Reviews

For three weeks, whenever my sister called and asked me what I was doing, I told her I was listening to 1984. Take that as you will. It takes a Herculean effort to gaslight someone back into the middle ages, but Big Brother does it all

christian_ben59's review against another edition

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5.0

This is the best political book that I have ever read, with one of the most resonant endings. It was written well before its time, and many of the techniques employed by Big Brother (The government) can be seen in modern authoritarian propaganda today. The story details the mundane life of a bureaucrat named Winston who becomes fed up with the system. He initially keeps a journal where he transcribes his feelings, but ultimately joins a so-called group that has his same sentiments, only to be betrayed by them, and turned into the government. The story concludes with him ultimately being brainwashed, ending in a memorably melancholic and resonant fashion. The theme of the book is as relevant today, if not more, than ever. In modern authoritarian regimes, such as North Korea and China, censorship and political propaganda depicting bad things as good and good things as bad are widespread, just as it was in this novel. But for me personally, the biggest and most relevant theme of the book is that in modern times, because of the internet and technology, once an authoritarian regime exists, there is no way to stop it. That harsh reality is beautifully told through Winston's tragic fate.

maggiez1's review against another edition

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reflective tense medium-paced

5.0

jv1997's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

4.5

oliverwantstoread's review against another edition

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dark emotional tense slow-paced

Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.25

I wish I didnt read the ending

leah0317's review against another edition

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3.0

*3.75 ⭐️*
Great thought piece. This is not a fun read by any means in that everything is awful and nobody gets their happy ending, but is an incredibly interesting ride. I do wish that the characters hadn't been so one dimensional, but overall this accomplished what it set out to.

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