A review by erica_palmisano
Animal Farm by George Orwell

dark sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I never read this in high school. As a result, I read it years after the end of the Cold War and even longer since Stalin's rule. While this audio book was generally well produced and acted, I do wish the introduction had not been included. Hearing that this book was so very influential and always would be (paraphrasing here) actually diminished my capacity to enjoy the book as an artifact of its time. It is absolutely a creation of the era with clear historical reference points and doesn't seem all that universal to me. Maybe if I didn't know even the small amount I can remember from my Russian History courses in college, I feel like I would still see little to apply to the present geopolitical situation. And this is overlooking the rampant misogyny of Orwell, which is difficult! It also struck me as a little dull sometimes, though at others it could be quite clever. Maybe I need to know more or less about the subject of the allegory to really get it. 🤷🏻‍♀️
Expand filter menu Content Warnings