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jess_mango's review against another edition
3.0
A sci-fi satire about Victorian social mores and the class system...this book stars Square a mathematician from 2-dimensional Flatland who travels to other dimensions such as Pointland (no dimensions). Interesting but not a super smooth read due to the complicated language.
jrow's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism and Murder
ryanmastrangelo's review against another edition
funny
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
5.0
spectracommunist's review against another edition
2.0
A Flatter story of a Flatland
I liked the concept but the story was quite boring, the scenes changed immediately and suddenly, i didn't quite enjoy the writing style...There was a lot discription of events & ethics of people of flatland which wasn't quite interesting, the events of Lineland & Spaceland were okay but it's just a forward going simple story. I didn't liked the female being so weak in Flatland & It's just a square story discribing his world & other worlds he meets out of curiosity...
I liked the concept but the story was quite boring, the scenes changed immediately and suddenly, i didn't quite enjoy the writing style...There was a lot discription of events & ethics of people of flatland which wasn't quite interesting, the events of Lineland & Spaceland were okay but it's just a forward going simple story. I didn't liked the female being so weak in Flatland & It's just a square story discribing his world & other worlds he meets out of curiosity...
shmark's review against another edition
1.0
In this 80 page book, the author somehow manages to pack in 40+ pages of aggressively sexist and breathtakingly classist rambling that has absolutely zero to do with the story.
He creates a world where class is inherently and inexplicably linked to intelligence, women are always inherently the lowest (and least intelligent) class, and speaks with complete disdain about any attempts of lower class beings to change the order of things. The lowest class beings are imprisoned forever or just executed, and this is explained as totally normal and necessary.
This is addressed in the editors note at the beginning, which more or less boils down to, "just because it bears a striking resemblance to our current society doesn't mean it's a metaphor," which doesn't make it any less awful to read.
Even the description of higher dimensionality is pretty weak. He makes the same description four or five times without ever really elaborating or approaching the issue from another angle.
In short: while it may be a fictional story about a fictional land, spending fully half the book to create and defend a wildly classist/sexist/eugenics-ey world really undermines what little value there is in his explanation of dimensionality.
He creates a world where class is inherently and inexplicably linked to intelligence, women are always inherently the lowest (and least intelligent) class, and speaks with complete disdain about any attempts of lower class beings to change the order of things. The lowest class beings are imprisoned forever or just executed, and this is explained as totally normal and necessary.
This is addressed in the editors note at the beginning, which more or less boils down to, "just because it bears a striking resemblance to our current society doesn't mean it's a metaphor," which doesn't make it any less awful to read.
Even the description of higher dimensionality is pretty weak. He makes the same description four or five times without ever really elaborating or approaching the issue from another angle.
In short: while it may be a fictional story about a fictional land, spending fully half the book to create and defend a wildly classist/sexist/eugenics-ey world really undermines what little value there is in his explanation of dimensionality.
adellama_05's review against another edition
2.0
Cool when you remember it was written in 1884
Very niche, very particular book. Dimensions were interesting. However, flatland is an incomplete world for like 50% incomplete.
Author writes entire plot points coming from the point of view of being misogynistic against women.
Very niche, very particular book. Dimensions were interesting. However, flatland is an incomplete world for like 50% incomplete.
Author writes entire plot points coming from the point of view of being misogynistic against women.