zombiezami's review against another edition
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury
helena_chris's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
The book starts off following a normal day for Montag, a fireman who burns books. After a (chance?) encounter, the reader follows Montag as he starts to navigate his newly found reality.
Absolutely stunningly written.
Graphic: Murder, War, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Child death, Vomit, and Suicide attempt
joe05's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury
lizzield's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Suicide attempt and War
lizziaha's review against another edition
3.75
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Addiction, Suicide, Drug abuse, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Grief, Death, Child death, and Car accident
Minor: Animal death, Misogyny, War, and Abortion
carlycormier_'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
"So now do you see why books are hated and feared? They see the pores in the face of life. The comfortable people want only wax moon faces, poreless, hairless, emotionless."
I enjoyed Orwell’s 1984 in high school so I thought I would give this one a read. I am very glad that I did! This book reignited ( pun intended) my desire to read. I had, oddly enough, fallen off the train some time ago in favor of podcasts and other forms of digital media. This book put me back on the path of reading for knowledge.
Fahrenheit 451 turned out to be the first book I have annotated in a really long time. I found myself enjoying Bradbury's word choice, blocking/highlighting sections simply for how beautiful it was. I had forgotten what it was like to read something then have to re-read it to experience it again! Specifically, the vivid and lyrical imagery of fire that is conjured up is one of my favorite parts of this book.
"Delicately, like the petals of a flower. Light the first page, light the second page. Each becomes a black butterfly... Light the third page... chain-smoking, chapter by chapter, all the silly things the words mean, all the false promises, all the secondhand notions and time-worn philosophies."
Bradbury has a way of peeling back your world view and exposing it in a new light.
"How like a mirror, too, her face. Impossible; for how many people did you know that refracted your own light to you? ... How rarely did other people's faces take of you and throw back to your own expression, your own innermost trembling thought?" </spoiler>
This book is beyond its years in many ways: the plot, the ideology, the technology. It was thought-provoking in a way that I was not expecting. I knew I was going to be reading about a dystopian world that banned books, but not much else beyond that.
I am writing this review a few months later and am still thinking about this book! Not five stars simply because the ending felt rushed, unfinished even, and I was left wanting more, but not in an unenjoyable way. Montag's story fell short while simultaneously ending exactly how it needed to. Conflicting feelings on the last dozen pages, but would still recommend this book for its thought-provoking content.
As a side note:
I would recommend the copy I had (ISBN 978-1-4516-7331-9). This version includes an entire section on the history, context, and criticism of the book. It was fascinating to read more about the book from a historical standpoint, as well as a contemporary appreciation for its role within the dystopian/sci-fi genre.
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury and Death
izypup's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Suicide attempt, Violence, and Drug abuse
Minor: Toxic relationship, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Confinement, Bullying, Abandonment, Car accident, Murder, Child death, and War
emcasmith's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Suicide, Fire/Fire injury, and Suicide attempt
sunniva174's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Child death, and Death
Moderate: War
its4am'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? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury and War
Moderate: Murder
Minor: Gore