Reviews - Julia: A Novel | The StoryGraph

1.77k reviews for:

Julia: A Novel

Sandra Newman

3.8 AVERAGE

zorrodepurro's review against another edition

3.0

slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

rknitss's review against another edition

4.0

challenging dark tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

This was bleak. It's a rough time. The original 1984 isn't exactly a fun read either but this book was a lot of suffering in a lot of ways.

That said, it was insightful. It had a lot to say about a woman's role, the way responsibilities and blame are so easily shifted to a woman, the ways we become complacent...

The writing is immaculate and the text has some absolute banger passages.

I will never read this again though and my copy rather hilariously is missing about 30 pages in the middle. I figured out the missing info but flipping that page was whiplash.

Would recommend to people who thought 1984 didn't do enough to explain the world and the daily lives of the citizens of Air Strip One.

jenthompson's review against another edition

3.5

dark reflective tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

anabak's review against another edition

4.0

challenging dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

One of the darkest books that I’ve ever read - but it’s a very fitting one for 2025 - it takes on you a journey. And the ending is worth it. A feat of a book.

jessingrass's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective tense medium-paced

ed_moore's review against another edition

2.25

dark tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

‘Hate was the highest capacity of mankind. Every other sentiment we share with the animal kingdom - anger, greed, mother love, fear, curiosity. Only hate is human.”

Sandra Newman’s ‘Julia’ is now the second retelling of ‘1984’ I have read from Julia’s perspective, and though much better than the first I read: Katherine Bradley’s ‘The Sisterhood’ I think I should really stop trying to read retellings of my favourite book as in both occasions they seem to completely miss what I believe Orwell’s intentions were (for example each making Big Brother a flesh and bone human rather than potentially an ambiguous political concept) and in comparing them to ‘1984’ they will never quite reach near the mark.

‘Julia’ claims to be a feminist retelling of 1984 but just because it’s written from the perspective of the main female character that doesn’t make the book femininist. For the first half Julia is infatuated by Winston and the man is for some reason described to have luscious blond hair? Anyway this already presents Julia as lesser than in Orwell’s work as there she was just desperate for a fuck rather than infatuated by the extremely unappealing man.

I don’t really know where I stand to criticise on my next point here as I disliked ‘The Sisterhood’ for straying completely away from the point of an plot of 1984, seemingly just adding an element or two just to claim it was of the same universe and story, but on a contradictory dislike I felt ‘Julia’ just mirrored Orwell’s exact writing and plot far too much and for the most part it was nothing new and therefore can’t really give it much credit, which feels like these retellings can’t win on either way of the spectrum but both sort of missed creating a greater balance? (Also I know Orwell copy and pasted a fair amount from Zamyatin’s ‘We’ so this point doesn’t really have a leg to stand on…) but on personal opinion and feel when reading it just didn’t feel like it was balanced well. On another note that could be seen to contradict my point again though I feel like if Newman just stopped writing at the point Orwell’s version of the story ends and didn’t add the last two chapters the book would’ve been much better, the final two chapters kill the ambiguity that make 1984 so powerful and Newman’s retelling of the Orwell timeline ending was pretty well done (

I just don’t get why these Julia retellings keep having her have to overthrow the party and kill Big Brother in the end its so unrealistic for what Orwell was going for in creating this universe and I hate how its so undermined!

)

The handling of Room 101 and the rats however was really disturbing but that’s as it should be so pretty well done. This is one instance where I think Newman added to and improved on the narrative created by Orwell.

‘Julia’ was better than ‘The Sisterhood’ but I think I’ve now learnt these attempts at retelling 1984 just don’t work for me as I have so many opinions on the book and how it should be perceived I am just annoyed and disappointed when these rewrites don’t fit that.

riggstuuur's review against another edition

4.5

challenging dark reflective tense medium-paced

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

Such a fun take on a classic, 1984 is a bit too far removed from my mind to have any direct comparisons but man the ending hits. Is she still stuck in the Party? Is it all a hoax? Who knows. The lies and dealings of the Party runs deep, and you feel it all the way to the end! Sows such great seeds of doubt. Really enjoyed this read.