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Reviews tagging 'Xenophobia'
1984 by Humberto Eco, Miguel Temprano García, George Orwell, George Orwell
101 reviews
4.5 stars.
The only possible way to describe 1984, is disturbing.
It’s not from extreme gore or violence, though there certainly is some. It’s from the ideas that this book presents, and the way in which it was executed.
1984 was one of the original dystopias, or at least the one that first gained major worldwide attention (as far as I’ve read), and boy can I understand why.
In my opinion, you don’t read this book for the characters alone- though they are extremely intriguing, so much say I could write an essay on the psyche of Julia and Winston- you read it for it’s frankly quite frightening themes.
In the past, 1984 was seen as a possibility. A possible future for the world to take, one ruled under an iron fist, when even thinking your own thoughts become impossible. While this is a far cry from the world that we live in today, it is interesting to compare the two worlds, and see the path that the world could’ve- and could (unlikely) still- take.
The only reason this book misses out on the extra 0.5 stars, is because of the characters. When I read this book, as I stated previously, I didn’t read it for the characters, and perhaps upon a re-read that will change. I will stop becoming fixated on the world that 1984 presents and will focus enough on the characters. And while I still did care for them, I just felt like something was missing, it may even be, that in comparison to the unique masterpiece of world building that 1984 presents there was no way for the characters to compare.
If this rant somehow hasn’t convinced you to go ahead and buy or borrow 1984, this is your reminder:
Read this book.
Graphic: Death, Xenophobia, Gaslighting
Moderate: Torture
Minor: Sexual content
Winston would randomly get this urge to either rape or kill people who did nothing else but exist in his presence. It was tiring, not thought-provoking. I liked him much better in part three of the book, though! Ironically enough, maybe, but his whole character during part one and two was being a pig. That was completely out of focus during part three! Splendid.
Julia should have been removed entirely. I didn't like her in the beginning, and I didn't like her at the end. Her whole character was having sex and saying foul things. If you try too hard to make a character who's supposed to be controversial and rebellious, you end up with a character I only want to die in a pit.
O'Brien.🫶 He saved the book, to be honest. I genuinely believe that this book would have been 5 stars for me if Orwell had removed Julia and spent more time building on Winston and O'Brien's relationship instead.
All in all, I do believe that this book was worth it. I read it for history, and during the first half, I thought of this book as complete and utter bullshit. But at least I came to like it—really like it towards the end.
Graphic: Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Confinement, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Classism
Moderate: Body horror, Child death, Fatphobia, Racism, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Xenophobia, Antisemitism, Death of parent, Abandonment
Graphic: Violence, War, Classism
Moderate: Body horror, Drug use, Blood, Police brutality, Murder, Alcohol
Minor: Racism, Rape, Sexism, Xenophobia
Graphic: Torture
Moderate: Slavery, Violence, Xenophobia, War
Minor: Sexual assault
Graphic: Torture, Police brutality, War
Moderate: Confinement, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Xenophobia
Graphic: Physical abuse, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Gaslighting, Alcohol, War, Classism
Moderate: Body shaming, Child death, Slavery, Stalking, Death of parent, Colonisation
Graphic: Gore, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Gaslighting, War
Graphic: Misogyny, Racism, Xenophobia, Vomit
Minor: War
I’ve much enjoyed listening to this book and it made me think a lot about what the government in this book and the government for the country I live in have in common (a decent amount it seems, which isn’t a good look haha). The ending wasn’t exactly what I had hoped for but the book is meant to be realistic, so I do suppose the ending does make sense.
Graphic: Body horror, Torture, War
Moderate: Genocide, Homophobia, Infertility, Racism, Rape, Transphobia, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Antisemitism, Medical trauma, Lesbophobia
Minor: Drug use
Graphic: Physical abuse, Torture, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Xenophobia, Gaslighting, Abandonment, War
Minor: Toxic friendship