Reviews tagging 'Emotional abuse'

1984 by George Orwell

142 reviews

secretly_a_human's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Police brutality, and War

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Vomit

Minor: Rape

nikenacs's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, and Colonisation

Moderate: Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Antisemitism, Alcohol, and War

Minor: Rape

ribert's review against another edition

challenging emotional sad medium-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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Minor: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Vomit, Police brutality, Gaslighting, Abandonment, War, and Classism

stardustdreamer's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Alcoholism, Sexual content, Blood, and War

Minor: Misogyny, Rape, Vomit, and Death of parent

sofrosune's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

== Español ==
Este es el libro más depresivo que he leído. No es que elijo leer libros depresivos, pero este clásico es de lo más depresivo que hasta ahora conozco. Sin embargo, luego de digerirlo completamente, me acompaña una sensación de calma y gratitud por no vivir en el mundo de 1984.

Pero no puedo decir lo mismo de los chinos, rusos y especialmente de los norcoreanos.

== English ==
This is the most depressing book I have read. It is not that I choose to read depressing books, it is simply that this classic is the most depressing thing that I have read until now. After completely assimilating this book, however, a feeling of calmness and gratitude stays with me, because I (and we) do not live in the world of 1984.

But I cannot say the same about the Chinese, Russians, and or course, the North Koreans.

== Deutsch ==
Ein deprimierendes Buch, dass handelt sich um das Leben der Nordkoreaner.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Emotional abuse and Torture

Minor: Sexual content and Police brutality

cottage_kaare's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

An amazing exploration of more political sci-fi fiction. An amazing piece to set the real world into perspective, as a lot of the plots in it are relevant to different parts of the world we live in. Classic Orwell political Satire. And a personal alm time favorite.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Violence, Police brutality, Antisemitism, Grief, Gaslighting, and Classism

Moderate: War

Minor: Alcoholism, Death, Hate crime, Torture, Violence, Vomit, Kidnapping, Abandonment, and Alcohol

It was hard to tag but this book is so heavily drenched in gaslighting and institutional brainwashing through propaganda. Also

Our main character Winston, ends up not changing his mind, but rather falling subject to the brainwash, which I felt was personally hard to witness. The whole time he is fighting this bad regime, and we are so used to the main characters getting a satisfying and predictable ending. But in a way it was perfect, because it really sets in stone just how Strong this hellish fictional government is.

imanele's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, and Police brutality

manu_k's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Body shaming, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Medical trauma, Stalking, Death of parent, Gaslighting, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Alcohol

Minor: Alcoholism, Rape, Sexual violence, Slavery, and Vomit

rsoccer70's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

I revisited this book almost 40 years after the first time I was assigned to read it - in the year 1984 - when I was in 8th grade. I've changed since then and so has the world. I listened to the audio book, read of course by an author with a British accent, and was gripped by how much the world today is like the universe which Orwell creates.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Sexual content, and Torture

xwritingstoriesx's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Moderate: Confinement, Emotional abuse, Torture, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, and War