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elliotcarlisle's review against another edition
4.25
Moderate: Gore, Classism, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Colonisation, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Torture, Body horror, Violence, and War
Minor: War, Suicide, Slavery, Racial slurs, Police brutality, Physical abuse, Forced institutionalization, Body horror, Colonisation, Classism, Alcohol, Blood, Torture, Murder, Mental illness, Gore, Hate crime, Gaslighting, Vomit, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Cursing, Confinement, and Death
yusufmohi's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
4.0
Kindly know about your novel before you read.
Graphic: Rape, Torture, Slavery, War, and Physical abuse
hannahcstocks's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Ableism, Child abuse, Dysphoria, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Classism, Slavery, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Chronic illness, Death of parent, Blood, Confinement, Alcoholism, Physical abuse, Addiction, Alcohol, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Gun violence, Body horror, Deportation, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Sexism, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Self harm, Police brutality, Racism, Sexual content, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Torture, Violence, Vomit, War, and Xenophobia
swimfast724's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
The fact that Orwell basically predicted the future is both incredible and terrifying. We need to stop before it's too late. I have a favorite quote from Einstein that says: "I fear the day when the technology overlaps with our humanity. The world will only have a generation of idiots and the world is doomed." This is exactly where we are as a society today.
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Slavery, Genocide, Sexual content, Classism, Police brutality, Torture, Toxic relationship, War, Colonisation, Gaslighting, Suicidal thoughts, and Violence
Moderate: Trafficking, Grief, Domestic abuse, Hate crime, Forced institutionalization, and Child abuse
Minor: Body shaming and Abandonment
_jennilein_'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Graphic: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Physical abuse, Death, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: War
Minor: Blood, Rape, Addiction, Slavery, and Antisemitism
meesh150'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? It's complicated
1.0
No but in all seriousness, I do understand the political relevance but I feel like what most people fail to remember or realize is that this was written as a satirical. The world that Orwell created was definitely promising plot wise & probably even more so in the 40s/50s. But I’d say the execution wasn’t perfect or even that interesting for that matter. Maybe I’m biased because of the blatant misogyny (ie. the fact that it sounds like Orwell has never spoken to a real life woman and therefore created a ridiculous fantasy of his in the character of Julia) and seeing as I am reading this in the 21st century but I believe readers can read the introduction or a summary of this book and understand it for it’s main purpose without having to put themselves through the entirety of this book.
Hope this helps.
Graphic: Torture
Moderate: Alcoholism, Slavery, and War
Minor: Rape
siowan's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Police brutality, Grief, Death of parent, Cursing, Alcoholism, Gaslighting, Child death, Physical abuse, War, Genocide, Violence, Xenophobia, Classism, Murder, Slavery, Death, Forced institutionalization, Injury/Injury detail, and Suicidal thoughts
castle_samj's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
I think I’m disappointed. I had long expected this book to contain some more SCIENCE to its -fiction, yet mostly it dealt with drama and confusing or blurring the lines of reality. I’d wager this was more intended as a political protest and warning tragedy of the existing world governments in the 1940s than a prediction of what was to come. While a lot of the meta-content has, in fact, evolved to become true, it equally mispredicted some changes, lending to its true purpose of protest.
I can not recommend reading this book. Read a synopsis or something, or read Part 2 Chapter 09 and nothing else. I’m not even sure if Orwell was antisemitic by making the ‘villain’ be Jewish (
Graphic: Confinement, Police brutality, Self harm, Genocide, Racial slurs, Slavery, Kidnapping, War, Addiction, Gore, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Misogyny, Blood, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Vomit, Bullying, Body horror, Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Abandonment, Classism, Murder, Colonisation, and Torture
Moderate: Addiction and Alcohol
Minor: Cultural appropriation, Antisemitism, and Grief
saniyamuz's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Graphic: Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Slavery, Confinement, Death, Torture, and War
night3aven's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
4.0
- 1984 - review
1984 may not be the best book ever written in terms of style and narrative, yet its powerful and ever-present themes certainly make it a masterpiece.
Orwell's style is capable of appearing analytical and rigorous, but also colourful and full of emotions at the same time, depending on what's necessary.
Moreover, the language in part I and many parts of part II is strictly logical and linear, while the parts where Winston and Julia fall in love
The feeling is overall that of a slow and decadent decay, from freedom and happiness to sadness, humiliation, melancholy, suffering and, finally, blind obedience.
The author thus proves himself a master of writing, versatile and capable of telling different moments with different nuances. Furthermore, although act I and act II may seem boring at first, as soon as the reader finishes the book by travelling through
Orwell's psychological characterisation of his characters is superb, with Winston being the protagonist and the main point around which the plot revolves, while giving also importance to the role of other characters, but always through Winston's eyes.
It is no surprise then, that many of the characters appear and behave differently than they really are:
- O'Brien
- Mr. Charrington
- Julia herself
The most elaborate, important and essential part, still to this day, is however the precise and accurate way in which Orwell explores the ways through which a government can overpower and overwhelm his own citizens to become a dictatorship, or even worse.
The fact that each and every man, apart from the proles, is constantly monitored by tele-screens, hidden cameras and hidden microphones highlights the first step the government takes to gain power: the constant control of his citizens, followed immediately by punishment when someone doesn't do what the Party wants (something really relevant even in our age, where we are already increasingly surrounded more and more by technology)
Then, all the lies and propaganda through which the party indoctrinates its citizens, not only by constant lying but by making sure they are happy to lie to themselves (freedom of thought and freedom of the press are not only important, they are necessary, otherwise everything could get always worse and worse)
And in the end...
(Power can be gained in many different ways, not only through a politics of the image ("image-politics") - which we see also really often today as well, though with different and certainly less evil goals - but also through widespread control of the state and the individual, by manipulating the popular masses and by means and terrible tortures that are always hidden)
It could be argued that most of Orwell's ideas might be too influenced by the historical era in which he lived and by his strong opposition to communism, however, even if we remove his personal views, the novel still maintains its clear and functional moral messages.
1984 is thus not only a book, but also a clear advice and a useful warning against how any of us might be manipulated and controlled, thus vindicating its role as a masterpiece for its highly cultural and historical importance.
Being in a minority, even in a minority of one, did not make you mad. There was truth and there was untruth, and if you clung to the truth even against the whole world, you were not mad.
Power is not a means; it is an end. One does not establish a dictatorship in order to safeguard a revolution; one makes the revolution in order to establish the dictatorship. The object of persecution is persecution. The object of torture is torture. The object of power is power. Now you begin to understand me .
Graphic: Confinement, Emotional abuse, Classism, Torture, Violence, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Body shaming, Slavery, Death of parent, Suicidal thoughts, Injury/Injury detail, and Death
Minor: Deportation, War, Murder, and Panic attacks/disorders