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macaronsandmermaids's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Drug use, Classism, and Racial slurs
sophieparr's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Ableism, Classism, and Drug use
Minor: Suicide
carla20's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Genocide, Alcoholism, Medical content, Slavery, Suicide, Fatphobia, Physical abuse, Self harm, Drug use, Death of parent, Addiction, Classism, and Child abuse
jchudson's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
Moderate: Racism and Drug use
Minor: Suicide
kokoberry's review against another edition
- 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
3.5
Graphic: Racism, Sexual content, Vomit, Racial slurs, Alcohol, Grief, Infidelity, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Addiction, Misogyny, Suicide, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Self harm
Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Cursing, Fatphobia, and Pregnancy
Minor: Abortion, War, and Animal death
cursed_sapphire's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
The characters are interesting but not likeable, I recommend knowing that going in. This book is an exploration of a potential future built on consumption, sameness, and constant pleasure. The characters are meant to embody different parts of humanity/society. Bernard is only content if he's more special than everyone else, Lenina wants more monogomy than is normal but otherwise accepts everything, Helmholtz is just kinda bored and wants to be a tortured poet, etc. John is supposed to be the last real person, representing a true believer in religion and art which cannot survive in this society. Mind you, John is a very 1930's Christian ideal of a true, good person. And while his obsession with suffering for his sins serves as a counter to the painless society of the book, it came across a bit overzealous for me. It felt like Huxley was trying to make John suffer all the pain everyone else never had to, but that made him feel a little too obsessed with pain instead of the virtues he claims to care about. The same could also be said about his obsession with chastity.
This is a book more focused on ideas than on characters. The plot is a bit sparse, but that leads to a slice-of-life feeling, where the day-to-day life is the focus. There's a certain horror in the mundaneness that the characters experience, and that brings out the themes in a different, but still very effective way.
Overall I recommend this for anyone who likes the philosophical side of sci-fi/dystopia, as long as they are able to handle the old-fashioned lense.
Graphic: Drug abuse, Drug use, Child abuse, Addiction, and Suicide
Moderate: Sexual content, Religious bigotry, Racism, and Sexual harassment
gbentley's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
3.5
Moderate: Xenophobia and Drug use
Minor: Sexism and Suicide
honkinggoose's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Graphic: Drug use, Drug abuse, Suicide, and Addiction
Moderate: Body shaming and Classism
Minor: Gaslighting
sophia_teknoe's review against another edition
3.0
Moderate: Drug use, Racism, and Suicide
n_degeorgia's review against another edition
3.75
Eugenics is horrifying and the opening inciting moment really caught my attention but the rest of the story casts sexual liberation and modern convenience as the pinnacle of all evil. Fascinating read but the politics and morality of the 1930's is loud and clear and I think a 2024 understanding of these issues is more nuanced!
Graphic: Racial slurs, Drug use, and Suicide