Review by sandysmith - Lord of the Flies

sandysmith 's review for:

Lord of the Flies by William Golding

3.25

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I find classic books really hard to review. They are classics for a reason, but the language is dated, and the racial slurs (native Americans troupes) make it hard and uncomfortable to read at times. The story itself, boys on a desert island going feral, is interesting, and I'm sure the book when it was first published in the 1950s would have been shocking. It's a philosophical read that certainly makes you think. The main themes are leadership styles, power-hungry seekers, civilisation or lack thereof, the deterioration into chaos, good and bad/evil, adventures, bullying plot twists, and loads of symbolism. Yet again, I dislike the fatism and cultural misrepresentation, which may have been more acceptable in the 1950s. I can imagine and remember this book being dissected to death in English classes. Certainly, it's taken me 35-plus years to read it again and without the dissection of a bored teacher. I enjoyed it more this time round for that reason. The over riding feeling is one of the disappointment of the out of control cruel boys, which is very sad.

Content Warnings