nevs02's review against another edition
funny
informative
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
jellter's review against another edition
5.0
Initially I read it as a requirement because I am teaching it to my Year 8's after the Easter Holidays. However, what started as a mandatory task quickly became my own personal enjoyment and I'm glad that I've finally read and realised why the book is a classic.
Somehow, akin to 1984, Orwell's brevity is showcased and yet the message is potent and rather haunting. Each chapter is basically just over 10 pages and we quickly see the collapse of a society and as the reader, I was in awe of how well it was written but distraught at the fact that there was nothing I could do to improve the situation.
Nonetheless, a great read and I'd recommend it to anyone who wants to see a master at work.
Somehow, akin to 1984, Orwell's brevity is showcased and yet the message is potent and rather haunting. Each chapter is basically just over 10 pages and we quickly see the collapse of a society and as the reader, I was in awe of how well it was written but distraught at the fact that there was nothing I could do to improve the situation.
Nonetheless, a great read and I'd recommend it to anyone who wants to see a master at work.
nonabgo's review against another edition
5.0
People say this is a dystopian novel. It was, however, written in 1944, well into the Stalinist era, so it's not a book about a possible future, but one about a very real present. It's a political satire that uses allegory to explain a reality that many people of the era thought to be perfect, and many people today still crave for, despite having lived those times.
I am amazed that so many people cannot see beyond the "fairy tale". I am amazed that this is a tale read to kids as a "fairy tale". Orwell did not intend it as a children's book and it is definitely not one, despite the fact that the characters are animals. There's quite graphic violence in it!
For people like me, who come from an ex-communist country and were alive during those times, the book describes an all-too-real social and political context. Things really did happen the way they are described in the novel - just replace animals with people! The privations, the personality cult, the rules that apply differently depending on where on the social scale you are, the 6-day working week, the marches, the "patriotic" songs... I cannot even go into details without getting shivers all over, those are times I do not want to relive ever again.
I found the book, beyond the subject, well-written and engaging. Funny, at times. Sad, most of the time. Scary, if you get the point. It's a quick read, but nevertheless full of depths. It contains lessons easily accessible to everyone, as long as you don't get stuck into believing it is a fairy tale. This should be read by all those who regret communism and only remember the ideology instead of all the shitty things that happened during those times. Actually, it should be read by everyone - maybe it will be an eye-opener and prevent shitty things from happening again.
I am amazed that so many people cannot see beyond the "fairy tale". I am amazed that this is a tale read to kids as a "fairy tale". Orwell did not intend it as a children's book and it is definitely not one, despite the fact that the characters are animals. There's quite graphic violence in it!
For people like me, who come from an ex-communist country and were alive during those times, the book describes an all-too-real social and political context. Things really did happen the way they are described in the novel - just replace animals with people! The privations, the personality cult, the rules that apply differently depending on where on the social scale you are, the 6-day working week, the marches, the "patriotic" songs... I cannot even go into details without getting shivers all over, those are times I do not want to relive ever again.
I found the book, beyond the subject, well-written and engaging. Funny, at times. Sad, most of the time. Scary, if you get the point. It's a quick read, but nevertheless full of depths. It contains lessons easily accessible to everyone, as long as you don't get stuck into believing it is a fairy tale. This should be read by all those who regret communism and only remember the ideology instead of all the shitty things that happened during those times. Actually, it should be read by everyone - maybe it will be an eye-opener and prevent shitty things from happening again.
lathecubit's review against another edition
challenging
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
philsajor's review against another edition
5.0
Time changes a lot of things. Take, for example, a simple child's opinion about a certain book, and how negative biases clouded the opportunity for deeper interpretation.
Back when I was in high school and I first read Animal Farm, I flat on hated it. I placed it on my list of worst books ever written. Primarily because as a reader, I treated the conclusions of each book as sacred. The way I saw it, a story's outcome is paramount to it's success. Whether it be a good ending or a bad ending did not matter. What was essential was that it made sense. And back then, in the mid 2000s, this ending made NO SENSE to me at all. I viewed it's ending as inconceivable, possibly the worst ending imaginable. My immature head could not wrap around the idea that pigs could turn into humans. There was no way that I could ever acknowledge a piece with this atrocious finalé. I hated it. I hated it!! I HATED IT!!! In hindsight, I was taking the book too LITERALLY. I was judging it based on my expectations as a 13 year old sophomore.
More than a decade later, my 25 year old self was given a chance to reread this piece of art. And honestly, I have no regrets in doing so. With a more open mind and understanding, I was able to absorb the underlying themes the book originally intended. I appreciated it for what it's worth: A satire about society's misguided practices, boastful and incompetent leaders, and vulnerability to abuse, corruption, and tyranny.
Animal Farm is a 100 page masterpiece that is concise in it's presentation. It lays the facts straight, with no fillers. It is skillfully written with memorable characters you adhere to, despite (or rather because of) all of them being animals. Themes of unity and camaraderie are contorted towards applications of deception, cruelty, abuse, and ultimately, murder. Foreshadowing, as a tool, was used effectively as both the story's introduction and ironic ending.
Applicable or not to our current society, this novel's message remains relevant today, tomorrow, and for the rest of the years to come.
Back when I was in high school and I first read Animal Farm, I flat on hated it. I placed it on my list of worst books ever written. Primarily because as a reader, I treated the conclusions of each book as sacred. The way I saw it, a story's outcome is paramount to it's success. Whether it be a good ending or a bad ending did not matter. What was essential was that it made sense. And back then, in the mid 2000s, this ending made NO SENSE to me at all. I viewed it's ending as inconceivable, possibly the worst ending imaginable. My immature head could not wrap around the idea that pigs could turn into humans. There was no way that I could ever acknowledge a piece with this atrocious finalé. I hated it. I hated it!! I HATED IT!!! In hindsight, I was taking the book too LITERALLY. I was judging it based on my expectations as a 13 year old sophomore.
More than a decade later, my 25 year old self was given a chance to reread this piece of art. And honestly, I have no regrets in doing so. With a more open mind and understanding, I was able to absorb the underlying themes the book originally intended. I appreciated it for what it's worth: A satire about society's misguided practices, boastful and incompetent leaders, and vulnerability to abuse, corruption, and tyranny.
Animal Farm is a 100 page masterpiece that is concise in it's presentation. It lays the facts straight, with no fillers. It is skillfully written with memorable characters you adhere to, despite (or rather because of) all of them being animals. Themes of unity and camaraderie are contorted towards applications of deception, cruelty, abuse, and ultimately, murder. Foreshadowing, as a tool, was used effectively as both the story's introduction and ironic ending.
Applicable or not to our current society, this novel's message remains relevant today, tomorrow, and for the rest of the years to come.
enyajm's review against another edition
dark
funny
informative
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
ahd5's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
toniaaa's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0