Reviews tagging 'Drug use'

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

34 reviews

nikolas_kolinski's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

• Fahrenheit 451 - review

"Fahrenheit 451" is undoubtedly an excellent novel, and it is easy to see why it is considered one of the great classics of modern literature. However, while the work has a fascinating premise to say the least, it still has some flaws in its execution.

Bradbury's style is engaging and capable of capturing the reader's attention, thanks in part to his frequent use of rhetorical figures or narrative techniques such as stream-of-consciousness (which can be a bit over the top at times, though).
The author is able to make interesting reflections on various themes, such as the importance of reading and free expression, as well as education and teaching, while also highlighting the possible dangers of excessive dependence on technology and frivolous and unsubstantial means of entertainment, and also managing - implicitly - to highlight some of the problems present in the society of the time (focusing especially on the issue of marital problems and marriages established solely out of necessity).
The characterization of the characters is not well developed (also due to the eximious length of the work) but this nonetheless enhances the point Bradbury wants to make, a.k.a. the loss of identity and reason in a society where one is constantly addicted to entertainment and has no time for reflection. Some potentially interesting story-lines or characters, however, are dropped too quickly or unexpectedly (

Clarisse or her family members come to mind: intriguing characters but removed from the narrative already shortly after their first appearance

), and this can certainly create confusion in the narrative rhythm.
The rather heavy presence of unrealistic elements (even though this is in fact a science fiction tale) may not always be appreciated by the reader: creative ideas such as the four-walled television set or the Mechanical Hound may even be interesting, however the final solution proposed to solve the problem of book burnings is certainly not the best one (

memorizing every book in existence in order to keep remembering is not a realistic solution, and given the subject matter of the work, the problem presented should be given at least a plausible solution

).

Overall, Ray Bradbury acts as a spokeperson for a rather profound theme that is open to many insights, approaching it in an original and compelling way but perhaps not always with the right approach; Fahrenheit 451 still asserts itself as a manifesto in honor of reading and literature, even if the goal and premise may sometimes seem better than the substance and content of the literary work itself.

Don't ask for guarantees. And don't look to be saved in any one thing, person, machine, or library. Do your own bit of saving, and if you drown, at least die knowing you were heading for shore.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder

Moderate: Emotional abuse and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Drug use, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Police brutality, Alcohol, and War

keepsleep's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Cursing, Death, Drug use, Suicide, Violence, Murder, and War

gellyreads's review against another edition

challenging dark slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I feel so conflicted about this book after teaching it. This is my 3rd time, and while I can see how the students are grappling with the lack of a government, and how that could empower the story more, I also see the absolute detail and restraint Bradbury puts throughout this. Although the ending is fairly anti-climatic and unrealistic. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Drug use, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Vomit, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Abortion, and Pregnancy

Minor: Adult/minor relationship and War

agatha_hopkins's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

Wow! This book really surprised me. When I first read this book sometime in upper elementary or middle school, I didn't really understand it for what it was. I couldn't see through a lot of the flowery language and metaphors (a warning for those who struggle with this). However, now that I'm a bit older, I can appreciate it for all that it is.

It's ironic that this book about banning and burning books is a banned book itself, but I bet the reasons why are because of the use of profanity and the

ripping out of pages of the Bible by Montag

.

I would recommend this to pretty much anyone as long as they are mature.

Previous rating: 4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Cursing, Death, Mental illness, Violence, Medical content, Murder, and War

Minor: Animal death, Body shaming, Child death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Grief, Car accident, Abortion, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail

lonely_tardigrade's review against another edition

adventurous dark hopeful inspiring tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, Suicide attempt, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, and War

Moderate: Child death, Gore, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Grief, Car accident, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Drug abuse, Drug use, Racial slurs, Vomit, Stalking, Abortion, Pregnancy, and Alcohol

gabriella_'s review against another edition

dark sad 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? It's complicated

3.0

I enjoyed the writing style a lot. The visual symbolism throughout was easy to paint a picture, and the way the words flowed was satisfying. But the actual message felt pretentious, considering the only two prominent women in this are a manic pixie dream girl (a teenager at that) and a ditzy housewife? No thanks.

How do you get so empty? He wondered. Who takes it out of you? 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Car accident, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

knightreads's review against another edition

dark reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Suicide attempt, and Murder

Minor: Misogyny, Violence, Car accident, and War

unoriginalinspiration's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Bullying, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Police brutality, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, and War

laheath's review against another edition

challenging dark medium-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

5.0

I knew the basic premise of the book, but it was never high on my list to read, probably because I don't read much of this genre. However, I'm always fascinated when I read something written so long ago that seems so eerily accurate in it's social commentary on the "future," which turns out to be when we seem to be living as I'm reading it. The messages on censorship, government-controlled broadcasting, higher education, literature, marriage, and child-rearing are so interesting. I was shocked at the coincidence of hearing we had started and won 2 atomic wars since 2022! It took me back to how it felt reading 1984 in 1984! Tim Robbins did a fantastic job with the narration too. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Death, Drug use, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Murder, and War

rory_john14's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Violence, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, and War

Moderate: Addiction, Suicide, and Grief

Minor: Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Abortion, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol