Reviews with content warning for Fire/Fire injury - Fahrenheit 451

Context: Teenager me tried to read a Bradbury short story collection but my mind was too jittery to appreciate well written prose and I was too impatient for short stories. That is a loss I will try to make up for.

A good novel lives rent free in your mind long after it is placed back on the shelf or returned to the library. For a great novel you are happy to give it the room. Fahrenheit 451 is one of those books. Rather than glow about Mr Bradbury’s work I’d like to leave my thoughts on two things.

First; Beatty is explaining to Montag why books are not only not needed but harmful to their society. “Coloured people don’t like Little Black Sambo. Burn it. White People don’t feel good about Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Burn it.” In an afterword Mr Bradbury also writes that minorities and women play a part in censoring and banning books.

While women and minorities do add their voices to calls against books I do not think that they are the reason why books such as Little Black Sambo (LBS) are discarded. Rather, I would argue that it is the trend in books that changed. Even in the 60’s LBS was thought of as old fashioned, something your grandparents had laying around. We had Dr Seuss, and Maurice Sendak for goodness sake. Why would we want to read and look at pictures as old hat as LBC? LBC was as square as Aesop’s fables.

If women could rewrite books surely there would be a leading role for a few females in the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings for a start. Foundation doesn’t have a single female, minority, or lgbtqaa+ character as far as I recall, yet has it been rewritten? No because the majority see no need.

Second: The wall to wall televisions block out the leaves and the Seashells block out the crickets in the night. Books can open your eyes or blind you to reality. They can enhance or block you thinking for yourself just as much if you let them. The trick is to read what will enhance and to live in the real world. If I had to memorise one book to save it from the book burners it would be Fahlrenheit 451 and not the bible.

Again thank you to libraries and librarians who despite the gun bearing Redoubt continue to bring banned books to our eyes.

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savvykins's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative reflective 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

3.25

Even though the premise and the book are undoubtedly well-loved, the plot's potential was wasted by unnecessary metaphors, long monologs, and flat world-building. Don't get me wrong, the book itself was good, but it could've been great. Bradbury writes heavily and figuratively in this novel, and even as a poetry enthusiast, this book contains too much. He would go on for paragraphs about minuscule details and then explain plotholes with an out-of-place monologue. The characters lack depth and any sense of self, which may reflect the mindless society, but we don't see any new traits after Montag's eventual transition. However, the book is a classic and for the right reasons. For being written in the 50s, the story was revolutionary and still holds up to this day. Bradbury created a deep, impactful concept. I will give his credit where credit is due, his poetic writing creates more emotions and a hazy perspective for the readers. The poetry can be very heavy and almost create an uncomfortable feeling while reading because you don't really know where he's getting at until he puts a conversely very direct explanation in the form of a speech or a secret Montag's mentor, Faber, reveals. Furthermore, the end falls incredibly flat and disappointing-ending abruptly. Overall, I'd recommend reading as it does have its impacts and provides new perspectives, but I don't recommend rereading or indulging simply as a book to enjoy for the sake of it.

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nenah_elizabeth's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful reflective tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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milda_mark's review against another edition

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dark reflective tense medium-paced

3.0

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erin2802's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

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

3.75

The writing in this book had an energy to it that I haven’t read before! Almost a stream of consciousness at times, i really felt the characters emotions. Very much enjoyed, definitely can see why it’s considered a classic

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rafacolog's review against another edition

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augie_'s review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious 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? It's complicated

3.0

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hazelbynature's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring reflective tense fast-paced

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

5.0

Incredibly influential, I think many of the concepts explored in Fahrenheit 451 are now taken for granted in the public consciousness. I had a vague idea of what the book was about going into it, but there was far more to the story than I expected, and the plot surprised me despite its age.
But over and above the ideas, the dystopia Bradbury brings to life, I found the energy with which Montag’s story is conveyed is incredibly compelling. I loved the writing style, although it might not be everyone’s cup of tea.

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