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A review by thekingcrusoe
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
4.0
I want to give this 5 stars, but there is a tiny tad bit holding it back - reasons I'm not sure I understand or articulate, but even so, Fahrenheit 451 is brilliant piece of work. The first half of Part One especially is so freaking good. Clarisse doesn't have a big enough place in the novel as I wish she did, because interactions between her and Montag at the start are some of the best philosophical musings I've read in a very long time, if ever.
The atmosphere and thematic capabilities of Bradbury here are also a standout - so much so that I could not hope to do them justice. The thematic breadth AND depth easily exceeds that of Brave New World for example, though I'd still absolutely argue BNW is much more literally applicable to our world today in the year 2023.
That said though, I was surprised how the ending was both more hopeful and personal than I remembered AND more dismal and depressing at the same time. It's fascinating.
All told, I would not say I loved everything about this, as a couple passages through Parts Two and Three felt a little slow despite how short this book is, and also because there are moments that Montag feels completely unrelatable and indeed quite foolish - moments that I don't think fully serve the story.
The foreshadowing is surprisingly good though, and the plotting is also quite good even if I think some things weren't used to the extent that I wanted (such as Clarisse).
Book is fantastic though, and definitely worth anybody reading. Bradbury's prose makes it quite enjoyable on top of the depth of the material too.
The atmosphere and thematic capabilities of Bradbury here are also a standout - so much so that I could not hope to do them justice. The thematic breadth AND depth easily exceeds that of Brave New World for example, though I'd still absolutely argue BNW is much more literally applicable to our world today in the year 2023.
That said though, I was surprised how the ending was both more hopeful and personal than I remembered AND more dismal and depressing at the same time. It's fascinating.
All told, I would not say I loved everything about this, as a couple passages through Parts Two and Three felt a little slow despite how short this book is, and also because there are moments that Montag feels completely unrelatable and indeed quite foolish - moments that I don't think fully serve the story.
The foreshadowing is surprisingly good though, and the plotting is also quite good even if I think some things weren't used to the extent that I wanted (such as Clarisse).
Book is fantastic though, and definitely worth anybody reading. Bradbury's prose makes it quite enjoyable on top of the depth of the material too.