Reviews tagging 'Abandonment'

1984 by George Orwell

31 reviews

vnfhcxksiw's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad 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

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual violence, Torture, Gaslighting, and War

Moderate: Body shaming, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Infertility, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, and Deportation

riverofhorton's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective sad tense slow-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? No

4.0

So this was actually my second read of this book, the first having been around 10 years ago. Just as I did the previous read through, I was struck by just how much of this book is relevant to our world today. This is one of the books that I will keep coming back to again and again throughout my lifetime.
The book itself is a somewhat dramatised (hopefully) version of Stalin's Russia/Nazi Germany. It has so many layers to it, and I', still not convinces I've worked out just how deep the 'Party' goes in their propaganda, gaslighting, and plotting against its own citizens.
This is an incredibly well planned out (or perhaps the word is researched) and realised world, where even the bits that are fiction could very easily be real. That, I think, is the true terror of this book: How easily society could go from even today's status, to that found in this book. Thus, Orwell's intention to have this book serve as a warning was fully realised.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Police brutality, Antisemitism, Medical content, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Stalking, Death of parent, Acephobia/Arophobia, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Outing, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, and Deportation

swimfast724's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective tense slow-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? It's complicated

4.0

I read this in high school and I'm so glad I did. It was hard to read, it was very long, and it was pretty sexually explicit. But I'm glad I read it because it opened my eyes. It fascinated me so much that it basically defined the dystopian genre I never knew existed and it's now my favorite genre. It's hard to get through the description but it's so important. Not a word is wasted.
The fact that Orwell basically predicted the future is both incredible and terrifying. We need to stop before it's too late. I have a favorite quote from Einstein that says:  "I fear the day when the technology overlaps with our humanity. The world will only have a generation of idiots and the world is doomed." This is exactly where we are as a society today.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Genocide, Sexual content, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Police brutality, Gaslighting, Colonisation, War, and Classism

Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Hate crime, Forced institutionalization, Trafficking, and Grief

Minor: Body shaming and Abandonment

castle_samj's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

2.5

I have both simultaneously and impossibly completely read this book and wholeheartedly denounced its utter existence or potential to exist. 

I think I’m disappointed. I had long expected this book to contain some more SCIENCE to its -fiction, yet mostly it dealt with drama and confusing or blurring the lines of reality. I’d wager this was more intended as a political protest and warning tragedy of the existing world governments in the 1940s than a prediction of what was to come. While a lot of the meta-content has, in fact, evolved to become true, it equally mispredicted some changes, lending to its true purpose of protest. 

I can not recommend reading this book. Read a synopsis or something, or read Part 2 Chapter 09 and nothing else. I’m not even sure if Orwell was antisemitic by making the ‘villain’ be Jewish (

there’s no good closure on the purpose of Goldstein other than to be the scapegoat for the opposition to the Party, and nothing other than hateful rhetoric toward him or his ideology

) but he doesn’t do aftercare for any of the awful things; you just get a tragedy.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Self harm, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Murder, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Colonisation, War, and Classism

Moderate: Addiction and Alcohol

Minor: Antisemitism, Grief, and Cultural appropriation

yzer2468's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Murder, and War

Moderate: Body horror and Blood

Minor: Abandonment

cowardlyteaman's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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? Yes

4.0

To be honest, I kind of feel like George Orwell gaslighted me. The first half of this book was just---bad. I didn't like it. Not in the slightest.

Winston would randomly get this urge to either rape or kill people who did nothing else but exist in his presence. It was tiring, not thought-provoking. I liked him much better in part three of the book, though! Ironically enough, maybe, but his whole character during part one and two was being a pig. That was completely out of focus during part three! Splendid.

Julia should have been removed entirely. I didn't like her in the beginning, and I didn't like her at the end. Her whole character was having sex and saying foul things. If you try too hard to make a character who's supposed to be controversial and rebellious, you end up with a character I only want to die in a pit.

O'Brien.🫶 He saved the book, to be honest. I genuinely believe that this book would have been 5 stars for me if Orwell had removed Julia and spent more time building on Winston and O'Brien's relationship instead.

All in all, I do believe that this book was worth it. I read it for history, and during the first half, I thought of this book as complete and utter bullshit. But at least I came to like it—really like it towards the end.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Confinement, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Classism

Moderate: Body horror, Child death, Fatphobia, Racism, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Xenophobia, Antisemitism, Death of parent, and Abandonment

neaaen's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad 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

3.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Sexism, Torture, Forced institutionalization, Medical trauma, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, War, and Classism

elihrus's review against another edition

dark reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Sexual content, Police brutality, and Antisemitism

Minor: Rape, Slavery, Abandonment, and Alcohol

friendly_neighborhood_grandma's review against another edition

slow-paced

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

1.0

My thoughts while reading:
-The ideas in this book are interesting but i really did not like the actual story or writing style. 

-This screams written by a man. Also disgusting towards women. 

In my opinion this is overhyped and I really dont like george orwell. 

-Yes the book is sometimes interesting but mostly it is boring and outdated. 
-This does not need to be as graphic as it is.

-This book is about how the whole world turned into a giant cult, features a spineless mc and doesnt make any sense in the interactions between people in it. The relationship with Julia didnt make sense at all and the relationship with O’brian didnt either. 

-A lot of big words and ideas but non are applicable. This is just opression and gaslighting. I just do not care! 

-This is probably the worst book I’ve ever read. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual content, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Stalking, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, and Deportation

Moderate: Body horror, Gore, Suicidal thoughts, and Mass/school shootings

Minor: Vomit

ashsparrow's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Genocide, Misogyny, Torture, Violence, Colonisation, War, and Classism

Moderate: Confinement, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Death of parent, and Abandonment