Reviews tagging 'Death'

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

45 reviews

theveleveteenrabbit08's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

Seriously the best book I've ever read. Changed the way that I think about the modern world's luxuries and government. The world building is absolutely excellent and realistic, yet subtly terrifying at the same time. Characters' interactions aid this world building perfectly, immersing us in the minds and society of this 'brave new world'. If you are even the slightest bit interested in this book, READ IT! You won't regret your choice.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Self harm, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Grief, and Death of parent

Moderate: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Infertility, Mental illness, Sexual content, Suicide, Blood, Murder, and Alcohol

Minor: Vomit and Pregnancy

livimack's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark funny informative reflective sad medium-paced

• 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

4.75

Firstly, Sally Rooney could definitely write this. Secondly, I can see why some places banned this book. And finally, I severely underestimated this book. The blurb also seriously underestimated it, too. And not gonna lie, I could probably analyse this for weeks and still have material to chat about. Good book. Philosophy in action innit. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Drug use

Minor: Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicide, Violence, Grief, and Death of parent

bookish_bry's review against another edition

challenging reflective slow-paced

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

3.5

It's hard to rate this book because I feel like I've seen a bit too much of dystopian media of this type. That isn't really the book's fault because it was written far before most of those stories, but it felt a bit boring and predictable. 

In addition, all of the perspective characters seemed dry to me. I found it hard to sympathize with any of them on a deeper level. That being said, from a structural standpoint I do like the character architypes we had narrating. I like that

Bernard ended up not being the revolutionary character and ended up being seduced by society for a bit before being spurned once again. I also like that John wasn't a perfectly correct character and that he didn't succeed in finding freedom at the end. That was kind of refreshing. I just wish... I cared about him a bit more as a person before that end.

I think to truly appreciate this book, I need to find some sources that put it into perspective a bit more. I think I'd get more invested with a bit more knowledge of the context in which it was written and its impact on the literary world.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Racism, Self harm, Slavery, Suicide, Death of parent, and Gaslighting

As a dystopian novel, there is much talk about manipulating and brainwashing a population as well as genetically modifying people.

alreinwarth's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective tense slow-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Sexism, Sexual violence, Violence, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Classism

Moderate: Ableism, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Fatphobia, Infertility, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Suicide, Medical content, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, and Colonisation

Minor: Vomit, Antisemitism, and Abortion

kwichris's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

1.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Drug use, and Racism

Moderate: Death, Sexual content, and Suicide

Minor: Abortion

lemonlord_of_the_south's review against another edition

reflective tense slow-paced

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

2.0

I had to read it for school so my view of it is a bit skewed. Certain parts of the commentary about consumerism and authoritarianism were interesting but nothing I couldn't find somewhere else and I just don't understand the sex stuff. They show no purpose, maybe if it was encouraged to increase production of people like products it would make more sense but it's just kinda there. Maybe it's about being distracted by temptation instead of seeing the flaws in their society but it really isn't shown clearly. (Maybe he was just afraid of promiscuity??) 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Genocide, Sexual content, Death of parent, Colonisation, and Classism

Moderate: Racial slurs

gabriella_'s review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark sad tense 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? Yes

4.0

That was when science first began to be controlled—after the Nine Years’ War. People were ready to have even their appetites controlled then. Anything for a quiet life. We’ve gone on controlling ever since. It hasn’t been very good for truth, of course. But it’s been very good for happiness. One can’t have something for nothing. Happiness has got to be paid for. You’re paying for it, Mr. Watson—paying because you happen to be too much interested in beauty. I was too much interested in truth; I paid too.

What an interesting read. Thematically, there’s a lot to dissect but I don’t really have the energy to get into it. The final two chapters were a mindfuck. This is burdened by knowledge: the book.

There was a silence. In spite of their sadness—because of it, even; for their sadness was the symptom of their love for one another—the three young men were happy.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicide, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Cultural appropriation, Alcohol, Colonisation, Classism, and Deportation

canonically_k's review against another edition

dark reflective slow-paced

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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm

Moderate: Body shaming, Death, and Sexual content

Minor: Vomit

hsemily's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark reflective medium-paced

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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pedophilia and Racism

Moderate: Death

fogla's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective sad fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Death, Suicide, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis