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dark
mysterious
tense
Strong character development:
Yes
I'M BEING WATCHED
AND WE ARE ALL SO EASILY INFLUENCED
OH NO
ARE WE EVEN SENTIENT? HOW CAN SENTIENCE BE SO EASILY AND LOGICALLY TAKEN FROM US?
WHAT DO WE CONTROL, REALLY?
THE GOVERNMENT WILL TURN US ALL INTO SLAVES. THERE IS NO HOPE FOR US.
(As for how good is the book- it's George Orwell. Does he really need my voice, as well as a bazillion others, talking about how glorious his work is? Yes? Well he’s great.)
AND WE ARE ALL SO EASILY INFLUENCED
OH NO
ARE WE EVEN SENTIENT? HOW CAN SENTIENCE BE SO EASILY AND LOGICALLY TAKEN FROM US?
WHAT DO WE CONTROL, REALLY?
THE GOVERNMENT WILL TURN US ALL INTO SLAVES. THERE IS NO HOPE FOR US.
(As for how good is the book- it's George Orwell. Does he really need my voice, as well as a bazillion others, talking about how glorious his work is? Yes? Well he’s great.)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture
Moderate: Cursing, Death, Sexual content
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Police brutality
challenging
dark
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
I finally read it! A chilling read, especially in these times of growing totalitarianism. I could only read a little at a time because it was so heavy.
I was really amazed at how much of this book has become a part of popular culture in the states. The Big Brother concept, for example, and other little things that escape me at the moment. This book has obviously been formative in our culture. Unfortunately, I think we have ignored the warnings.
I was really amazed at how much of this book has become a part of popular culture in the states. The Big Brother concept, for example, and other little things that escape me at the moment. This book has obviously been formative in our culture. Unfortunately, I think we have ignored the warnings.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Torture, Forced institutionalization
Moderate: Sexual content
challenging
dark
mysterious
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:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Confinement, Gun violence, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Kidnapping
Moderate: Death, Infertility, Slavery
dark
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
- Spoiler Free - (still in process)
I had pretty high hopes for this book, everyone that I talked to loves it, and when I started it after years of wanting to read it I was shocked at the misogyny expressed that no one had told me about. This fact put me off reading it and may have tainted the rest of the experience for me; this review is solely my experience with it given my background and expectations, if you like this book and don't mind the problems it may have in my eyes, that is totally valid!
I think the book (personally) doesn't hold as the masterpiece it is said to be; I find the messages to be all very in-your-face, nothing is left for the reader to think about and form their own opinion on. This doesn't really hold as a good criticism of Socialism, either, because it basically makes a strawman argument against it (I've heard that "Animal Farm" is better in that regard).
Before I list my problems with this book, I want to say that Winston is a pretty unlikable character.
Main Sins:
- The descriptions of fat people are all pretty bad and made me want to burn the book because they had no relevance to the plot;
- Winston just hates all women and thinks that they're all dumb, blind Party-followers or just weak, until he finds one that says "I love you" and then he suddenly stops hating women *sigh*. Also pretty big TW for rape bc this mas is honestly crazy;
- He has some hope that poor people can change the current situation but overall he isn't that nice to them in his narration (writing their lines with grammar errors was a pretty low blow in my opinion), for the most part, they just mindlessly accepting anything that is thrown at them;
- The representation of Communism/Socialism seems more like a Capitalist Society with some mentions of food and clothing stramps for Party-members
Also, George Orwell acts like older generations don't spend their days complaining about the current state of society, and saying that young people are all degenerates (I understand that under a totalitarian system people won't have the same freedom to express their ideas, but the proles seem to live with pretty little surveillance compared to Party workers/members and they still don't emit any opinions like "When I was young...")
Conclusion:
That said, I still think that this might be a worthy read if you're aware that this is a book with very outdated views regarding some issues and you feel like it can still be interesting, you should go for it. It wasn't mindblowing for me personally but this is a favorite for many of my friends.
I had pretty high hopes for this book, everyone that I talked to loves it, and when I started it after years of wanting to read it I was shocked at the misogyny expressed that no one had told me about. This fact put me off reading it and may have tainted the rest of the experience for me; this review is solely my experience with it given my background and expectations, if you like this book and don't mind the problems it may have in my eyes, that is totally valid!
I think the book (personally) doesn't hold as the masterpiece it is said to be; I find the messages to be all very in-your-face, nothing is left for the reader to think about and form their own opinion on. This doesn't really hold as a good criticism of Socialism, either, because it basically makes a strawman argument against it (I've heard that "Animal Farm" is better in that regard).
Before I list my problems with this book, I want to say that Winston is a pretty unlikable character.
Main Sins:
- The descriptions of fat people are all pretty bad and made me want to burn the book because they had no relevance to the plot;
- Winston just hates all women and thinks that they're all dumb, blind Party-followers or just weak, until he finds one that says "I love you" and then he suddenly stops hating women *sigh*. Also pretty big TW for rape bc this mas is honestly crazy;
- He has some hope that poor people can change the current situation but overall he isn't that nice to them in his narration (writing their lines with grammar errors was a pretty low blow in my opinion), for the most part, they just mindlessly accepting anything that is thrown at them;
- The representation of Communism/Socialism seems more like a Capitalist Society with some mentions of food and clothing stramps for Party-members
Also, George Orwell acts like older generations don't spend their days complaining about the current state of society, and saying that young people are all degenerates (I understand that under a totalitarian system people won't have the same freedom to express their ideas, but the proles seem to live with pretty little surveillance compared to Party workers/members and they still don't emit any opinions like "When I was young...")
Conclusion:
That said, I still think that this might be a worthy read if you're aware that this is a book with very outdated views regarding some issues and you feel like it can still be interesting, you should go for it. It wasn't mindblowing for me personally but this is a favorite for many of my friends.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Fatphobia, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Police brutality
Moderate: Alcoholism, Child death, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Genocide, Antisemitism, Death of parent
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:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Police brutality
Moderate: Alcoholism, Confinement, Panic attacks/disorders, Forced institutionalization
Minor: Sexual content
dark
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
While I doubt society would ever take this form completely, the failings and evils in mankind that tend in this direction make this book a worthwhile cautionary tale and worth reflecting and pondering.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Torture
Moderate: Child death, Confinement, Sexual content, Violence, Murder
Minor: Alcoholism, Death of parent
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Bleak as heck, but the appendix on newspeak is interesting if you like linguistics.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture
Minor: Sexual content
dark
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture
Moderate: Confinement, Death
Minor: Rape, Sexual content, Suicide
first read in 2017: 4 stars
London, 1984: England is part of "Oceania", one of the three super states into which the world has been divided after the Revolution. Winston's job at the Ministry of Truth is the "correcting" of old newspaper articles on order to reflect the current political and societal sitiuation - because what the Party says is and has always been the truth. Also: Big Brother is watching you.
In this almighty surveillance state Winston tries to start a revolution and gets subsequently brain washed.
"Nineteen Eighty-Four" didn't fully convince me as a novel, but the idea behind it is disturbingly impressive and shows alarming parallels to today's North Korea...
dnf'd in 2021 - Warning: strong language!
London, 1984: England is part of "Oceania", one of the three super states into which the world has been divided after the Revolution. Winston's job at the Ministry of Truth is the "correcting" of old newspaper articles on order to reflect the current political and societal sitiuation - because what the Party says is and has always been the truth. Also: Big Brother is watching you.
"Nineteen Eighty-Four" didn't fully convince me as a novel, but the idea behind it is disturbingly impressive and shows alarming parallels to today's North Korea...
dnf'd in 2021 - Warning: strong language!
I had no urge to read this book again, but my book club chose it, so... I read 84 pages. What really struck me this time is the sexism. Already in the first chapter we encounter said sexism
He disliked nearly all women, and especially the young and pretty ones.
... antisemitism (when describing Emmanuel Goldstein, the "Enemy of the people")
It was a lean Jewish face, with a great fuzzy aureole of white hair and a small goatee beard - a clever face, and yet somehow inherently despicable, with a kind of senile silliness in the long thin nose [...]. It resembled the face of a sheep, and the voice, too, had a sheeplike quality.
... and murder and rape fantasies about a female colleague
Vivid, beautiful hallucinations flashed through his mind. He would flog her to death with a rubber truncheon. He would tie her naked to a stake and shoot her full of arrows like Saint Sebastian. He would ravish her and cut her throat at the moment of climax [...]. He hated her because she was young and pretty and sexless, because he wanted to go to bed with her.
This could be seen as stylistic choices or whatever - but I hated it!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Sexual content, Torture
Moderate: Racism, Rape
Minor: Antisemitism