A review by sinaprst
Animal Farm by George Orwell

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

4.75

Sure, the story is quite obvious for anyone who hasn`t lived under a rock for the past 200 years. The paralles to the Soviet Union are basically slapped into your face. But that doesn`t have to be a bad thing and it definitely doesn`t mean that this isn`t genius nonetheless.
It is so interesting to see the animals derail further and further from their communist ideals to a totalitarian regime that is no better if not worse compared to their situation before. The society they have in the end in no way resembles what they wanted in the beginning and is as communist as I am straight.
I especially liked the way that Orwell showed the effect that the propaganda and gaslighting had on the animals and how they slowly but surely turned into conforming slaves who couldn`t and mustn`t speak their mind. They were totally depended on what the pigs told them and the pigs obviously told them whatever suited their current agenda best.
The pigs unashamed twisted and turned rules, facts and even the other animals memory so much it made me wonder how anyone who behaves like this gets to sleep peacefully at night. I got like second-hand guilt from this. They turned more and more into what they were so heavily against in the beginning.   
until they in the end literally turn into their biggest enemy
 
It is such a great allegory for how lust for power and corruption destroys even the purest of ideals and how propaganda has been working and is still working in totalitarian countries. IMO this should be required reading in school. It`s brilliant.
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