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A review by notaaron
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
challenging
dark
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I liked the overall theme and ideas of the book, but I didn't like how the narrative progressed and the way conversations were written. It's not a bad read, but if you've read 1984 I think you can skip this one.
It often felt like characters weren't having real conversations, they just exposition dumpted into each other with no nuance to their conversations. I think this book could have done with more Show and less Tell. A lot of the time characters will say a sentance and all of the implications would be spelt out in too much detail on the same line.
The worst example of this was the final coversation between John and Mustapha. At his point the text completely left the narrative and became an essay.
For most of the book the main character is Bernard Marx but at some point he is nearly completely discarded and the main character becomes John. I feel like Bernards character progression isn't finished properly and John's character isn't explored enough for me to really care about him.
Finally, I found the constant Shakespear quoting cliché and annoying. Making your character quote Shakespear every other sentance doesn't make them seem intelligent, it makes them seem like an AI who has been given the task of making themselves seem intelligent.
It often felt like characters weren't having real conversations, they just exposition dumpted into each other with no nuance to their conversations. I think this book could have done with more Show and less Tell. A lot of the time characters will say a sentance and all of the implications would be spelt out in too much detail on the same line.
The worst example of this was the final coversation between John and Mustapha. At his point the text completely left the narrative and became an essay.
For most of the book the main character is Bernard Marx but at some point he is nearly completely discarded and the main character becomes John. I feel like Bernards character progression isn't finished properly and John's character isn't explored enough for me to really care about him.
Finally, I found the constant Shakespear quoting cliché and annoying. Making your character quote Shakespear every other sentance doesn't make them seem intelligent, it makes them seem like an AI who has been given the task of making themselves seem intelligent.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism and Suicide