solshines68's review against another edition
4.0
Nice to revisit this classic from high school. Remembered more than I thought and see, more than ever, the relevance to today.
vhop's review against another edition
3.0
I have mixed feelings about this book. I found it hard to read- somehow the story didn't interest me, but at the same time I couldn't help being intrigued by some of the themes. The idea of "artificially created life" seems kind of extreme, but the fact that human life isn't human anymore if you deprive it of emotions rings absolutely true. At best, this book raised questions I've never realized even existed. A good book for any philosophical discussion.
alfattack1115's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
didi0014's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
thefreakinggoon's review against another edition
challenging
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
larmstrong's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
3.5
cocoawolf29's review against another edition
5.0
Very Well written, and it opened my eyes to the evils of society and what good still remains within ourselves. Many morales and messages in this book, and Shakespeare plays a large part in this. I recommend reading the Tempest first. Sometimes, those called savages know more than those who are thought to be civilized, for they have lived and learned to be free
sherming's review against another edition
4.0
It's been quite a while since I read this classic work, but I remember being impressed by Huxley's foresight and the impact this work has had on future science fiction and social commentary.
mimosaeyes's review against another edition
4.0
I knew this novel to be a dystopian one, but I read it as part of a course on modernist literature, and I have to say, the specific issues it latches on for its dystopic vision are indeed tied to modernity: valuing the new and the efficient too much means the old and the inconvenient get left behind, and we have to supplement all those human feelings in the spectrum that we don't feel when we are alienated from ourselves in modern, civilised life.
There's a lot of Shakespeare: he stands for everything cultural and now arcane. And Ford has replaced God. It's perhaps a bit difficult not to smirk every time you recognise the irony of characters' names, or every time you think about why those names would have been chosen to persist after all the whittling away. But a good read. You'll recognise parts of yourself and your world, remixed and made perverse, dark with humour and loss alike.
There's a lot of Shakespeare: he stands for everything cultural and now arcane. And Ford has replaced God. It's perhaps a bit difficult not to smirk every time you recognise the irony of characters' names, or every time you think about why those names would have been chosen to persist after all the whittling away. But a good read. You'll recognise parts of yourself and your world, remixed and made perverse, dark with humour and loss alike.
_diana_'s review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
slow-paced
- 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
4.75