Reviews tagging 'War'

Lord of the Flies, by William Golding

24 reviews

_a_r_u_'s review

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dark fast-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? No

2.25

I read this in one evening and oh boy. Its not bad, by any means. It’s a classic for something. But the characters, their actions and the implied message of the author haven’t aged well. At all. I hated all of the characters (except one) for the entirety of the book, and the only moment I was finally able to empathize with one its not because they have changed their ways and had a remarkable development, rather because they were in a situation of extreme danger and stress. The descriptions were ok, the plot is genuinely interesting  and it could’ve been so good if the characters and the message were different. 
The “only white english culture is the way of civilized men” message was… definitely something… the absolute BLATANT fatphobia was also something… like, at least give the kid an actual name instead of a degrading nickname name…
Again, this could’ve been good (it’s a good book! It’s enjoyable!) but it aged so poorly and has so many terrible decisions that I can’t see it having much more repercussion in the future…
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izzy_gs's review

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adventurous challenging dark tense medium-paced
  • 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

4.25

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juliafran's review against another edition

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adventurous dark reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

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sky_'s review

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adventurous challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced
  • 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

4.0

I liked this book a lot more than I thought I would. I’m someone who loves character analysis so this book was great for that. The underlying tones of war and morality add a lot of depth to what seems like a simple story. Not my favorite writing style, and in my opinion Golding did not do a good job at reminding readers how young the boys really were. Despite this it’s a real page turner that constantly leaves you thinking “there’s no way this can get any worse” but spoiler alert it does. 
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loverboy's review against another edition

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adventurous dark 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? No

3.0

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abbyycadabbyy's review against another edition

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medium-paced

1.5

 MY Rating criteria

-          5 stars: The book must be absolutely amazing and leave me thinking about the book. I also have to love the book start to finish. Loveable characters. 1,000,000% Recommend! 
 
-          4.5 stars: The book was amazing. Left me thinking about it. Loved characters. But it fell short in some ways. 100% Recommend. 
 
-          4 stars: Really good. An overall well-rounded book. Just wasn’t amazing. Likeable characters. Strong/good plot. 75% Recommend. 
 
-          3.5 stars: Fell a little short of being a really good book. Still good. Maybe a character really got on my nerves. Or there was something in the story line I just didn’t like. 65% Recommend. 
 
-          3 stars: Fell a little short of being a really good book. An alright book. Maybe a few characters really got on my nerves. Or there was stuff in the story line I just didn’t like. 50% Recommend. 
 
-          2.5 stars: The book is bad… not horrible but still bad. There was something about the book I did like something that saved it. But overall, I didn’t like the book. 25% Recommend. 
 
-          2 stars: Bad. Something big that had to do with the story I didn’t like. Something about the book I couldn’t get over. But stuff I did like. 15% Recommend. 
 
-          1.5 stars: extremely disliked the book. Didn’t like the plot. Didn’t like the characters. There was something about the book I did like. 10% Recommend. 
 
-          1 star: Absolutely hated the book. Didn’t like any characters. Hated the story. Hated everything about the book. 100% would never Recommend. STAY AWAY! 



Written review

I had to read this book for school. Now, it's probably one of the best books I have read for school. With that being said I definitely would have never picked the book if I have any say in it.

      I thought the first 7ish chapters were SO slow keep in mind there were 12 chapters. I thought the characters forming their law and order was lame, and almost wasn't need. That's where we get to why the book has such a low rating from me. The whole first 7 chapters they did nothing but play, build shelter, nominate a chief and get food. The whole book revolves around the "boys get stranding on an island and have to make a society." Then out of nowhere the book takes a huge turn. I liked the last 5 chapters. But if a book takes 7 chapters for me to like it, I really don't think it is that good. 

     This was one of the first classics I have read. I am super upset because I really did want to like it. Of course, just because I don't like one classic doesn't mean I am not going to like other ones. Maybe that was the problem I wanted so badly to like it, because it was a book people told me I should read, and I would like. It also could have been that fact that I had to read it for school. I am sure that's not why I didn't like the book.

     Maybe, when I am older or if I get more interested in the concept of the book, I could see myself giving it another try. For now, though, this is how I feel about Lord of the Flies. 
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harleighc's review against another edition

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dark reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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bethy_joy's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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lucyisabella's review

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adventurous dark 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

2.5

I read this book in high school and I remember enjoying it. However after reading it again I think it is much more enjoyable when you are studying it as you read like in a classroom setting.
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atlas_oliver's review

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dark slow-paced
  • 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

3.5

I will say that this was an extremely bold choice for required reading in a sophomore English class
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