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siddharthagolu's Reviews (243)
Two words recurrently came to my mind while I was reading the book – “Hauntingly beautiful”.
That’s how brilliant this book is. I would’ve given it 10 out of 5 stars, if I could. Orwell delivers a masterful stroke of fiction – or is it fiction? It seems more like a premonition of sorts, a guide as to what could possibly happen in future if we’re not careful. I had heard about what a genius Orwell was - and though I got a taste of it in “Animal Farm” – “1984” was kind-of-a full blown force hitting your face!
In short, this is a story of the world in a dystopian setting, where a Totalitarian empire presides over much of humanity, controlling them in every aspect possible – down to their thoughts. A world where every action of yours is recorded and monitored by the “Telescreen” – not unlike the “All-Seeing Eye” from Lord of the Rings.
With all of the debate surrounding the FBI vs. Apple case and NSA and privacy, I fear we are slowly reaching towards the Orwellian universe. With that in mind, I think this line summarizes it the best – “1984 was a warning, not an instruction manual”.
That’s how brilliant this book is. I would’ve given it 10 out of 5 stars, if I could. Orwell delivers a masterful stroke of fiction – or is it fiction? It seems more like a premonition of sorts, a guide as to what could possibly happen in future if we’re not careful. I had heard about what a genius Orwell was - and though I got a taste of it in “Animal Farm” – “1984” was kind-of-a full blown force hitting your face!
In short, this is a story of the world in a dystopian setting, where a Totalitarian empire presides over much of humanity, controlling them in every aspect possible – down to their thoughts. A world where every action of yours is recorded and monitored by the “Telescreen” – not unlike the “All-Seeing Eye” from Lord of the Rings.
With all of the debate surrounding the FBI vs. Apple case and NSA and privacy, I fear we are slowly reaching towards the Orwellian universe. With that in mind, I think this line summarizes it the best – “1984 was a warning, not an instruction manual”.
Every account of Holocaust is moving and when Elie Wiesel - being a survivor of Auschwitz - gives you the horrifying details of what happened in those concentration camps, you can't help but wonder - Can humans really be so monstrous?
I cannot even begin to imagine what Elie must've gone through experiencing these brutalities - watching a son beat his father to death over a piece of bread, when every moment you were wondering whether the next will be your last - and all this at a tender age of sixteen? No wonder he lost faith in God!
- "I have more faith in Hitler than in anyone else. He alone has kept his promises, all his promises, to the Jewish people."
I cannot even begin to imagine what Elie must've gone through experiencing these brutalities - watching a son beat his father to death over a piece of bread, when every moment you were wondering whether the next will be your last - and all this at a tender age of sixteen? No wonder he lost faith in God!
- "I have more faith in Hitler than in anyone else. He alone has kept his promises, all his promises, to the Jewish people."
This is the kind of book that stays with you. A coming-of-age story of a boy, who is as confused with his emotions as he is conflicted in the matters of heart. Despite essentially revolving around a love story, the book throws some light behind the disturbing and complex cases of deaths & suicides while forcing you to think about living in the present and enjoying life to the fullest.
This was the first Murakami for me, and I’ll surely be reading more of his books. Although originally being in Japanese, the translated version doesn’t *feel* translated at all, despite some hiccups here and there. All the characters are solid as well as interesting and the prose is beautiful. Some of the lines manage to bring a *sigh* from the hopeless romantic in me!
I’ll leave you with an excerpt:
“I have always loved [person A], and I still love her. But there is a decisive finality to what exists between [person B] and me. It has an irresistible power that is bound to sweep me into the future. What I feel for [person A] is a tremendously quiet and gentle and transparent love, but what I feel for [person B] is a wholly different emotion. It stands and walks on its own, living and breathing and throbbing and shaking me to the roots of my being. I don’t know what to do. I’m confused. I have never lied to anyone, and I have taken care over the years not to hurt other people. And yet I find myself tossed into this labyrinth. How can this be?”
This was the first Murakami for me, and I’ll surely be reading more of his books. Although originally being in Japanese, the translated version doesn’t *feel* translated at all, despite some hiccups here and there. All the characters are solid as well as interesting and the prose is beautiful. Some of the lines manage to bring a *sigh* from the hopeless romantic in me!
I’ll leave you with an excerpt:
“I have always loved [person A], and I still love her. But there is a decisive finality to what exists between [person B] and me. It has an irresistible power that is bound to sweep me into the future. What I feel for [person A] is a tremendously quiet and gentle and transparent love, but what I feel for [person B] is a wholly different emotion. It stands and walks on its own, living and breathing and throbbing and shaking me to the roots of my being. I don’t know what to do. I’m confused. I have never lied to anyone, and I have taken care over the years not to hurt other people. And yet I find myself tossed into this labyrinth. How can this be?”
You can always count on Murakami to provide a magical escape - to a place full of absurdities where you can't always tell apart the boundaries between dreams and reality. One of his better works.
This is probably the first time I've cried while listening to a book. There's something intoxicating in the way Stephen Fry narrates and the whole section with Harry and Dumbledore in the caves was so emotional that I couldn't help but shed a tear at Dumbledore's desperate cries for help. I remember when I was first reading this book, I'd been really shocked to discover Dumbledore's death. However, that feeling was nothing compared to what I felt when Fry's pleading voice of Dumbledore echoed through my ears. I felt shattered once again. Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore - you will be missed!
