howlou's review against another edition
4.0
I think '1984' is a very good read that is sophisticated yet accessable in it's articulation. Orwell paints the the grey and dingy picture of dystopian London very well, giving the setting a lot of character.
The book says a lot about its own time, the time it was written in, our times and frankly every other time in history. It is very much about the human spirit and what it means to be human by taking that statement to extremes. I often found myself drawing parallels between events and phenomenon in the book and in real life - character traits, archetypes who have only in later years been labeled as much, historical motifs and social changes. I'm not gonna point them out as I feel that would diminsh their value. I would also say that I think it's short sighted to say that Orwell "predicted" anything in this book. In fact I think he did the opposite, he... post-dicted (I guess). He saw the trajectory of the world based on observations in the past and basically re-told it.
My biggest gripe with the book is that it often seems to get lost in its own - for lack of a better term - agenda. Orwell's historical and social commentary sometimes seem to take precedent over the story he is telling.
I think this book provides a lot of perspective on human behavior and self - if one is willing to see and acknowledge it, which is part of the problem. I don't know how convincing or compelling this book would be to someone who disagrees with it. I mean not many people expressly admit to being pro-dictatorship, but is someone who is blind to their own complicity going to see or even be willing to consider to consider themselves mirrored in the events and characters? I hope the answer is yes but I have strong doubts.
I would say this is worth a read for most people. It can get heavy handed and requires a bit of abstraction when reading it but I would definitely recommend it to a friend.
The book says a lot about its own time, the time it was written in, our times and frankly every other time in history. It is very much about the human spirit and what it means to be human by taking that statement to extremes. I often found myself drawing parallels between events and phenomenon in the book and in real life - character traits, archetypes who have only in later years been labeled as much, historical motifs and social changes. I'm not gonna point them out as I feel that would diminsh their value. I would also say that I think it's short sighted to say that Orwell "predicted" anything in this book. In fact I think he did the opposite, he... post-dicted (I guess). He saw the trajectory of the world based on observations in the past and basically re-told it.
My biggest gripe with the book is that it often seems to get lost in its own - for lack of a better term - agenda. Orwell's historical and social commentary sometimes seem to take precedent over the story he is telling.
Spoiler
For example, when Winston is reading Goldstein's book towards the end of Part II, I couldn't help but feel like the rest of the novel was Orwell's excuse for writing these 20 or so pages on dictatorship. That fairly long and tedious part of book honestly caused me to put it down for almost 3 months. Even though I personally agree with a lot of the sentiments and theses that Orwell presents I don't enjoy being endlessly preached to.I think this book provides a lot of perspective on human behavior and self - if one is willing to see and acknowledge it, which is part of the problem. I don't know how convincing or compelling this book would be to someone who disagrees with it. I mean not many people expressly admit to being pro-dictatorship, but is someone who is blind to their own complicity going to see or even be willing to consider to consider themselves mirrored in the events and characters? I hope the answer is yes but I have strong doubts.
I would say this is worth a read for most people. It can get heavy handed and requires a bit of abstraction when reading it but I would definitely recommend it to a friend.
jonas_mikkelsen_1999's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
jay_has_no_life34's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.75
jenstory's review against another edition
5.0
This book leaves me speechless and breathless.
I love and hate this book at the same time (yes, doublethink has got to me).
I love and hate this book at the same time (yes, doublethink has got to me).
idiealittle's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.5
cheyenneisreading's review against another edition
5.0
I do not recall having read a novel that delivered such an on-point and direct structure of both plot and words. Extremely well crafted, Nineteen Eight Four is a book like no other in both centralized terror of a potential reality and the total dedication to the creation of a novel with nothing irrelevant ( be it excess words or events). Nineteen Eighty Four is a profound novel. It is also a terrifying observation of an alternative history build on mass oppression, pure ignorance, hypocritical concepts and a world that is fundamentally flawed in every aspect. This is a terrifying novel with a devastating conclusion.
waima_03's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
molly12's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
lely12's review against another edition
5.0
"Los mejores libros son los que te cuentan lo que ya sabías"