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A review by berratrixie
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
"phone bad, book good !!!!!!!!!": the book
i don't think reading this book was a bad choice. i quite liked the way it was written. bradbury has a really imaginative writing style that can make any description of an object, a person, an ongoing situation evoke very vivid mental imagery.
BUT
i couldn't help but get the suspicion that the real message wasn't that ALL destruction of ANY informative content is bad, rather just the destruction of this one medium. any other sources of content or information and the people who use them are painted in a pretty bad light. i initially thought the criticism lay more in the authoritarian and fascist aspects of the government portrayed in the book, but reading some of the stuff he's said over the years, it's VERY clear he comes from a very conservative and bigoted perspective. especially him talking about how political correctness or, as he calls it, "censorship from minorities" relates to the book ... yikes !
i also think that the pacing picks WAY up during the third and final part of the book. suddenly there's one plot-altering confrontation after another, concluding with a really weird and unexpected ending.
all this adds up to a really unfocused dystopian novel that, while fun to read, simultaneously has a really questionable message at its core.
i don't think reading this book was a bad choice. i quite liked the way it was written. bradbury has a really imaginative writing style that can make any description of an object, a person, an ongoing situation evoke very vivid mental imagery.
BUT
i couldn't help but get the suspicion that the real message wasn't that ALL destruction of ANY informative content is bad, rather just the destruction of this one medium. any other sources of content or information and the people who use them are painted in a pretty bad light. i initially thought the criticism lay more in the authoritarian and fascist aspects of the government portrayed in the book, but reading some of the stuff he's said over the years, it's VERY clear he comes from a very conservative and bigoted perspective. especially him talking about how political correctness or, as he calls it, "censorship from minorities" relates to the book ... yikes !
i also think that the pacing picks WAY up during the third and final part of the book. suddenly there's one plot-altering confrontation after another, concluding with a really weird and unexpected ending.
all this adds up to a really unfocused dystopian novel that, while fun to read, simultaneously has a really questionable message at its core.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Suicide attempt, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Rape