Scan barcode
seanto's review against another edition
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.0
canadajanes's review against another edition
5.0
Really great read, incredibly interesting, and an amazing view into the 30s and mostly 40s.
sarah_dietrich's review against another edition
3.0
So, this was an interesting read for me. I found most of the essays to be completely boring as their topics didn't interest me - e.g. a long essay about some children's fiction from the early 20th century. A few of the essays were really interesting - Why I Write, an essay about the Spanish civil war, and an analysis of Ghandi, were all stand-outs for me.
rosekk's review against another edition
5.0
Orwell was (and still is) right about a lot of things. Plenty of the flaws and quirks of the Britain he knew exist in the modern one. That so little has changed is a bit depressing, but the small positives he identifies still exist too, which is something, I guess.
gadda023gmailcom's review against another edition
5.0
This book spoke to me so much.
Having left the UK about 2.5 years ago I began to realise how English I was compared to what I previously thought, but once I started to compare myself against Australians and New Zealanders I started to see how English I really was. Reading this book gave me a new appreciation of my Englishness and what it means to be English.
He manages to capture the hypocrisy of English life that’s just accepted in such a way as to be confusing for many foreigners.
Having left the UK about 2.5 years ago I began to realise how English I was compared to what I previously thought, but once I started to compare myself against Australians and New Zealanders I started to see how English I really was. Reading this book gave me a new appreciation of my Englishness and what it means to be English.
He manages to capture the hypocrisy of English life that’s just accepted in such a way as to be confusing for many foreigners.
anabradley's review against another edition
4.0
A real range of writing that has something interesting for everyone. The ones that most stuck out to me are:
* 'Shooting an Elephant' - More like a short story than an essay, this is one of those narratives that are so deeply tragic that they have you thinking about them for days afterward.
* 'The Lion and the Unicorn' - Interesting in his separation of nationalism and patriotism, Orwell argues that the former is backward while the latter is, to some degree, necessary. In a polarised world where the love of your own country (particularly if your own country is the UK or the US) is associated with bigotry and conservativism, it was interesting to read a socialist arguing that at least some patriotism is necessary to protect democracy.
* 'Such, Such, Were the Joys' - An essay I have heard referred to various anti-public school writing but had never actually read until now. It's sad that, while the treatment of children in boarding school has improved since Orwell wrote, the psychological effect that it has on them (as detailed in modern books like 'Sad Little Men') is much the same.
The only thing I would say is that despite Orwell's condemnation of racism, anti-semitism, and classism, he does not seem to condemn homophobia. Anti-gay sentiment is only mentioned in one or two lines, and his personal view on it isn't made clear, but the casual references to homophobia are jarring given how reasonable and, in most cases, modern, Orwell's views seem to be.
* 'Shooting an Elephant' - More like a short story than an essay, this is one of those narratives that are so deeply tragic that they have you thinking about them for days afterward.
* 'The Lion and the Unicorn' - Interesting in his separation of nationalism and patriotism, Orwell argues that the former is backward while the latter is, to some degree, necessary. In a polarised world where the love of your own country (particularly if your own country is the UK or the US) is associated with bigotry and conservativism, it was interesting to read a socialist arguing that at least some patriotism is necessary to protect democracy.
* 'Such, Such, Were the Joys' - An essay I have heard referred to various anti-public school writing but had never actually read until now. It's sad that, while the treatment of children in boarding school has improved since Orwell wrote, the psychological effect that it has on them (as detailed in modern books like 'Sad Little Men') is much the same.
The only thing I would say is that despite Orwell's condemnation of racism, anti-semitism, and classism, he does not seem to condemn homophobia. Anti-gay sentiment is only mentioned in one or two lines, and his personal view on it isn't made clear, but the casual references to homophobia are jarring given how reasonable and, in most cases, modern, Orwell's views seem to be.
janiswong's review against another edition
informative
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
A brilliant collection of essays by Orwell. In my opinion, it greatly illuminates certain aspects of British society and culture that is still applicable to this day.
nicolemctye's review against another edition
5.0
The only problem with this book is that it ends in 1949. I’d love to know what George Orwell would have thought of the world we live in now.