Reviews

Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley

marieweitzel77's review against another edition

4.0

Read for English 12. Didn't quite see the point of Huxley writing it in the first place.

pharmdad2007's review against another edition

3.0

I know this is required high school reading for most, but when I was in high school we could choose between this and Animal Farm. So I've never read this one. As with any dystopian novel, there are some scary similarities between this invented and totally deranged future society and our own. The idea of using pharmaceuticals to take a "holiday" from real life is one thing that particularly resonates with me. In my daily life as a pharmacist I see shades of this far too often, though perhaps not to the extreme. An interesting voice of warning.

2nd reading:
I thought I might like this more the second time through, but I actually think it dropped to two stars.

eush's review against another edition

2.0

I read this as part of my continuing adventures in reading books everybody else read in high school. (Next up: Animal Farm.) And it was not great! It's not very subtle, the world building is a little lacking, and I gave up completely a chapter from the the end when there was mildly helpful exposition from the world controller. Maybe it's dystopia fatigue on my end.

catvonb's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.0

Ik heb me door dit boek moeten worstelen. Weer zo'n klassieker waarvan je vind dat je het gelezen moet hebben. 

De eerste 25 procent is een beschrijving van het menselijke  fokprogramma. Het gaat maar door. Daarna worden de hoofdpersonen geïntroduceerd en die lijken wat uit de lucht gegrepen. Het is nog totaal onduidelijk wat dit voor boek is, anders dan een beschrijving van een dystopische toekomst. 

Een goed verhaal, maar slecht uitgevoerd. 

zachbaker22's review against another edition

challenging dark slow-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? It's complicated

3.0

vviesniarapl's review against another edition

reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No

3.5

emhildeb's review against another edition

2.0

Another classic that was interesting to think about, morally and philosophically, but is forgetable.

hznnah's review

2.0

Brave New World is so, for the lack of a better word, boring. I feel like the writing is so dull and lacking, although the plot was not too bad itself. In fact, I found a lot of the dystopian elements (e.g. the overuse of drugs, mass production of infants, and perfect image of civilization) quite interesting, but the execution pisses me off. Overall, this was a struggle for me to get through as I was frequently behind on the reading schedule.

bellamypirie's review against another edition

3.0

Inconsistent and difficult to be engrossed by with no redeeming characters. I enjoyed some of the referencing, though overdone. The ending was unimaginative and perhaps obvious. I wouldn't read again nor would I consider it a great novel.

christian_delve's review against another edition

3.0

The parallels with today's society are definite. A fascinating look ahead where elements are already being played out. The writing style holds up for a 1932 piece. A little too much exposition but other than that a great read. Why has no-one invented electromagnetic golf yet?