Scan barcode
bethan_grace's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- 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
Graphic: Sexual violence, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Sexual content, Misogyny, and Sexual assault
rochelleisreading's review against another edition
2.0
Graphic: Drug abuse, Child abuse, and Drug use
Moderate: Medical content, Sexual harassment, Infidelity, Pregnancy, Racism, Sexual content, Addiction, Abortion, and Sexual assault
waytoomanybooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Ableism, Kidnapping, Medical content, Classism, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Homophobia, Terminal illness, Alcohol, Antisemitism, Fatphobia, Murder, Physical abuse, Self harm, Infidelity, Sexual assault, War, Abandonment, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Colonisation, Deportation, Racial slurs, Rape, Religious bigotry, Toxic relationship, Violence, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Cultural appropriation, Sexism, Cursing, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Incest, Infertility, Grief, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, Stalking, Toxic friendship, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Torture, and Xenophobia
maddie_can_read's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
The audiobook had good narration.
I think this would be a 5 star for me if the story was a bit tighter, and the tone (because of when the book was written) feels kind of weird at points.
Towards the end of the book it feels more like the author is telling us some of his societal hot takes via 2 characters having a conversation rahter than like working it more seamlessly into the story.
Graphic: Colonisation, Alcoholism, Infidelity, Sexual content, Suicide, Child abuse, Alcohol, Classism, Domestic abuse, Abandonment, and Addiction
Minor: War
macaronsandmermaids's review
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Drug use, Classism, and Racial slurs
carla20's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Genocide, Alcoholism, Medical content, Slavery, Suicide, Fatphobia, Physical abuse, Self harm, Drug use, Death of parent, Addiction, Classism, and Child abuse
kokoberry's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Racism, Sexual content, Vomit, Racial slurs, Alcohol, Grief, Infidelity, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Addiction, Misogyny, Suicide, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Self harm
Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Cursing, Fatphobia, and Pregnancy
Minor: Abortion, War, and Animal death
cursed_sapphire's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
The characters are interesting but not likeable, I recommend knowing that going in. This book is an exploration of a potential future built on consumption, sameness, and constant pleasure. The characters are meant to embody different parts of humanity/society. Bernard is only content if he's more special than everyone else, Lenina wants more monogomy than is normal but otherwise accepts everything, Helmholtz is just kinda bored and wants to be a tortured poet, etc. John is supposed to be the last real person, representing a true believer in religion and art which cannot survive in this society. Mind you, John is a very 1930's Christian ideal of a true, good person. And while his obsession with suffering for his sins serves as a counter to the painless society of the book, it came across a bit overzealous for me. It felt like Huxley was trying to make John suffer all the pain everyone else never had to, but that made him feel a little too obsessed with pain instead of the virtues he claims to care about. The same could also be said about his obsession with chastity.
This is a book more focused on ideas than on characters. The plot is a bit sparse, but that leads to a slice-of-life feeling, where the day-to-day life is the focus. There's a certain horror in the mundaneness that the characters experience, and that brings out the themes in a different, but still very effective way.
Overall I recommend this for anyone who likes the philosophical side of sci-fi/dystopia, as long as they are able to handle the old-fashioned lense.
Graphic: Drug abuse, Drug use, Child abuse, Addiction, and Suicide
Moderate: Sexual content, Religious bigotry, Racism, and Sexual harassment
teawiththefates's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Self harm, Classism, Child abuse, Sexism, Body shaming, and Drug use
Moderate: Racism, War, Xenophobia, Fatphobia, and Suicide
eve_kadou's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Addiction, Pedophilia, Child abuse, Classism, Gaslighting, Medical content, Alcoholism, Sexual content, and Suicide
Moderate: Body horror and Death of parent