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princemyshkin's review against another edition
5.0
Moderate: Racism and Sexual assault
jessife's review against another edition
2.5
Graphic: Racism, Rape, and Antisemitism
Moderate: Ableism, Homophobia, Misogyny, and Racial slurs
It’s ‘of its time’ but the casual discrimination is pretty jarring. That aside it’s an interesting readbooksjessreads's review against another edition
3.25
Of course, this is a product of its time and does have open anti-Semitic, homophobic and xenophobic language, especially towards the French and Irish. Despite Orwell being a democratic socialist, that doesn't always mean that he had liberal views of everyone. Furthermore, he also had an arrogant style of writing, especially making clear that he was never as low as those who were embedded in the lower-class world. He was always careful to evoke sympathy from the reader for himself, but not that of others.
Undoubtedly, this does offer an interesting and insightful perspective of Orwell's life, but not a book I am eager to return to.
Graphic: Ableism, Homophobia, Racism, Xenophobia, and Antisemitism
alex2teeuw's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Classism
Moderate: Drug use, Racism, and Antisemitism
vickeyreads's review against another edition
2.5
Graphic: Racism and Antisemitism
Moderate: Homophobia and Racial slurs
harryt115's review against another edition
2.5
Graphic: Antisemitism
Moderate: Racism, Rape, and Sexual assault
lucyarditi's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Rape
Moderate: Racism and Antisemitism
mildlypretentiousreader's review against another edition
2.5
“It is a peculiar lowness of overtly that you discover first; the shifts that it puts you to the complicated meanness, the crust-wiping.” (Page 17)
George Orwell’s autobiographical work, Down and Out in Paris and London, follows a British writer struggling to survive in some of the world’s most expensive cities, Paris and later on London. Told through the first person perspective, Down and Out provides readers with a gripping and captivating narration style that allows any and all to be drawn in. It is surprisingly witty and entertaining. In addition, the descriptions of the experiences of the impoverished felt incredibly realistic and raw. It was strikingly vivid. One of my favorite sections of the book was the detailed description of the Parisian hotel staff hierarchy.
While all of this was insightful, Down and Out’s impact was greatly soured by its constant and consistent references of racism or anti-Semeticism. What ruined the book the most was the completely unneeded rape scene found in Chapter Two. It was disturbing to read and was frankly so unexpected.
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Xenophobia, Antisemitism, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Homophobia
Minor: Deportation
I cannot emphasize this enough. In regards to the rape scene, I found it to be completely unneeded and unprovoked. There was no real warning that a SA scene would happen. As a warning, the rape scene takes up almost the entirety of Chapter 2 of the book. There were also racism agains black people, along with the usage of the slur “blackie,” and other ethnic groups, such as Romani people.erin_forgie's review against another edition
4.0
Moderate: Racism and Antisemitism
bambooty's review against another edition
3.0
Graphic: Racism and Antisemitism