Scan barcode
A review by mymiddlename123
1984 by George Orwell
3.0
3.5 stars
So this year I've decided to challenge myself to reading at least one classic a month. I tend to have a hard time getting into the classics, but I also feel like every avid reader should read certain books at least once in their life. So, 1984 was my classic for January.
There were a lot of moments, while reading this book, that I absolutely received chills down my spine because of the fact that this book could not only apply to the past, but to the present, and I have no doubt to the future. Although it was written in 1949, the political struggles and views that it portrays are timeless. There are things that are going on in the dystopian view in 1984 that are happening at this very moment, in smaller degrees, in America, and I'm sure other countries right now. This isn't to say that our time is special, because these types of things were happening in 1949, the years between then and 2011, and today as well. Which is why I say it's messages are timeless.
Now, I will say that it's totally fiction. I know that some people take the views in this book and apply them to our real political system and where it's heading. But, frankly, I don't believe our real life in America will ever get to that point. However, it is scary to read how the freedoms were taken gradually so as the "proles" (citizens) didn't even realize they were losing them. That's the kind of thing that gives me chills, because it's happening. I'm not big into politics so I really don't want a political discussion, but I do have an idea of what's going on and I get a mouthful of it on a daily basis from my hubby who is big into his political views.
But, moving on from the politics, I thought this book was pretty good. I gave it 3 stars (or 3.5 in my mind) because large parts of the book are really long-winded. Because a huge portion of the book takes place in Winston's mind and are his thoughts and inner-workings, there isn't much dialog. I think this makes the story itself seem a bit dry and at times hard to get through.
However, if you can get past some of the dryness and the really super-ridiculously long paragraphs, then there is an amazing story there. I found it so interesting that in this world everything is so distorted (hence being dystopia fiction), but the people in this world, for the most part, are content (to an certain extent). They have no clue how wrong everything that's happening is and how brain-washed they are. It was quite eery and disturbing to think that it could be easy to fall into the category of being brain-washed without even knowing it.
On a lighter note, I thought Newspeak was kind of fun. The idea behind it is also rather disturbing, but I still found myself starting to think like that -- placing "un" in front of words and saying things like "gooder". lol
Overall, I was quite surprised by how much I enjoyed the book. I thought it was dry and took some concentrating to get through sometimes, but the story, the messages, and the overall feeling of being unable to escape this horrible lifestyle was a thrill to read, and I'm glad I did so.
So this year I've decided to challenge myself to reading at least one classic a month. I tend to have a hard time getting into the classics, but I also feel like every avid reader should read certain books at least once in their life. So, 1984 was my classic for January.
There were a lot of moments, while reading this book, that I absolutely received chills down my spine because of the fact that this book could not only apply to the past, but to the present, and I have no doubt to the future. Although it was written in 1949, the political struggles and views that it portrays are timeless. There are things that are going on in the dystopian view in 1984 that are happening at this very moment, in smaller degrees, in America, and I'm sure other countries right now. This isn't to say that our time is special, because these types of things were happening in 1949, the years between then and 2011, and today as well. Which is why I say it's messages are timeless.
Now, I will say that it's totally fiction. I know that some people take the views in this book and apply them to our real political system and where it's heading. But, frankly, I don't believe our real life in America will ever get to that point. However, it is scary to read how the freedoms were taken gradually so as the "proles" (citizens) didn't even realize they were losing them. That's the kind of thing that gives me chills, because it's happening. I'm not big into politics so I really don't want a political discussion, but I do have an idea of what's going on and I get a mouthful of it on a daily basis from my hubby who is big into his political views.
But, moving on from the politics, I thought this book was pretty good. I gave it 3 stars (or 3.5 in my mind) because large parts of the book are really long-winded. Because a huge portion of the book takes place in Winston's mind and are his thoughts and inner-workings, there isn't much dialog. I think this makes the story itself seem a bit dry and at times hard to get through.
However, if you can get past some of the dryness and the really super-ridiculously long paragraphs, then there is an amazing story there. I found it so interesting that in this world everything is so distorted (hence being dystopia fiction), but the people in this world, for the most part, are content (to an certain extent). They have no clue how wrong everything that's happening is and how brain-washed they are. It was quite eery and disturbing to think that it could be easy to fall into the category of being brain-washed without even knowing it.
On a lighter note, I thought Newspeak was kind of fun. The idea behind it is also rather disturbing, but I still found myself starting to think like that -- placing "un" in front of words and saying things like "gooder". lol
Overall, I was quite surprised by how much I enjoyed the book. I thought it was dry and took some concentrating to get through sometimes, but the story, the messages, and the overall feeling of being unable to escape this horrible lifestyle was a thrill to read, and I'm glad I did so.