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A review by lawbooks600
Animal Farm by George Orwell
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Representation: N/A
Score: Nine points out of ten.
I own this book.
So I finally read Animal Farm. When I found it at a library, I initially didn't want to read it, so I put it off for a while, but I could now order a copy for myself. So I did. Soon enough, Animal Farm arrives and I immediately had to pick it up and read it. When I finished it, it was one of my favourite novels. Who knew one of the last novels I read in 2023 was outstanding?
It starts with the first characters I see (the author introduced to me them all at once) like Old Major who, in the opening pages, convinces the other animals to revolt against the farmers who oppressed them for so long. His efforts were successful as the animals rioted at Manor Farm, expunge the owners and rename it to Animal Farm (hence the title.) Once they did, Snowball took over and established a new ideology: Animalism (which sounds like Communism.) Here's where Animal Farm shines: All the characters are allegories for historical figures and some events reflect the ones that happened in real life. It's such a brilliant fictional work, not to mention Animal Farm is a satire that works despite its lack of humour (because everything is an exaggeration.) Toward the latter half, Napoleon quietly takes over Animal Farm from Snowball by spreading propaganda and subtly changing the rules until they are a far cry from what they originally were. The ending was shocking as one dictatorship of farmers replaced another (an elite group of pigs ruling over other animals.) How chilling.
Score: Nine points out of ten.
I own this book.
So I finally read Animal Farm. When I found it at a library, I initially didn't want to read it, so I put it off for a while, but I could now order a copy for myself. So I did. Soon enough, Animal Farm arrives and I immediately had to pick it up and read it. When I finished it, it was one of my favourite novels. Who knew one of the last novels I read in 2023 was outstanding?
It starts with the first characters I see (the author introduced to me them all at once) like Old Major who, in the opening pages, convinces the other animals to revolt against the farmers who oppressed them for so long. His efforts were successful as the animals rioted at Manor Farm, expunge the owners and rename it to Animal Farm (hence the title.) Once they did, Snowball took over and established a new ideology: Animalism (which sounds like Communism.) Here's where Animal Farm shines: All the characters are allegories for historical figures and some events reflect the ones that happened in real life. It's such a brilliant fictional work, not to mention Animal Farm is a satire that works despite its lack of humour (because everything is an exaggeration.) Toward the latter half, Napoleon quietly takes over Animal Farm from Snowball by spreading propaganda and subtly changing the rules until they are a far cry from what they originally were. The ending was shocking as one dictatorship of farmers replaced another (an elite group of pigs ruling over other animals.) How chilling.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Murder, and Grief
Full trigger warnings: Animal death, murder, grief and loss depiction