Reviews tagging 'Death'

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

41 reviews

befreckledbookworm's review against another edition

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? Yes

2.0

“Brave New World” is the last work I had to read for my AP Literature class and I think it beats “The Awakening” for the title of Worst Classic. Everything about this book disgusted me, from the world building to the treatment of indigenous cultures as a monolith and them being the “scourge” of society so to speak. I understand that Huxley was making commentary on the rise of fascism but that does not excuse the racism and lack of research when it came to proper representation. The research materials existed then, try putting them. Any ideology built around Freudian theory is an instant “no” from me, and any person who has taken a basic psychology class will agree with me. Freud was a disgusting man and the fact that his teachings became part of the belief system in this book should serve as a red flag. Same thing goes for the ideology also being built on the beliefs of Henry Ford, who was a massive anti-Semite and a disgusting capitalist. Needless to say, I hate this book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Drug use, Racism, Sexual content, Suicide, Blood, Medical content, and Death of parent

kirame's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Suicide

Minor: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death, Sexual content, Torture, and Violence

burn_the_letters's review against another edition

challenging dark tense medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Drug use, Physical abuse, Racism, and Sexual content

miaaa_lenaaa's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

3.0

Hmmm, hmmmm, im not sure i can communicate my feelings, perhaps an interpretive dance would be better

<<SPOILERS>>

No wait i wish we had some from iceland after he gets sent there?? Oh and also i hate it when books reference Shakespeare, it high key makes me quale with anger and idk why xx

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicide, Xenophobia, Blood, Grief, Abortion, Death of parent, Acephobia/Arophobia, Pregnancy, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail

overdramaticsoprano's review against another edition

dark reflective tense medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Bullying and Death

crypteral's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

Holy shit! This is a wonderful book

There’s endless possible  interpretations of this book including:
1. It’s anti-capitalist  
2. It’s anti-communist
3. It’s about hedonistic utilitarianism 
4 it’s about authenticity 
5. It’s about challenging your views

Etc. 
And for this I find it absolutely intriguing! It reads more akin to a work on philosophy than an explicit dystopia.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use

Moderate: Death, Pedophilia, Sexual content, and Suicide

Minor: Death of parent

rosalind's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective 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? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Death, Drug use, Fatphobia, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicide, and Violence

Moderate: Forced institutionalization, Death of parent, and Pregnancy

Minor: Sexual assault and Sexual harassment

Pinched this quote from Neil Postman (with thanks to another reviewer who shared it here first!) - am copying it here for the purposes of my own reading journal. ‘What Orwell feared were those who would ban books. What Huxley feared was that there would be no reason to ban a book, for there would be no one who wanted to read one. Orwell feared those who would deprive us of information. Huxley feared those who would give us so much that we would be reduced to passivity and egoism. Orwell feared that the truth would be concealed from us. Huxley feared the truth would be drowned in a sea of irrelevance. Orwell feared we would become a captive culture. Huxley feared we would become a trivial culture, preoccupied with some equivalent of the feelies, the orgy porgy, and the centrifugal bumblepuppy. As Huxley remarked in Brave New World Revisited, the civil libertarians and rationalists who are ever on the alert to oppose tyranny "failed to take into account man's almost infinite appetite for distractions." In 1984, Huxley added, people are controlled by inflicting pain. In Brave New World, they are controlled by inflicting pleasure. In short, Orwell feared that what we hate will ruin us. Huxley feared that what we love will ruin us.’ I certainly find the world Huxley so daringly and presciently imagined in the 1930s to be chillingly plausible, even recognisable. With that knowledge, I’m now going to go sit and stare blankly at a wall for a while and wonder whether I should rethink my decision to have kids. Fun book lol would recommend to fellow sadists lmfao xoxo

laurendenton's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced

• 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? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use

Moderate: Addiction, Body shaming, Bullying, Child death, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicide, and Violence

Minor: Animal death, Death, Infertility, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Abandonment

madmilliner's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative sad tense slow-paced

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

0.25

This book is gross. It is meant to be a warning against excess, and the pursuit of happiness above all else,  but, is so unnerving and bizarre that it just feels campy, and emotionally manipulative. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Hate crime, Infertility, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Vomit, Grief, Abortion, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Sexual harassment

apersonfromflorida's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use

Moderate: Sexual content

Minor: Death, Suicide, and Death of parent