Reviews with content warning for Suicidal thoughts - 1984

Reviews tagging 'Suicidal thoughts'

1984 by Umberto Eco, Miguel Temprano García, George Orwell, George Orwell

200 reviews

lily1304's review against another edition

3.5

slow-paced

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Worth reading because it's a classic and it's so influential - "Big Brother" being synonymous with surveillance, and thoughtcrime/Thought Police are common references as well. Glad I could check this one off the list.

In its merits as dystopian literature... I'm not convinced. Winston and Julia are both kind of non-characters with very few discernable traits or motives. Julia is especially vapid, given that she constantly lets Winston speak for her and doesn't seem to be interested in

the rebellion they pledge their lives to.

It's possible that Orwell intended his two main characters to be deeply uninteresting to demonstrate that that's what a fascist surveillance state does to people. But it's a slog to read sometimes.

That, plus, it seemed like a large portion of the book was dedicated to Goldstein's writing or O'Brien's lectures. In some ways, 1984 is a great example of fiction as a medium for political ideas. But in other ways - if he has to interrupt the narrative with a direct lecture on power to get his point across, then he's not a very effective storyteller.

Content Warnings

toodeadtoread's review against another edition

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Content Warnings

sevenantidotes's review against another edition

5.0

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

This is my favorite novel of all time. Despite a few flaws, every thing is so deeply profound, emotional, and compelling, and I do mean literally every even tiny element of this novel, from the history of its writing and its author to the novel itself and its impact on pop culture and journalism is, as I described before, deeply profound and emotional and compelling. To be honest, almost every book I've read since has disappointed me since I read it, it's just so impressive.

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mickymouse_007's review against another edition

5.0

dark emotional hopeful informative mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

My god.... this was a hard read. Not in a bad sense but this soaked up all the happiness in me and left be shocked, rooted to the spot. And I love it for every thing it is.
Did I expect this to hit this hard? No. Was I prepared for this flawed masterpiece? No. Do I regret reading this? Also no.
I love the layers of this book. It makes you cry a bit. Just like an onion. I am never really fond of sci fi or dystopian books but this book changed my perspective. It was a really dense book and I think people should at least have a basic idea of the book and its themes before jumping into it because it could be triggering to some folks (especially volume 3).
I love the world Orwell created and used the political references in his time to write it. It's so shocking and dark and dull and creepy. And it's such a big red flag and serves as a warning for all of us.
I hate this book for destroying me though (Do I have to explain?)
I knew that I would give this book a 5 star rating but vol 3 chapter 2 especially sealed the rating- I had no control over it from that point on. I was crying but no tears came out and my heart was thumping in my chest.
Overall, I love it. definitely recommend. I will read this again and again and again just to understand it on a more deeper level.

Content Warnings