Reviews tagging 'War'

Animal Farm by George Orwell

77 reviews

scarlettoliver's review against another edition

adventurous dark reflective fast-paced

• 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? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Gaslighting, and Classism

Moderate: Death, Violence, and War

Minor: Slavery, Suicide, and Injury/Injury detail

tobi_bee_5802's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

This is probably my favourite book of all time. I have only read it twice so far and I can’t stop thinking about it. 
Small Spoiler Below

As a part of my grade 12 politics class, we watched a series of lectures called ‘The American Paradox’ by Heather Cox Richardson and it’s available free on youtube, and essentially it was american equality is based on inequality and the fear the becoming equal will make everything unequal. I though about this when I reached the ‘All animals are equal but some are more equal than other’ line and holy shit. (That was the series thesis and I read animal farm after that)

I loved the writing style and after I started reading I just kept reading. It also has a great audiobook version on spotify. I highly recommend this book to everyone. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Murder, Gaslighting, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Alcohol

megan_bbender's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective tense fast-paced

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

4.0

As of today, this has been one of the only classic's that I have really enjoyed. I thought that the story and writing was great. This book is able to teach a lot and has a great message. 

I read this book in one sitting, I definitely recommend it to others because it is a quick and easy read that can provide some insight and perspective. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty and Animal death

Moderate: Violence and Classism

Minor: Slavery and War

terrywho's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

This is one of the best books on authoritarianism ever written and one of my favorite novels for a reason

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Racism, Violence, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Murder, Gaslighting, and War

this is a book about WWII, so... all that...

emmagreenwood's review against another edition

challenging dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Murder, Gaslighting, Alcohol, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

fatimadambatta's review against another edition

challenging dark hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Confinement, Grief, Murder, Gaslighting, War, and Classism

marinasslibrary's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

3.0

It is pretty clear from the beginning, due to the time this book was written and the storyline, that this book is a single metaphor thematisizing WW2, especially the russian side (communism, UDSSR). However I did really enjoy reading it and symphazising with some of the animals on the farm. 
Of course you can never compare a classic like this to modern literature and I never will. I think classics should always be viewed and reviewed in context of the time they were written in. 
And for the 1940s George Orwell did really create a lovely book adressing and discussing some struggles and problems faced during the time of WW2. Through which the readers are fronted with current problems in a beautiffuly written and tragic story about a small farm rebelling against the rest of the world. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Gun violence, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and War

popando's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

A classic read offering a different perspective on modern issues of class & capitalism despite being published in 1945, a bit of a difficult book but is a must-read lovers of modern-society criticism, classics, or just people searching for an alternative viewpoint. Very short (~100 pages) and very fast paced. It did make me cry when

Boxer (the horse) gets turned into glue

but that's only because I'm vegetarian and an emotional wreck. You really get invested in the characters, including the ones you love and ones you despite.

I highly recommend, everybody should read this at least once. <3

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Violence

Moderate: Slavery and Gaslighting

Minor: War

They're all animals so any animal cruelty/death can really be counted as regular cruelty/death.

notaspacemission's review against another edition

challenging dark informative inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

3.5

Not at all the best book I've read but it does make one think. The allegories Orwell uses for historical figures including Karl Marx, Joseph Stalin, and Leon Trotsky is evidence of his criticisms of the ongoing Soviet regime in Russia in the 20th century. The corruption of leadership that takes place once the pigs seize control of Animal Farm is a parallel to Stalin's rise to power post-Lenin. It makes the audience want to do research and learn about Russian history.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Murder, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Animal death and War

sarahna's review against another edition

challenging medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Alcohol, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism