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bc_dittemore 's review for:
Julia
by Sandra Newman
One has to give Newman credit for her brazenness; she must know that her novel will forever be overshadowed by Orwell’s, that no matter how good Julia is it will always be compared and contrasted with the book that inspired it. I have tried to judge Julia on its own merits, and with that in mind Newman has accomplished what most people might consider impossible: a novel that in many ways surpasses its predecessor, a sort of the student has become the teacher situation.
1984 is a certified classic. So ingrained is it in our culture that even those who haven’t read it know of Big Brother, know of the basic conceit of the novel. It’s undoubtedly influential and it’s one of my favorite books of all time. But having just revisited it, there are flaws that stood out to me. Orwell’s treatment of women in particular—he seems to harbor some personal resentment which seeps into his male characters, and a lack of respect which seems reflected in his female characters. Julia in 1984 is not much more than a vehicle to get the story rolling. Julia in Julia is nuanced, she has a backstory, a whole life that doesn’t involve Winston Smith. And let’s face it, Winston isn’t the most personable character. But the world Orwell builds, the rules, the language, the atmosphere, the social commentary, they are what make 1984 so endearing. Newman takes that world and shades in the areas that are too light, adds color to the spots that are sorely missing it. There are times where I don’t quite agree with some of her choices, but that’s partly because I don’t want what makes 1984 dear to me tempered. But at the same time Newman’s embellishments are practical and piquant.
I can understand people’s disinclination to give Julia a chance, but if we appraise it for its own virtues, not as a book that is trying to usurp 1984, but as a story that stands on its own, using Orwell’s work as a way to readjust its balance on occasion, one would find a superb novel. And here’s the kicker, if Julia didn’t have to stand in Orwell’s shadow it would, in my opinion, be the superior of the two.
1984 is a certified classic. So ingrained is it in our culture that even those who haven’t read it know of Big Brother, know of the basic conceit of the novel. It’s undoubtedly influential and it’s one of my favorite books of all time. But having just revisited it, there are flaws that stood out to me. Orwell’s treatment of women in particular—he seems to harbor some personal resentment which seeps into his male characters, and a lack of respect which seems reflected in his female characters. Julia in 1984 is not much more than a vehicle to get the story rolling. Julia in Julia is nuanced, she has a backstory, a whole life that doesn’t involve Winston Smith. And let’s face it, Winston isn’t the most personable character. But the world Orwell builds, the rules, the language, the atmosphere, the social commentary, they are what make 1984 so endearing. Newman takes that world and shades in the areas that are too light, adds color to the spots that are sorely missing it. There are times where I don’t quite agree with some of her choices, but that’s partly because I don’t want what makes 1984 dear to me tempered. But at the same time Newman’s embellishments are practical and piquant.
I can understand people’s disinclination to give Julia a chance, but if we appraise it for its own virtues, not as a book that is trying to usurp 1984, but as a story that stands on its own, using Orwell’s work as a way to readjust its balance on occasion, one would find a superb novel. And here’s the kicker, if Julia didn’t have to stand in Orwell’s shadow it would, in my opinion, be the superior of the two.