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francog53's review against another edition
5.0
Absolutely exhilarating! A near-perfect portrait of the human nature and society, its desire for power and domination. I finished reading this book a handful of months ago, and it still haunts me. Day-to-day situations where one would see nothing suspicious can trigger a revival of the lessons learned through those pages. It is - and will remain - a favourite.
taykai1314's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse
Moderate: Physical abuse
memethereader's review against another edition
5.0
*Not sure if this is a review, or a rant, or just me spilling everything that's on my mind*
This is a book that nearly most of my international affairs teachers keep talking about. This is one of the books that you cannot graduate from IR major without hearing about it. I picked this book because this is one of my favourite teacher's favourite novel. Before reading this book, I already had a vague idea about some of the concepts in this book, but I never knew that this book was so scary, and devastating. The scariest part about it is that some of the things in this book apply to our modern time. I have always heard the phrase "Orwellian society", but I never exactly knew what it meant only after I read it. Imagine living in a world where you're being constantly monitored, every move, every word, every thought...That's crazy, but unfortunately, we do live in such a world. We are being watched both indirectly and directly. Imagine not being able to have your own thoughts, and your own beliefs. For me, the one thing that I don't want to be stripped off is "freedom of thought".
The book tells the story of a 30-something guy called "Winston Smith", who happens to work in one of the ministries in the Party "The Ministry of Truth". His job in that ministry was to alter the past along with the truth, and fabricate them so that they can suit the Party's desires. Winston happened to deviate from the Party's path, and he started to "THINK", and thinking was a punishable crime in Oceania. It was a crime so dangerous that you'd get wiped out of existence for doing it. Going against Big Brother wasn't the only thing Winston did, he also fell in love, which was also a crime according to the Party. Within the Party, you could only be with someone else in order to bear children FOR the Party. Winston also kept a journal with him which he used to write in, and this was also considered a crime. The book focuses on totalitarianism, and how it is like living under a totalitarian rule. I have read before that it may refer to Nazi Germany, and Russia under the rule of Stalin. The book is very depressing, but I really loved it. The story is very powerful, and I like the characters. The only thing I hated was the long descriptions in some parts of the book. I thought that since this is a classic, then the language would be a bit difficult to understand, but it was really easy to read (English is not my first language). Obviously, my favourite part would be the last part of the book, especially when he was talking about the "war is peace, freedom is slavery, and ignorance is strength". I can say a lot about this book, but I feel like this is enough. Oh, and I liked the concept of 2+2=5, it's really all about what you believe in. For example, Donald Trump claims that he'll make America Great again, I could believe that if I wanted to, just like believing that 2+2=5, however, we all know that Donald Trump will only make America even worse. (sorry for using this example, but this was the only way for me to understand it). 2+2=5, that is true, because I believe that it's true. The thing about beliefs is that they can be changed easily....
Quotes I liked from the book:
"He is too intelligent. He sees too clearly and speaks too plainly. The Party does not like such people. One day he will disappear. It is written in his face"
- I like this quote because when you really think of it, nowadays such things happens. There are people who are too smart, they know too much, and what happens to them eventually ? They get wiped out by the CIA for example...
"If you loved someone, you loved him, and when you had nothing else to give, you still gave him love"
"...Some are concerned simply with planning the logistics of future wars; others devise larger and larger rocket bombs, more and more powerful explosives, and more and more impenetrable armour-plating; others search for deadlier gases, or for soluble poisons capable of being produced in such quantities as to destroy the vegetation go whole continents, or for breeds of disease germs immunised against all possible antibodies; others strive to produce a vehicle that shall bore its way under the soil like a submarine under the water, or an aeroplane as independent of its base as a sailing ship; others explore even remoter possibilities such as focusing the sun's rays through lenses suspended thousands of kilometres away in space, or producing artificial earthquakes and tidal waves by tapping the heat of the centre of the earth"
-This is a passage from page 223 that describes how scientists nowadays are focusing entirely on developing new armaments that can be used in war. I like this passage because it reflects the reality of most powerful countries. We have reached a point in history where every powerful country has a nuclear weapon, or is trying to develop nuclear weapons, and why is that ? it's all for power. Having access to nuclear weapons gives you power over other countries. Now, the real question is, why are they spending huge sums of money on developing weapons that would wipe out humanity ? if these weapons are destructible, it is better not to produce them in the first place, but of course that too is impossible. War generates a lot of money, so why should they stop if it is benefiting them ? At the end of the passage he mentions a technology that generates artificial earthquakes, and just when I read this, I remembered the HAARP machine (High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program), which is believed to generate earthquakes and other weather modifications. This was built by the U.S military, and its purpose is to disrupt the communications. I am not sure whether the HAARP machine exists or not, and I don't want to know anything about it.
This is a book that nearly most of my international affairs teachers keep talking about. This is one of the books that you cannot graduate from IR major without hearing about it. I picked this book because this is one of my favourite teacher's favourite novel. Before reading this book, I already had a vague idea about some of the concepts in this book, but I never knew that this book was so scary, and devastating. The scariest part about it is that some of the things in this book apply to our modern time. I have always heard the phrase "Orwellian society", but I never exactly knew what it meant only after I read it. Imagine living in a world where you're being constantly monitored, every move, every word, every thought...That's crazy, but unfortunately, we do live in such a world. We are being watched both indirectly and directly. Imagine not being able to have your own thoughts, and your own beliefs. For me, the one thing that I don't want to be stripped off is "freedom of thought".
The book tells the story of a 30-something guy called "Winston Smith", who happens to work in one of the ministries in the Party "The Ministry of Truth". His job in that ministry was to alter the past along with the truth, and fabricate them so that they can suit the Party's desires. Winston happened to deviate from the Party's path, and he started to "THINK", and thinking was a punishable crime in Oceania. It was a crime so dangerous that you'd get wiped out of existence for doing it. Going against Big Brother wasn't the only thing Winston did, he also fell in love, which was also a crime according to the Party. Within the Party, you could only be with someone else in order to bear children FOR the Party. Winston also kept a journal with him which he used to write in, and this was also considered a crime. The book focuses on totalitarianism, and how it is like living under a totalitarian rule. I have read before that it may refer to Nazi Germany, and Russia under the rule of Stalin. The book is very depressing, but I really loved it. The story is very powerful, and I like the characters. The only thing I hated was the long descriptions in some parts of the book. I thought that since this is a classic, then the language would be a bit difficult to understand, but it was really easy to read (English is not my first language). Obviously, my favourite part would be the last part of the book, especially when he was talking about the "war is peace, freedom is slavery, and ignorance is strength". I can say a lot about this book, but I feel like this is enough. Oh, and I liked the concept of 2+2=5, it's really all about what you believe in. For example, Donald Trump claims that he'll make America Great again, I could believe that if I wanted to, just like believing that 2+2=5, however, we all know that Donald Trump will only make America even worse. (sorry for using this example, but this was the only way for me to understand it). 2+2=5, that is true, because I believe that it's true. The thing about beliefs is that they can be changed easily....
Quotes I liked from the book:
"He is too intelligent. He sees too clearly and speaks too plainly. The Party does not like such people. One day he will disappear. It is written in his face"
- I like this quote because when you really think of it, nowadays such things happens. There are people who are too smart, they know too much, and what happens to them eventually ? They get wiped out by the CIA for example...
"If you loved someone, you loved him, and when you had nothing else to give, you still gave him love"
"...Some are concerned simply with planning the logistics of future wars; others devise larger and larger rocket bombs, more and more powerful explosives, and more and more impenetrable armour-plating; others search for deadlier gases, or for soluble poisons capable of being produced in such quantities as to destroy the vegetation go whole continents, or for breeds of disease germs immunised against all possible antibodies; others strive to produce a vehicle that shall bore its way under the soil like a submarine under the water, or an aeroplane as independent of its base as a sailing ship; others explore even remoter possibilities such as focusing the sun's rays through lenses suspended thousands of kilometres away in space, or producing artificial earthquakes and tidal waves by tapping the heat of the centre of the earth"
-This is a passage from page 223 that describes how scientists nowadays are focusing entirely on developing new armaments that can be used in war. I like this passage because it reflects the reality of most powerful countries. We have reached a point in history where every powerful country has a nuclear weapon, or is trying to develop nuclear weapons, and why is that ? it's all for power. Having access to nuclear weapons gives you power over other countries. Now, the real question is, why are they spending huge sums of money on developing weapons that would wipe out humanity ? if these weapons are destructible, it is better not to produce them in the first place, but of course that too is impossible. War generates a lot of money, so why should they stop if it is benefiting them ? At the end of the passage he mentions a technology that generates artificial earthquakes, and just when I read this, I remembered the HAARP machine (High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program), which is believed to generate earthquakes and other weather modifications. This was built by the U.S military, and its purpose is to disrupt the communications. I am not sure whether the HAARP machine exists or not, and I don't want to know anything about it.
la_nat's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.75
xingyu's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
hoffer_arts's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
tense
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? It's complicated
3.0
queenofgotham's review against another edition
dark
reflective
tense
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? Yes
4.5
bourbongirlinak's review against another edition
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.5
bookedmybook's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
4.25
magserita's review against another edition
3.0
After hearing about this book for the majority of life, my expectations were quite high. I found the underlying themes of censorship, totalitarianism, and loss of individuality fascinating. But the entire time I was reading it, I was hoping for less of a long-winded diatribe that acted as the world-building and more actual plot.
It was too heavy-handed for my tastes, and I expected something more subtly terrifying going in. I do appreciate how accessible the story is and hope high schoolers still need to read it to understand how propaganda is created and how easily it is to rewrite history by those in power.
I think there are better cautionary dystopian tales out there, but I'm happy to finally get the root of the pop-culture references like Big Brother, newspeak, and doublethink!
Overall, I'm glad I finally read it and now will cleanse my pallete with something less grim :)
It was too heavy-handed for my tastes, and I expected something more subtly terrifying going in. I do appreciate how accessible the story is and hope high schoolers still need to read it to understand how propaganda is created and how easily it is to rewrite history by those in power.
I think there are better cautionary dystopian tales out there, but I'm happy to finally get the root of the pop-culture references like Big Brother, newspeak, and doublethink!
Overall, I'm glad I finally read it and now will cleanse my pallete with something less grim :)