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3467785's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Physical abuse and Torture
josiah17's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
"In this game that we're playing, we can't win. Some kinds of failure are better than other kinds, that's all."
Certainly a thought provoking book, and a harrowing dystopian setting. The power of propaganda, indoctrination, government/corporate control; all very relevant to today's world. But the overall read was not as impactful as I was hoping considering I don't care for the characters whatsoever. It merely felt like an exploration of haunting concepts, which is great and all. But I'm simply not someone who reads fiction for just concepts. I need other elements to pull me in and make me feel engaged and intrigued. I felt those elements were absent here and therefore the narrative feels almost hollow in a sense, in addition to some other off-putting undertones. But ultimately it is still an important book, one that I want to reread sometime when I'm older despite it not being entirely my taste.
Moderate: Torture and War
Minor: Sexual content
itsaas_r's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
Graphic: Physical abuse, Torture, and War
lizzie74's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Graphic: Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
brethetech's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
At several points it felt like I just had to get through it to keep my promise to myself that I would read at least one classic this year.
The pacing was nice it skipped large swaths of time and lingered in moments but it always felt right.
But I was never attached to the main character, or any character at all, I didn’t learn anything, and I wasn’t entertained for more then a brief 50 or so pages where I wanted to know what would happen next.
If you want to read this for antiauthoritarianism, or because it’s a dystopia there are better picks nowadays that are both going to be more interesting and dive deeper into the topic. And in fact that is my main gripe with this that the facts that it presents are not novel to me, and it just keeps hammering them in instead of going deeper. I know they were novel at the time and even perhaps for a while after, or to a specific audience where this is a new topic but not to me, or probably anybody interested in reading books on this topic today.
Or maybe I’m just stupid and am missing something idk.
Graphic: Torture, Violence, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Suicide, War, and Classism
Minor: Sexual assault and Vomit
lotta_8's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Police brutality, and Gaslighting
beamvega's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Torture
Minor: Sexual content and Murder
back2lovingbooksmore's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Torture and Forced institutionalization
Moderate: Sexual content, Violence, and War
Minor: Sexual violence
I think it’s hopeful in its own way, the mentions of love and ambition for a better future in this book keep our characters going, and it shows that if we can hold on to what is true to us and catch on to history being erased before it’s too late, we heed the warnings of 1984 before it’s too late for our world and our peoplemayaspasta's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Graphic: Death, Torture, Violence, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Alcohol
meant2breading's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
While I think everyone should read 1984, I don’t think this book is FOR everyone. For example, I recently saw someone on social media say that a clear parallel in Oceanian society to today’s society is the rise of feminism…🥴 Not for everyone in that it may require some logic to make some of the more prominent connections that Orwell likely intended. 🤭
Also, may not be for everyone as it’s quite dark. Strongly recommend to check trigger warnings. That ending sure had an impact.
Graphic: Torture, Violence, and Forced institutionalization
Moderate: Death and Sexism
Minor: Rape, Suicide, and War