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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
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
sofiam19'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? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Violence, Torture, War, Murder, and Death
gvstyris's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
But if there was hope, it lay in the proles. You had to cling on to that. When you put it in words it sounded reasonable: it was when you looked at the human beings passing you on the pavement that it became an act of faith.
Although I would argue that 1984 is far from the most realistic dystopian novel I have ever read, its influence on popular culture (and the wider genre!) is absolutely undeniable. I was surprised upon re-read how conceptual Orwell's Oceania is: it manages to still read a little like a political manifesto despite lacking Animal Farm's much more explicit allegories. This novel is also incredibly accessible because Orwell really breaks down the world for the reader, which was a welcome change after Dune.
There are a couple areas where 1984 really shined for me. Primarily, newspeak. Orwell aptly portrays language as a tool for control and manipulation, and the appendix's inclusion really made a difference for me. I was also in complete awe of the pages devoted to 'Goldstein's' agenda, which highlight the broader sociopolitical context of this novel so cleverly. They reminded me of The Handmaid Tale's 'Historical Notes' section -- genuinely such a cool way to place Orwell's world within a timeline that the reader is familiar with.
A couple criticisms have turned me off from a higher rating. As pointed out in the afterword of my copy, race is entirely absent from Orwell's world, which is a somewhat bizarre (and unconvincing) choice given its post-Holocaust setting. The misogyny and subtle racism are also pretty distasteful, which I think is important to acknowledge in a novel intending to speculate on the fate of humanity. Julia's character is relatively vapid and disinterested in broader political affairs, which was a struggle for me when contrasted so obviously with Winston's 'intellect.'
That being said, 1984 is absolutely worth the read, and outshines Fahrenheit 451 in almost every way possible...
One does not establish a dictatorship in order to safeguard a revolution; one makes the revolution in order to establish the dictatorship.
Graphic: Physical abuse
Moderate: Sexism, War, Misogyny, Death, and Murder
Minor: Racism
te_ss_i's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Gaslighting, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, War, Police brutality, Toxic relationship, Violence, Antisemitism, Colonisation, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Xenophobia, Grief, Rape, Death, Emotional abuse, Body horror, Genocide, Mental illness, Classism, Confinement, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Murder, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, and Torture
mh197960's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Moderate: Alcoholism, Classism, Death, Antisemitism, Murder, Torture, War, and Forced institutionalization
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
dropout's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Graphic: Physical abuse, Torture, Emotional abuse, and Violence
Moderate: Alcoholism, Classism, and Alcohol
Minor: Vomit, Chronic illness, Death, Excrement, Hate crime, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Murder, Police brutality, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, and War
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
onlylonelystars's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Graphic: Torture, Addiction, Alcohol, Blood, Death, Emotional abuse, Murder, Gaslighting, and Physical abuse