Reviews tagging 'Forced institutionalization'

Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell

164 reviews

honeyvoiced's review against another edition

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dark medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix

3.5


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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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stardustdreamer's review against another edition

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

4.5


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wiggl3s's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This is one of those books that you finish and think “nothing really happened did it?” Until later. 

It’s a classic for a reason. You’ll be sitting minding your own business days later and suddenly this book will pop into your head. A quote or an image or an idea will appear in your daily life and you’ll realise just how ahead of its time this book really was. 

The book is about the messages within it rather than the story. It is about both the subtle and glaringly obvious ways humans can be conditioned to believe whatever someone wants if they have the resources. I think this book will stay with me for a while. 

Life really does imitate art. 

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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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hreads03's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious reflective tense 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? Yes

3.75


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pranati_pathak05's review against another edition

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challenging dark informative mysterious tense medium-paced
  • 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? No

4.0


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xwritingstoriesx's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • 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

4.5


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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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duchess16's review against another edition

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challenging dark tense medium-paced

4.5

AHHHH THIS BOOOOOOK. it’s so gorgeously written with imagery and foreshadowing and all that good stuff but the IDEALS of the Party just make me so angry!! 

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