Reviews

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

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iamalexheart's review against another edition

4.0

In molti mi hanno consigliato di leggerlo e devo dire che sentivo di far parte di quel piccolo gruppo di persone che non sanno di cosa si tratta e quindi ho deciso di rimediare. Incuriosito dalla trama compro il libro e inizio a leggere le prime righe. Leggo le prime pagine e tante cose sembrano assurde, continuo a leggere ed inizio a chiedermi: È davvero così assurdo come sembra? Mi rendo conto che stiamo già vivendo nell’indifferenza in cui si ritrova Montag quando rientra nella casa in cui vive con la moglie. Quanti di noi presta più attenzione al telefono che abbiamo in mano invece di guardare negli occhi la persona che abbiamo difronte? “L’unico modo per essere felici è di sentirci tutti uguali.” Quanti di noi si ritrovano (anche inconsciamente) a fare il paragone con il fisico, con la vita lussuosa di qualcun’altro? Quanti di noi scelgono di tacere difronte a qualcuno che reputiamo più intelligenti? Dopo aver riflettuto su questi aspetti della nostra società il pompiere che bruciava i libri non mi sembrava più tanto assurdo. Un libro che mi ha fatto amare il coraggio di opporsi a ciò che non sembra giusto e mi ha fatto apprezzare le differenze che ognuno di noi ha. Perché sono sopratutto quelle a renderci unici e diversi dalle macchine.

btodd12's review against another edition

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dark sad fast-paced

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

3.25

emily_7's review against another edition

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3.0

Product of the times, being post-war with a fear of the capabilities of new technologies.

I do also think it is unfair to state that art forms such as: film and TV cannot be as thought provoking as books, it isn't all soap operas. It has that kind of high academia snobbishness that books are superior. Yes, they do encourage us to question the truths they present but not all books are philosophical/have equal depth.

Thought provoking read. But the characters were very flat, and the female characters especially questionable. His comment as a male writer on caeserian births made me uncomfortable, how it was "unnatural" but this is a product of post-war technologies. The female characters were either presented as crazy, stupid or helpless upon the male characters. Even though the male characters were also unaware to their society they were presented as hero's, academics, firemen.

I think Clarisse and Montag's friendship was really interesting and it would have been great if that was developed further but it was rushed and I didn't really feel anything for her character.

brenscoffee's review against another edition

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adventurous reflective slow-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

2.5

gayusbooks's review against another edition

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5.0

"It's not books you need, it's some of the things that once were in books.........Books were only one type or receptacle where we stored a lot of things we were afraid we might forget. There is nothing magical in them at all. The magic is only in what books say, how they stitched the patches of the universe together into one garment for us. "

Why do we read?? I have heard different people give different answers to that question, ranging from the literal to the philosophical but I never really answered that question myself. Reading has always been a part of my life and the pages that I have read have left behind memories that are as alive as the people I have met and the places I have been.
Reading is a personal experience, that's for sure. And after reading Fahrenheit 451 I have realised how essential that experience is for my survival.

I picked this book up a few months ago but couldn't get past the first 10 pages because it felt so bleak and depressing. I just wasn't able to understand why this book was so highly celebrated. Then two days ago my cousin was assigned Fahrenheit 451 as part of her reading project and asked for help in understanding the themes and so I decided to give it a second chance. And to my surprise I was hooked from the very first page. I loved it so much that it made me even doubt whether I read the same book the first time. Then I realised what changed was me.

I read somewhere that we project what we are feeling on to the things happening around us instead of seeing them for what they are. The same goes for reading too. While I was able to focus only on the negative undertones the first time, this time the brilliant imagery, jumped out of the pages right from the start. This is one of the most clever, brilliant and emotional books that I have ever read.

Tons and tons of in depth analysis have already been made regarding the themes of the book - from censorship of literature to the influence of mass media. There are even arguments that this novel is anti technology. But what stood out to me the most in this novel is the way Bradbury explains how reading influenced and shaped humanity.

Books are precious not because they are guaranteed sources of wisdom. They are precious because without them we might as well lock our brains in a box and throw away the key. Why do we love certain books that others hate so much? Why can't we accept certain books that are celebrated elsewhere? Because every single one of us can read the words written on a page but what we take away from them will be unique to each one of us.

This novel was published in 1953 but the world that is portrayed is so real and close to the world that we live in right now, it might as well have been published yesterday. I don't think Bradbury was anti technology but he was throwing light on the way mass media makes us crave for mindless entertainment. How many hours of our lives have we wasted away by scrolling through endless reels of other people's lives, on silly memes, being witnesses to verbal wars on redundant topics by people ranging from world leaders to total strangers, nitpicking the truths and lies hidden in the grand declarations on Instagram or Twitter or whatever other media that is vying for our attention every single second of every day!! We are all guilty of craving for that easy entertainment at the end of a long day where we don't have to expend energy on using our exhausted brain cells. One day is fine maybe. But what happens when it becomes the only thing that we can focus on? How long before we stop thinking at all?

I especially liked the chase at the end where the Mechanical Hound gloriously captured its 'victim' live in front of the glued masses. I think I witnessed something close to that on prime time news yesterday. Or was it today?!!! It's so easy to let carried along the tide when news rooms turn courtrooms and details get lost in hysteria. Why take the trouble to analyse the facts when someone conveniently tells you what to and what not to think!! But no one ever got anywhere by being a part of the mob. You exist because you think. You breathe because you know you have choices to make. You thrive because those choices came from a place of awareness and they are yours and yours only. And it is this priceless awareness that the books offers.

I'm glad I got the opportunity to give this book a second chance because if I hadn't, I would have missed so much...I would have missed the chance to truly and completely realize what reading means to me.