friendofdorothea's reviews
369 reviews

Death of a Bookseller by Alice Slater

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challenging dark funny medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado

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5.0

1984 by George Orwell

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slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

After reading and really enjoying Animal Farm, I had high hopes for 1984. However, I think the message Orwell was trying to convey got lost due to an insufferable main character and a lack of editing. I read that this book was finished in his later days of life so that might explain why the book was so long, and didn’t seem like it went through a huge editing phase. It could have been 200-250 pages shorter and still gotten the message across. Maybe even have gotten the message across more clearly. There were points in this book where I thought Orwell was condemning communism, but from forums and readings about Orwell being a socialist, I think that initial reading was wrong. Rather, he was anti-totalitarianism. However, that lack of clarity really made it difficult to see where Orwell was coming from, especially in hindsight where Trump supporters and the like use Orwell’s literature to fear monger communism. I’ve also read that 1984 has been used in US schools as anti-communist propaganda. What Orwell stands for is confusing in 1984, which makes the work less compelling for me. The one thing I loved was the use of language to control the masses because power and control are gained most commonly using specialized language. Other than that and some of the quotes and dialogue where Orwell’s good writing came through, there wasn’t much good in sifting through all the bad.

My other gripes with the book are how sexist it is. There is only so much leeway you can give of “it was a different time” and “it’s because of the environment Winston was in; the dystopia made him act like that.” Honestly from his childhood to the last page of the book he was one of the most selfish and misogynistic main characters I’ve read. It was hard to listen to him most of the time. I would think if Orwell made a more likable character that might have helped make the other books flaws less glaring.

Additionally, parts of the world building were confusing. Was big brother always watching and everywhere or was he not? Winston made it seem like only the Party was watched and the proles weren’t controlled by big brother. Why couldn’t Winston become a prole or try to run away from areas with a telescreen. Also was the rest of the world also controlled by big brother? In theory could someone seek refuge in another country or area that didn’t have a fascist regime. Like so many plot holes and unanswered questions. And at times the book was just so boring. What was Orwell thinking when he put a whole fake textbook in the middle of the book. Like I was so close to dnfing so many times but I heard the end made it a little better. Marginally the end got somewhat better, but I’m not sure that it was worth all the work to get there. I agree with others in saying this could’ve been an essay and probably would have been made more clear to his readers what the heck he actually stands for. My suggestion: read animal farm rather than this mess if you want a taste of George Orwell. Animal Farm was a solid 5 stars, and I think it could stand the test of time. This book doesn’t seem like it knows what it’s saying half the time. I recommend skipping it. There are other classics to read!

Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo

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