kylee_22's review against another edition
dark
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
shawnwich's review against another edition
It's a very weird thing to read books inspired by other books, before you actually read the original book. Case in point, this book is pretty much the direct inspiration for things like 1984, and Brave New world, which I read long before this one. Stunning. Simply stunning. Not only for originality but for how modern it reads.
ablotial's review against another edition
4.0
The particular translation I read of this book was by Mirra Ginsburg, and is a somewhat older translation.
I really enjoyed this book. But then, I've often enjoyed books about utopian societies. This one was apparently one of the first, if not THE first to theorize about a supposedly utopian/dystopian society, with 1984 and A Brave New World following in its footsteps.
The book was originally written in Russian, and there were times when I could tell that certain aspects of the book didn't map well from a Russian understanding of the world to mine. Perhaps that is made somewhat smoother in newer translations - but even with the strange wording or... ways of describing things that didn't quite make sense in the context (Most notibly, having a sentence that clearly uses the word "you" but claiming they used "thou" form to indicate rank... which they didn't, they used "you") But anyway...
The soceity is different from the normal view of a utopian society - they view mathematics as the highest and most pure form - they write poems describing the beauty of infinite sequences. They are not people, they are "numbers" - D-503 being the main character, I-330 his love interest... Their main holiday "unanimity day" - in which everyone votes for the same person to continue ruling them as their Benefactor... And the discovery of the location of the Imagination in the brain, which the rulers plan to remove from all numbers. The book begins as the main character writing notes to an alien society to tell them of the wonders and perfection of their beautiful mathematical world, and changes as the novel continues. It's not the most exciting or well-written book ever (though it is probably much better in its original Russian) but is still a great thought-provoking read.
I really enjoyed this book. But then, I've often enjoyed books about utopian societies. This one was apparently one of the first, if not THE first to theorize about a supposedly utopian/dystopian society, with 1984 and A Brave New World following in its footsteps.
The book was originally written in Russian, and there were times when I could tell that certain aspects of the book didn't map well from a Russian understanding of the world to mine. Perhaps that is made somewhat smoother in newer translations - but even with the strange wording or... ways of describing things that didn't quite make sense in the context (Most notibly, having a sentence that clearly uses the word "you" but claiming they used "thou" form to indicate rank... which they didn't, they used "you") But anyway...
The soceity is different from the normal view of a utopian society - they view mathematics as the highest and most pure form - they write poems describing the beauty of infinite sequences. They are not people, they are "numbers" - D-503 being the main character, I-330 his love interest... Their main holiday "unanimity day" - in which everyone votes for the same person to continue ruling them as their Benefactor... And the discovery of the location of the Imagination in the brain, which the rulers plan to remove from all numbers. The book begins as the main character writing notes to an alien society to tell them of the wonders and perfection of their beautiful mathematical world, and changes as the novel continues. It's not the most exciting or well-written book ever (though it is probably much better in its original Russian) but is still a great thought-provoking read.
sperdutaneilibri's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
lindy_b's review against another edition
2.0
I liked it better than [b:1984|5470|1984|George Orwell|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1348990566s/5470.jpg|153313], but not by much.
sage63's review against another edition
4.0
I really love the world building, probably my favourite in a novel I’ve read so far.
The characters were a highlight for me, I especially enjoyed D-503’s development throughout the novel.
It was slightly fast paced at times, so I did find myself rereading paragraphs. But overall, I would recommend.
The characters were a highlight for me, I especially enjoyed D-503’s development throughout the novel.
It was slightly fast paced at times, so I did find myself rereading paragraphs. But overall, I would recommend.
acgene's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
isabellarobinson7's review against another edition
Rating: ?? stars
I could write an entire dissertation on We by Yevgeny Zamyatin*, but I'm not going to do anything like that. The only thing I am going to say is that everyone in this book sounds like a droid from Star Wars:
AP-5, BD-1, D-503, I-330, O-90, R-13, TC-14.
Bet you can't tell of those were characters from this novel and which were droids. Even I can’t, and I made the list.
*No, it is not lost on me that the author has the same first name as Yevgeny Prigozhin, the Russian mercenary dude who "died" during the Russian invasion of Ukraine recently. I suppose it is just like two people being called Paul, but because it is in Russian it stands out more to my English ears.
I could write an entire dissertation on We by Yevgeny Zamyatin*, but I'm not going to do anything like that. The only thing I am going to say is that everyone in this book sounds like a droid from Star Wars:
AP-5, BD-1, D-503, I-330, O-90, R-13, TC-14.
Bet you can't tell of those were characters from this novel and which were droids. Even I can’t, and I made the list.
*No, it is not lost on me that the author has the same first name as Yevgeny Prigozhin, the Russian mercenary dude who "died" during the Russian invasion of Ukraine recently. I suppose it is just like two people being called Paul, but because it is in Russian it stands out more to my English ears.