friesenag's review against another edition
- 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
2.5
Winston is the kind of person who thinks he's above it all and smarter than everyone, but he is so stupid it hurts. <spolier> There is no way that he discerned that O'Brien was a member of the brotherhood from a look and just went with it, and I know in the book they go over that, but I don't think Winston really fully understands his stupidity.
I think that this book could have been amazing and cool, but there was a lack of world building and creation in my opinion. I think Orwell could have done more to share about the physical infrastructure of the community if that makes sense. It felt that there were some very lackluster and half baked story lines that left me asking more questions, and not in a good way.
My major issues were with the character of Julia who was one of two female characters who outwardly states how much she hates women and is SUCH a pick me. When Orwell had that scene about how the women were fighting over pots and pans, Winston discerns that women are just followers and basically have no real feelings about their society like he does, which irritates me so much. How can you tell someones life from how they are fighting over a scarce item?? These women have people to feed, and that doesn't mean that they don't find something wrong with the government?? I felt that women in this book were painted as stupid followers who don't have thoughts and experiences of their own. Even with Julia, who was against big brother but couldn't be bothered to understand the doctrine. This story frustrated me more than anything because of the lack of character development and that Winston's freedom thinking turns into exactly what big brother wanted. The themes of the danger of conformity were interesting, but I hated that it was shown in such a hateful and dislikable way.
I do think Orwell did a good job in the end to create stress and intrigue in the climax of the book, but fell flat as you kinda began to know exactly what was gonna happen.
The only reason this is getting 2.5 stars is because though I hate the characters and found the plot boring, this book did make me feel strong feelings, of irritation, frustration and helplessness as Winston continued to ruin everything in such a overbearing society. Writing is art and art is supposed to make you feel something, even if it is distain.
(Also what was even the point of Winston saying he wants to kill and rape women?? I think that's just Orwells personal feelings and he needed an outlet for saying it.)
Graphic: Torture, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, and Sexism
Moderate: Gaslighting, Forced institutionalization, Alcoholism, Rape, Mental illness, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, and Gore
gabriella_'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Graphic: Death of parent, Medical trauma, Torture, Body shaming, Confinement, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Child death, War, Kidnapping, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Police brutality, Blood, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Body horror, Chronic illness, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, and Panic attacks/disorders
lorraine19's review against another edition
- 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
4.75
Graphic: Torture, Violence, War, Slavery, Injury/Injury detail, Gaslighting, Confinement, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Blood, Body horror, Classism, Death, Forced institutionalization, Alcohol, Genocide, Gore, Grief, and Gun violence
Minor: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Mental illness, Murder, Racial slurs, Police brutality, Racism, Religious bigotry, Sexual content, Violence, Death of parent, Stalking, Cursing, Infidelity, Ableism, and Homophobia
lara_k's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Violence, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Torture, Murder, Body horror, Deportation, Mental illness, and War
rebekahdevlin's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Antisemitism and Classism
Moderate: Xenophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, and Physical abuse
southcarolina's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
4.75
You would be hard-pressed to find a book more immediately engaging than 1984. The worldbuilding is paced perfectly, firstly offering us glimpses of Winston’s small rebellions such as keeping a diary. We get to see his daily life under Big Brother and the challenges he faces before the main plotline starts. This immediately hooked me in, as I felt the book unfolded naturally and the city was easy to picture in my mind. I was able to connect to his struggles, and the pace ramps up naturally rather than a sudden shock to the system.
We’re put into Winston’s perspective, and I found not having been spoiled was thrilling. Being unsure on who to trust, was novel, and I wasn’t expecting the eventual betrayal to come from a certain character. During one part of the book, specifically the brotherhood scene, I did feel it was too good to be true. I’m glad the writing didn’t treat the audience like a fool and my suspicions were very clearly founded.
The last portion of the book is incredibly disturbing, but after the attention given to the cruelty of the party, it feels deserved and not out of left field. The ending is especially impactful, as you can feel Winston’s thoughts have been completely tangled. The narration is inconsistent intentionally, and I think it made a great impact.
Orwell has a very direct writing style, typically favouring shorter sentences, with the occasional long line for impact. He doesn’t need to bloat the text with unnecessary language, and it was a joy to read and put myself in Winston’s shoes.
Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, War, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Physical abuse, and Torture
Minor: Classism
metanoialaxy's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Torture, Sexism, Police brutality, Physical abuse, Mental illness, Gore, Gaslighting, War, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Body shaming, and Abandonment
f18's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Violence, Medical trauma, Torture, Forced institutionalization, Classism, Xenophobia, Gaslighting, and Police brutality
Moderate: Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Gun violence, Infidelity, Mental illness, and War
Minor: Sexual content, Gore, Rape, Racism, Excrement, Racial slurs, Fatphobia, Sexism, Antisemitism, Suicide, Murder, Child death, Slavery, Vomit, Alcohol, Ableism, and Fire/Fire injury
descriptions of hangings, child labor, tooth trauma,Spoiler
involuntary shock therapymartu_pm's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Alcohol, Blood, Body horror, Death, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, and War
Minor: Animal cruelty, Body shaming, Colonisation, Confinement, and Cursing
quamarx's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: War, Violence, and Torture
Moderate: Cursing, Mental illness, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Sexual violence