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charlote_1347's review against another edition
4.0
'Nineteen Eighty Four' is a novel almost everyone is aware of by the time they hit eighteen. Some have even managed to read it. Sixth form crawled past without forcing me to read this book - I chose 'Brave New World' and 'The Handmaid's Tale' instead. While I will never regret reading the former, I would have swapped the latter for ANY. OTHER. BOOK, including 'Nineteen Eighty Four'. Dystopia was the predominant genre of most of the books I studied four years ago, but some depictions certainly outshine others and Orwell's novel is an example of this. His narrative, from beginning to end, is atrociously well-written and spine-chillingly honest. I grew more and more horrified with Winston's journey as the novel continued and I'd prepared myself for the second half of the story. An issue I sometimes have with fiction is that I can't get behind a world if I don't sympathise with the main character. Winston, in this instance, is arguably one of the most sympathetic characters I've ever come across simply because he submits under circumstances that would break any of us. He is a representation of every person and the lines in our minds that we don't like to think about. That we, in fact, shy away from with everything we have. I can't list this book as one of my favourites, nor can I rate it five stars - it's far too hopeless for that-, but I will recognise that the writing is superb, the characterisation and world-building transcend the written word and become startlingly like reality and the final sentence, "He loved Big Brother", will stay with me for a long time to come.
garvittaa's review against another edition
dark
informative
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
ggcd1981's review against another edition
dark
reflective
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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Xenophobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Abandonment, Violence, Alcohol, Death of parent, Confinement, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Kidnapping, Torture, and Classism
Moderate: Police brutality, Chronic illness, Murder, Slavery, Death, Grief, Body horror, Sexual content, and War
Minor: Gun violence and Rape
rubyyy_'s review against another edition
dark
informative
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- 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
baloo_is_best_27's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
_kaylinconn's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.75
PHENOMENAL audiobook. I truly felt like I was in the story, holy cow. You don’t feel so immersed very often.
Performances by Andrew Garfield, Cynthia Erivo and Andrew Scott are outstanding. I need Garfield to continue narrating because he was just perfection. Scott captures a villain so well, and absolutely killed that last long monologue about power - it gave me chills.
Performances by Andrew Garfield, Cynthia Erivo and Andrew Scott are outstanding. I need Garfield to continue narrating because he was just perfection. Scott captures a villain so well, and absolutely killed that last long monologue about power - it gave me chills.
gretonna's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
mysterious
sad
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? Yes
5.0
jcw22's review against another edition
dark
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
4.0
Not an enjoyable book but an important one. The type of book that has you staring into the middle distance for long stretches of time. Everyone should read it once.