Reviews with content warning for Sexism - Nineteen Eighty-Four

Reviews tagging 'Sexism'

Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell

113 reviews

coramorton02's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense 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? It's complicated

3.25

I think that the setup of the world and political system is genius, and I thought part I and part 3 were disturbing but really great reads. It really made me think about the meanings of loyalty, history and memory. However, I thought that the middle section of the novel was a huge drag and I really struggled to get through part II- it felt more like a political manifesto from Orwell than a novel with a plot. That’s not to say that I didn’t find the ideas interesting, and the commentary on totalitarianism is relevant even today, but I think I would have preferred the book if the political elements were wound throughout rather than presented as an info dump.

I also think that the female characters were badly fleshed out, used as plot devices rather than characters in their own right, and I was uncomfortable with the presentation and lack of exploration of misogyny in the book.

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nikenacs's review against another edition

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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

4.5

[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.

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poirot's review against another edition

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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

2.5

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remytherat's review against another edition

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challenging dark tense slow-paced

3.75

It's easy to see why this is a classic, and why it's so important to read. There were, however, things that I didn't love. It's clear Orwell has never met a woman, for one, and some parts in the middle dragged quite a lot. There were moments where the writing didn't flow as well as it did in Animal Farm; moments that were written to be dreamlike felt a bit too stiff. While this is definitely an impactful book, if only to understand the cultural references and the themes brought up, it's nowhere near my favourite classic.

Somehow, it feels different when a lot of the contents of the book already happen in one way or another; less like it's a dystopian future, and more like it's a worse version of the present.

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manu_k's review against another edition

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challenging dark reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

Beautifully horrifying, this book is a ride from start to finish. We know it has been a cornerstone for the dystopian fiction genre, but reading it makes me realize just how much this book has shaped this genre.

On the writing style: I thought it was very beautifully written, descriptive but not very much so, the exact kind of thing I like. The way it was written and the analogies and the non - linear storytelling in some parts came together so well, it was immersive in the best way.

On the story:

the first part was almost boring, which I thought was the point. It showed us how the regime worked, some background to Winston, but didn't actually contribute to advancing the story line as such. The second part was much more fast paced and actually exciting in regards to the advancement of the story, and by far some of the chapters in this part are my favorites. I didn't appreciate the whole 'I love you' debacle in the beginning, but I guess it shows how much sexually and emotionally repressed these people are. I believe it seems very fitting that Julia is introduced as a central character at the start of the second part and her role ends at the end of the second part. The third part was one of the most difficult parts to get through, despite me having experience with reading torture scenes (I read The Surgeon when I was 15, it still haunts me). It was brutal no holds barred kind of writing, with the descriptions, O'Brien's almost - almost - loving teacher like treatment of Winston, and then the change in the way of Winston's thinking, how different it was from the other two parts. The ending was surprising to me, despite knowing that it won't end happily as other dystopian books I have read.

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esem's review against another edition

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dark reflective 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? It's complicated

2.0

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veganecurrywurst's review against another edition

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challenging dark informative 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? Yes

3.75

Finally read this book after reading so much about it. It's definitely worth it. It's scary how much it resembles the current climate in Russia, Trumps America, the extremist right-wing party in Germany, the political system in China and North Korea, corrupt politicians in Nigeria.........
The book was inspired by Nazi-Germany and Russia.
I mostly heard extremist right-wing media talk about this book, like Candice Owens, Tucker Carlson, Ben Shapiro etc.
It's kinda ironic, because after reading it, it really is the opposite of what they are saying.

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metanoialaxy's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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leonormsousa's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

5.0

In March 2016, I read, for the first time, one of the most timeless classics: George Orwell’s 1984. I’d been craving a reread for quite a while but I wanted to wait till I owned an English copy so I could now experience the book in its original language since the first time around I had read a Portuguese translation. When I happened to stumble upon the edition I wanted, in March 2022, 6 years later, I couldn’t resist the impulse of buying the book and proceed to, almost immediately, dive into it.

And how incredible this reread was! I remembered only the loose outline of the book, with all the beautiful details forgotten. I remembered how the ending had struck me in such a powerful way. I also remembered how, back then at 16 years old, I was much more interested in the plot itself and had quickly skimmed through the Goldstein’s Manifesto, wanting to get back to Winston’s story. This time though, despite the fact that I still don’t particularly enjoy political themes, I found myself interested in this part of the book and even wanting more!

I had also missed, in my first read, how beautiful Orwell’s writing sometimes was. How even overwhelming it could feel. I took my time with this reread, limiting myself to only a few chapters a day and I delighted myself by slowly savouring each one, while, contradictorily, feeling more and more disturbed by what I read.

I can’t help but comment how in some ways, 1984 reminds me of two books I love, both by the horror King himself: The Shining and Pet Sematary. My favourite thing about these books is how what’s most horrifying about them is not the plot itself or the monsters, but rather the discovery of how human minds work, how they have so much hidden darkness ready to surface or how imagination is a tool for coping with certain experiences. Similarly, in 1984, Orwell plays with the moldability and manipulation of minds. What’s real and what’s just a product of our brain? How much of what we remember, of what we believe is true, is real? What is “real”? If there’s no one to think about things, to perceive them, do they still exist? How can we limit thoughts and by doing so, limit perceptions, actions, beliefs? A book indeed to put in the freezer: the kind of frightening that keeps you up at night!

1984 is not the cup of tea for everyone but nonetheless, I strongly believe it is one of those books that absolutely everyone should read. It’s the kind of book that awakens and shakes minds, that stirs up worlds and forces people to rethink things. It has been banned for being both pro-communism and anti-communism, maybe because, as the book says itself “the best books... are those that tell you what you know already”. And not always is a validation of your thoughts, most especially the scariest ones, welcomed.

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chlonline's review against another edition

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dark informative mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

5.0

originally gave this a 4.5 because i felt like the book kind of dragged in the middle (and orwell does NOT know shit about women and how to act normally around them) but i decided to round it up instead.

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