Reviews with content warning for Slavery - Animal Farm

I didn’t always love reading it, but I’m glad I read it because of all that it made me think about and its impact on culture. Truly an educational novella.

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grereads's review against another edition

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challenging reflective slow-paced

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

3.25

The story itself was interesting and a good metaphor. That being said, Orwell's simple style really didn't do it for me. I know it's a choice motivated by the desire for everyone to be able to comprehend his works, but I like books with more beautiful complex writing. It took me so long to finish this because it just felt too boring at times. No other complaints.0

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quotablehedgehog's review against another edition

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dark informative reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.5

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kirsten_shergold's review against another edition

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dark reflective fast-paced

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

5.0

I am not someone who belives reading classics makes you any better than anyone else, But I do belive there is a clasic out there for everyone.

I have had this book on my TBR for so long and have been putting it off because it is a classic. But if I could give this book 6 stars I would.

I think reading this 70 years after it was originally published gives us a lot more insight into the time that 'animal farm' was being written.

The continuos theme of things secretly changing, the main one being the 7 comanments going from things like - no animal may drink to no animal may drink in excess

'No animal in England knows the meaning of happiness or leisure'

'All the habits of Man are evil.'

'THE SEVEN COMMANDMENTS 1. Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy. 2. Whatever goes upon four legs, or has wings, is a friend. 3. No animal shall wear clothes. 4. No animal shall sleep in a bed. 5. No animal shall drink alcohol. 6. No animal shall kill any other animal. 7. All animals are equal.'

'ALL ANIMALS ARE EQUAL BUT SOME ANIMALS ARE MORE EQUAL THAN OTHERS'

Content Warnings

mossbird's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad fast-paced

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

5.0

To say this is one of the most depressing works of fiction I've read in the past year would not be an understatement.

Orwell, in enrapturing detail, documents through an allegorical lens the repeated cycle of capitalism, dictatorship, and just how easily people (or in this book, animals) are manipulated by language. Reading this book made me viscerally angry at points and heartbreakingly sad at others. To see the cycle laid out so plainly forces the reader to acknowledge the presence and repetition that continuously plagues political landscapes. In a mere 96 pages (of the edition I read), Orwell highlights with haunting clarity how easily political dogma can be transformed into propaganda, especially over the course of time.

This novella left me horrified at moments with how many of the pigs' atrocious actions I found myself relating to our current sociopolitical climate. While written as an allegory for the Soviet Union, Orwell's work now highlights the atrocities committed by current governments and world leaders in a very blunt way. Yet, even as the book reaches its final pages, we see that this "accord" between the men and the pigs is strictly surface level with Orwell alluding to the start of the Cold War as both leaders play an ace of spades simultaneously.

Content Warnings