Reviews with content warning for Alcoholism - Životinjska farma

**Summary:**

This book follows the animals on a farm. One day, they decide that they are going to run their owner off the farm and run the farm themselves.
At first, it all starts out fine. Everyone got along fine. But overtime, a pig by the name of Napoleon starts rising to the top. And putting himself on top along with the pigs and the dogs. But no one will outrank Napoleon. So whenever someone questions the ethics of Napoleon it is met with something of “Napoleon is doing this for you.” And “how dare you question our great leader”. Almost like Napoleon wants to brain wash the animals into thinking that he is a good leader when in reality he is not as great as he is making himself out to be.

**Thoughts:**

I thought that this book was just okay. There was nothing really special about it. And I can totally see what it was trying to do. And i think that it can be relevant today depending on how you read it.
I am not the biggest fan of classics but I do see myself rereading this book. Especially if I am doing a 24 hour readathon.

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sinaprst's review against another edition

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challenging dark inspiring reflective fast-paced

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

4.75

Sure, the story is quite obvious for anyone who hasn`t lived under a rock for the past 200 years. The paralles to the Soviet Union are basically slapped into your face. But that doesn`t have to be a bad thing and it definitely doesn`t mean that this isn`t genius nonetheless.
It is so interesting to see the animals derail further and further from their communist ideals to a totalitarian regime that is no better if not worse compared to their situation before. The society they have in the end in no way resembles what they wanted in the beginning and is as communist as I am straight.
I especially liked the way that Orwell showed the effect that the propaganda and gaslighting had on the animals and how they slowly but surely turned into conforming slaves who couldn`t and mustn`t speak their mind. They were totally depended on what the pigs told them and the pigs obviously told them whatever suited their current agenda best.
The pigs unashamed twisted and turned rules, facts and even the other animals memory so much it made me wonder how anyone who behaves like this gets to sleep peacefully at night. I got like second-hand guilt from this. They turned more and more into what they were so heavily against in the beginning.
until they in the end literally turn into their biggest enemy

It is such a great allegory for how lust for power and corruption destroys even the purest of ideals and how propaganda has been working and is still working in totalitarian countries. IMO this should be required reading in school. It`s brilliant.

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bill369's review against another edition

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reflective fast-paced

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

3.5

I read this book for the Classics Reading Challenge.

I liked the unbothered cat. She was indecisive and didn't care much for others. What an icon. Otherwise, the character development was well-done, and I had a lot of fun seeing how the characters gradually transform.

An allegory for a totalitarian regime. An enjoyable and thought-provoking fable. This story will certainly not make you tedious.

There are no lines I'd like to share.

The end was fabulous! I like the note it ended on.

A timeless and provocative story. I'm glad I read it.

Content Warnings

dlrosebyh's review against another edition

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reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Animal Farm is a book about a group of farm animals that overthrow and chase away their exploitative human rulers in order to establish their own egalitarian community. The revolution is eventually overturned by the animals' cunning and power-hungry leaders, the pigs. The pigs construct a government even more repressive and merciless than that of their former human rulers, concluding that "all animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others" (with its amendment to the animals' seventh commandment: "All creatures are equal").

Now I see how essential this book is; I loved the message and everything, but it's dull otherwise. That's all I have to say. I get the frenzy, but the book isn't for me, or is it because I read it for English class? We'll never find out.

PSA: Never trust a pig. :)

Content Warnings

emmagreenwood's review against another edition

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challenging dark tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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brassnbooks's review against another edition

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dark reflective sad 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

5.0

Honestly one of my favorite books of all time
It's dark and even though I know what's gonna happen I still get really into the reading
The ending is perfect as well

just how the pigs have slowly been becoming human and nothing had ever changed amoungst the various ways they manipulated everyone's memories and lack of ability to read etc

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shayh's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

One of the rare times I'll read a fast paced book and enjoy it, especially one that contains animal death.

This reminded me of Lord of the Flies, which was also close to a 5 star for me. Both focus on societies and flaws within them.

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