, Winston Smith, tries to fight against the harsh rules of Big Brother, the leader who wants total control. Winston's struggle makes you think about how important it is to have freedom and think for yourself. The book talks a lot about how language and information can be used to control people, which is very interesting and still important today.

While the book is very well written and makes you think, it can also feel very dark and depressing. Some parts are slow, and the constant feeling of hopelessness can be hard to handle. Despite this, the book is important and worth reading to understand the dangers of a society without freedom.

Overall, "1984" is a tough but important read that sticks with you. It gets 3.75 stars for its strong message and great writing, even though it's not always enjoyable because of its dark themes and pacing.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Torture, and Violence

Moderate: Sexual content, Alcohol, and War

Minor: Rape

koiolee's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective sad 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

2.0

This was by far one of the boringest books I've ever read. It wasn't until about 60% through the book that I was actually hooked and wasn't until 80% that I started enjoying the book. Thats not to mention that the book really ended at 90% completion. So why such a high rating? It is a very intellectual book that is very influential on how we view politics. Despite how boring Winston is, he is the best narrator for this story. Just a completely average guy with very little intelligence is exactly how people need to consume a story like this. To really feel the true hopelessness of the situation, they need to see it through the eyes of the average guy who can and will always lose.
This book could have been a hundred pages shorter. The writing was so bland and atrocious it made me want to peel the vision from my brain word by word. And that is an inforgivable offense which makes me reluctant to give this book anything more than 2.5 stars.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Police brutality, Medical trauma, Gaslighting, and Colonisation

Minor: Alcoholism, Body horror, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Alcohol, and War

amaranth_wytch's review against another edition

challenging tense slow-paced

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Death, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Gaslighting, Alcohol, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Alcoholism, Child death, Vomit, Grief, and Death of parent

Minor: Suicide

thehollyking's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad medium-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? It's complicated

4.0

This book took me a long while to read, but thats more to do with my changing mood than the book itself. I'm glad I kept coming back to it.
Its a classic for a reason. It still rings true today and I don't know if thats good or scary. If you're not into politcal books, than this one won't be for you. It does get slow in places and a couple bits I had to audiobook and read along to keep me going, but its well worth it in the end. Lots to think about and to talk about afterwards. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Confinement, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Abandonment, Alcohol, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

nikireadss's review against another edition

mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

3.0

First, I want to acknowledge the importance of this book and its status as a dystopian classic. However, I didn't quite enjoy it. I found the narration and how it reads very boring. Some parts felt like the author didn't want to create a plot so he just put pages-long monologues and retrospections to explain the world. Unfortunately, I read this book a while ago and can't remember my critique points besides that I found this book boring. I remember Orwell's writing being very dry. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Sexism, Torture, Violence, Blood, Stalking, Gaslighting, and War

lilybjj's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Suicidal thoughts, and Torture

Moderate: War

Minor: Alcoholism

abrataydabra's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective medium-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? It's complicated

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture

Moderate: Violence and War

jthyme's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

3.5

 

 

The Party really said Gaslight, Gatekeep, Girlboss! 😭

3.5/5

 

 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Physical abuse, Sexism, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Vomit, and War

chain's review against another edition

challenging reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Torture, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Child death, Death, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Slavery, Antisemitism, Death of parent, Alcohol, War, Classism, and Deportation

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Infertility, Rape, and Suicide

glossy's review against another edition

challenging dark sad medium-paced

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

4.75

It's a classic for a reason. It will definitely give you a lot of food for thought. I tried reading it in my late teens or early twenties and I couldn't grasp it. 10 or so years later it's hitting me really hard. I guess you need to be in a certain state of mind or mature enough to understand it. I think this book is relevant today and will be for a long time.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Vomit, and Police brutality

Moderate: Hate crime, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, and War