literallysam's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Animal Farm is a political allegory for the Russian Revolution, in which many of the animals (human-like characters) represent the key historical figures of the time. Though it can still be read & enjoyed if you don't get any of the allusions to Lenin, Marx, Trotsky or Stalin. But there's no doubt that the message behind this book is an important one.
In terms of Orwell's writing and the plot, it is basic. An easy read if you are 10-14 y/o. There are many quotes that I liked (slide to read). I loved the words of the proud anthem “Beasts of England". I admired Boxer’s noble sense of dedication & self-sacrifice.
However, there are some problems as well..
•The constant theme throughout the book and especially the ending suggests that Revolution is useless, that things will remain how they've always been, neither getting better nor worse. Reliving tragedy and atrocities of an evil government is just one part of the equation, making our own revolution should be the other. So, the ending could've been better.
Similarly, there's this character in the book, Benjamin who is intelligent but still doesn't "exercise his faculty" and when other animals ask for his help, he refuses to "meddle in such matters".(Real bourgeoisie behaviour)
•The book also critiques the working class more than Stalin. Orwell writes like an aristocrat- calling the animals , illiterate, stupid & forgetful throughout the book.
•Another con is that the book is too political in nature. It's like Orwell has laid down a fable in respect of only his own opinions, not allowing the readers to form their own judgements. A book shouldn't be so heavy handed in its political message and should leave room for readers to make their own opinions.
•Also the allegorical aspect of the book is another issue as it only presents one possible interpretation of reality. This leads to misunderstanding of the complexities of real-world political events.
Overall, Animal Farm serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of giving too much power to one person or group, and the importance of staying vigilant and questioning authority.
In terms of Orwell's writing and the plot, it is basic. An easy read if you are 10-14 y/o. There are many quotes that I liked (slide to read). I loved the words of the proud anthem “Beasts of England". I admired Boxer’s noble sense of dedication & self-sacrifice.
However, there are some problems as well..
•The constant theme throughout the book and especially the ending suggests that Revolution is useless, that things will remain how they've always been, neither getting better nor worse. Reliving tragedy and atrocities of an evil government is just one part of the equation, making our own revolution should be the other. So, the ending could've been better.
Similarly, there's this character in the book, Benjamin who is intelligent but still doesn't "exercise his faculty" and when other animals ask for his help, he refuses to "meddle in such matters".(Real bourgeoisie behaviour)
•The book also critiques the working class more than Stalin. Orwell writes like an aristocrat- calling the animals , illiterate, stupid & forgetful throughout the book.
•Another con is that the book is too political in nature. It's like Orwell has laid down a fable in respect of only his own opinions, not allowing the readers to form their own judgements. A book shouldn't be so heavy handed in its political message and should leave room for readers to make their own opinions.
•Also the allegorical aspect of the book is another issue as it only presents one possible interpretation of reality. This leads to misunderstanding of the complexities of real-world political events.
Overall, Animal Farm serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of giving too much power to one person or group, and the importance of staying vigilant and questioning authority.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Confinement, Death, Gaslighting, Grief, Hate crime, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Slavery, Alcoholism, War, and Violence
elizabeth_1111's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
informative
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
The best book i ever read.This changed my perspective on literature, it really showed me the thing you can do with a book! The allegory WOWED me!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Gore, War, Blood, Bullying, Confinement, Death, Murder, Toxic friendship, Violence, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Classism, Gaslighting, Animal death, and Excrement
hannah_cogo's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
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
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Animal death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Blood, Slavery, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Deportation, Gun violence, Alcohol, and Kidnapping
Minor: Violence, War, Suicide, and Torture
meganpbennett's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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? It's complicated
2.0
Animal Farm was on a book challenge list and it was short, so I gave it a try. It has a lot of similarities to 1984, Orwell's best-known work, specifically the use of changing history to best suit the present, the use of a mouthpiece to speak for the ruler, and the use of scapegoats to cover when things go wrong. It was also dark and violent.
If you want to read an Orwellian look at the world, read 1984.
If you want to read an Orwellian look at the world, read 1984.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Eating disorder, Excrement, Violence, Gun violence, Murder, Slavery, Animal death, Gaslighting, Body horror, Confinement, Fire/Fire injury, Physical abuse, Animal cruelty, Blood, Classism, War, and Alcohol
thechocolatefinger's review against another edition
challenging
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- 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? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Gaslighting, and Murder
Moderate: Alcohol, Violence, Slavery, and Confinement
Minor: Gun violence, Bullying, Physical abuse, and Kidnapping
emmagreenwood's review against another edition
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Physical abuse, Slavery, Torture, War, Violence, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Classism, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, and Forced institutionalization
fatimadambatta's review against another edition
challenging
dark
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, War, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Classism, Confinement, Gaslighting, and Murder
trinidad_gondi's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Gaslighting, and War
Moderate: Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Classism, Confinement, and Violence
tomtomonomtom's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Jfc, Orwell delivers. Everything hits the fan, no object misses, not even one. I read this novel because I am a fan of Orwell's essays and his writing style, I want to see in turn how he writes a novel.
Took me a surprise that's for sure, but the novel did carry along with it the typical Orwell political topics (as it did with 1984). Least to say, this novel is depressing as hell and I was already in such a crisis before reading this.
The characters, because of their way of portrayal as animals, works wonders when it comes to symbolizing their role in the mad house.
Took me a surprise that's for sure, but the novel did carry along with it the typical Orwell political topics (as it did with 1984). Least to say, this novel is depressing as hell and I was already in such a crisis before reading this.
The characters, because of their way of portrayal as animals, works wonders when it comes to symbolizing their role in the mad house.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Deadnaming, Gaslighting, Murder, Toxic relationship, Torture, Xenophobia, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Confinement, Death, and Physical abuse
Minor: Deadnaming
ravenclawgrl's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Spoiler
W. O. W
This story scared me from the very beginning. The pigs were a red flag from the start. I appreciate the way that this book makes you think in regards to politics and economics on a simple farm setting and it's a great introduction for anyone who wants to learn more about that but I recommend knowing the basics of the USSR before reading this.
The death of certain animal towards the end destroyed me. I appreciate the way that George Orwell does not glorify Mr Jones or what I can assume Mr Jones stands for, which is capitalism. It is made clear that the animals suffer tremendously under Mr Jones as well as under the regime of the pigs.
It's easy to think that the animals were stupid or naive or not strong enough to prevent the pigs from exploiting them and the farm but if you think about it, this is a reflection of the world we currently live in.
The abuse of power, the deliberate spread of misinformation, the manipulation and the gaslighting are used by governments and individuals in every country. The animals starting to doubt themselves and allowing themselves to be manipulated is something that our own media facilitates quite frequently.
I appreciated the fact that this novella, despite being a classic, had quite accessible language compared to *cough cough* Dickens (who wrote much earlier than Orwell, I know). There is none of the typical frustrating writing style of classic novels like extremely long sentences or outdated cultural references that modern readers cannot understand.
The inclusion of the apathetic animals like Benjamin and the cat was a good reflection of those who show indifference in the face of harmful events or corrupt leaders. To me, Benjamin represents those who have lost faith that things will ever change and so refrain from engaging in politics or protests and the like.
Muriel betraying 'Animal Farm' for insubstantial things like ribbons and sugar and presumably being re-enslaved by humans can represent those who support leaders or figures who are harmful overall to their very own lives but are easily won over or manipulated by empty gestures or less important promises that political figures promise to give them.
It's easy to forget and think towards the end of the book that Snowball would have kept his promises and provided a better life for the animals than Napoleon did, but I think he would have turned out more or less the same exploitative and corrupt leader that Napoleon was.
The sheep, to me, were quite annoying characters especially when they would start chanting pro-Napoleon phrases and drown out the discussion of anyone who opposed Napoleon. In my opinion the sheep represent ignorant people who do not take the time to think out the things that they hear or question the actions of those that they admire. This is especially harmful when "the sheep" in real life undermine or drown out actually useful discussions/debates that people have when questioning their leaders or the way things are run. Without this discussion things cannot change, as shown by the fact that the animals are stopped from protesting after the pigs walk out on two feet.
We can clearly see that the ignorance of the animals and their inability to read is a huge weakness that the pigs take advantage of. We can apply this to our own lives, where education, knowledge and critical thinking can be a protection from manipulation and exploitation from other humans, the media or dishonest politicians.
The slow progression of the pigs' abuses of power and manipulation of the animals felt realistic in the story. The pigs slowly becoming more like the previous human exploiters they despised was jarring especially when they began walking on two feet and when the novella ends with the animals no longer being able to tell the difference between humans and the pigs.
This is clearly shown in the cyclical nature of the story where the pigs treat the other animals worse than Mr Jones did, eventually renaming the farm 'The Manor Farm', symbolising a return to the old ideals upon which the farm was run.
Spoiler
"All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others. "
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Classism, Confinement, Alcohol, Animal death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, and Violence