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nas12 's review for:
Fahrenheit 451
by Maribel Cruzado, Ray Bradbury
First I’m going to start by saying that, I don’t know why, I’ve expected the writing style of this novel to be very minimalist and sober, and that I was pleasantly surprised by the more elaborated prose, which included some beautiful metaphors.
That been said, I think that this books suffers from the “80s and older sci-fi book” syndrome, aka it’s dated. In some aspects I can see why Fahrenheit 451 it’s considered a classic or cult novel. Some of the issues raised are scarily relevant even today, such as social interaction between humans in a world were machines acquire a huge importance, the obsession with certain forms of entertainment (that in this case reminded me of the social media of today) or the censorship and destruction of what can bother others based on the social criterion of their time. It’s the horrific side of this novel, how a man in 1966 could portrait our current society so well; but I guess that humanity moves in circles, even when things change a lot, at the core they don’t change that much. But let’s go back to what makes this novel dated in my opinion. For me they were the grandiose speeches appearing in casual conversation, the extremely impulsive and illogical actions of the main character and the jumpy narration in some parts. All of it made me think of a classic Hollywood movie, with all the overdone drama and affectation.
The best part of this novel, no doubt, it’s the premise of the novel itself. Firefighters turned into the ones that burn, destroying what can offend because it will make others think, to their comfort or discomfort. This is a novel to read, let rest in your mind and after that, reflect about.
The ending was explosive (pun intended), and in a way I think the perfect one for this novel. An open ending that lets the reader decide if this dystopia stays that way or turns into a utopia.
That been said, I think that this books suffers from the “80s and older sci-fi book” syndrome, aka it’s dated. In some aspects I can see why Fahrenheit 451 it’s considered a classic or cult novel. Some of the issues raised are scarily relevant even today, such as social interaction between humans in a world were machines acquire a huge importance, the obsession with certain forms of entertainment (that in this case reminded me of the social media of today) or the censorship and destruction of what can bother others based on the social criterion of their time. It’s the horrific side of this novel, how a man in 1966 could portrait our current society so well; but I guess that humanity moves in circles, even when things change a lot, at the core they don’t change that much. But let’s go back to what makes this novel dated in my opinion. For me they were the grandiose speeches appearing in casual conversation, the extremely impulsive and illogical actions of the main character and the jumpy narration in some parts. All of it made me think of a classic Hollywood movie, with all the overdone drama and affectation.
The best part of this novel, no doubt, it’s the premise of the novel itself. Firefighters turned into the ones that burn, destroying what can offend because it will make others think, to their comfort or discomfort. This is a novel to read, let rest in your mind and after that, reflect about.
The ending was explosive (pun intended), and in a way I think the perfect one for this novel. An open ending that lets the reader decide if this dystopia stays that way or turns into a utopia.