Important for its portrayal of the mechanisms and motivations of totalitarian power

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	• Nineteen Eighty-Four George Orwell Plume, 2003 - 368 pages average customer review:based on 67 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

my first Orwell, and I'm already hooked

I think this is my favorite novel about a dystopia. So far, I have read "We", "A Handmaid's Tale", "Brave New World", "Anthem", and "A Clockwork Orange", and though I have thoroughly enjoyed quite a few of the novels that I've listed, 1984 is my absolute favorite. How is it different? The main character, Winston, if not entirely likable, is very relatable. What I like most about him is that he doesn't assume to be anything or know anything, but rather, he feels instinctively that something is wrong with how the world is set up. He is not especially intelligent (although he's not exactly stupid either) or strong-willed or moral or handsome. And as if to emphasize Winston's relatable mediocrity, Orwell gave him an exceedingly boring office job! In some novels about dystopias, the protagonist can be overly heroic (as in Anthem) or tragic (as in a Handmaid's Tale), and thus more admirable but also a lot less relatable.

Another thing that is different . . . this book gives you different perspectives. Orwell's theme of government control over language is pretty common in this genre, but because he took his thesis a little farther than merely saying that government control is bad, the book is an interesting read. He even gets a little into metaphysics. As a reader, you also get the perspectives of different characters in the book, and thus, the perspectives of both the government and of rebels. Often, books in this genre can be very straight-foward, but 1984, with its many twists, is a very worthwhile read.

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Important for its portrayal of the mechanisms and motivations of totalitarian power

Discomfiting, penetrating, imaginative, and very grey, this book deserves its fame not for elegance of prose (it is only adequately written) nor for an interesting plot (not much happens, at least as novels usually go), but for its indelible, devastating portrait of human degradation and its far-fetched-yet-just-around-the-corner description of the hows and whys of totalitarian power. If not quite a must-read, at least a dramatic, illuminating one.

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Unbelieveable

When I read this book I saw a snapshot of what is actually happening today. How ironic someone would have know this was going to happen so many years ahead of time.Excellent reading and I don't normally read fiction.

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A Book to Boggle the Mind

Imagine, for a second, that tomorrow a large Atomic War starts, and the world is divided into three states. You are under the command of a leader called "Big Brother". Constantly on government surveillance, you try to escape Big Brother's listening and viewing devices, but, of course, you can't. Nobody can really escape.

In the year 1984, bombs invade the city of London. On the Malabar Front a war starts, in another state of the world, called Eastasia. The Ministry of Truth, a government organization, broadcasts to the population via a network of telescreens. These devices, which intrude on all aspects of people's lives, are also capable of monitoring their every word and action. They form part of an immense surveillance system used by the Ministry of Love -another government organization- and its dreaded agents called Thought Police, to serve their singular goal: the elimination of "thought crime". Winston Smith is a Party worker; Part of the social party known as the Outer Party, the pity of the intrusive government. Winston works in the Records Department of the Ministry of Truth - the government organization in charge of modifying historical news for consistency. When Winston finds proof that the Party is lying, he starts off on a journey of self-questioning. In doing so, he becomes a thought-criminal. Winston begins to notice that a young Party member, Julia, is watching him. She wears the special sash of the ultra-zealous Anti Sex League and Winston fears that she is an informant. However, to his surprise, she reveals herself as a subversive, and they begin a dangerous relationship. This inspires Winston to explore deeper the difference between propaganda and reality. Ultimately, it leads him to O'Brien - a member of the Inner Party who sets Winston on the beginning of an amazing discovery.

The book 1984 is a perfect read for anyone that is willing to see the world in a whole new aspect. Not written to a specific group of people, this book can be perceived from any point of view, and from any part of a modern-day- society. One reason people should read this book is because it sees the government from a whole new perspective. The book, 1984 was published in 1949. It predicts the way that a slightly communist government, would function in the future. What I find completely surprising, is that many of the futuristic devices in the book 1948 have become true to this day. When you put a good amount of thought into it, it all becomes reality. Today the government watches our every move through computer, phone, and ever video surveillance. It's scary to think that even now, as you read this, someone could be watching you. Also, the government still hides secrets through propaganda press. Another reason why this book should be read, is because it has a large array of quotes, such as: "War is peace, Freedom is Slavery, Ignorance is Strength" (Orwell, 1949, p.27). It provides the reader with a complete set of wisdom and knowledge through its quotation and lessons. The last reason that I will share, why someone should read this book, is because it keeps your interest. Even though the book isn't exactly a fast read, it's completely addicting the entire way through. Keeping your hands off of it is an almost impossible task to accomplish. It contains the ability to keep the attention of a monkey, and yet can relate to someone with the intelligence of Einstein.

In conclusion everyone, and I mean everyone, should read this book. With its perspective of government conspiracy, relation to modern day life, knowledgeable quotes, ability to contain attention, and its intelligent relation; I am positive it will keep you, and anyone else, on the edge of their seat.

-Jonathan Lightcap

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prompt delivery

This is the first time I have ordered a book online and was a little hesitant due to time restraints. My daughter needed George Orwell's 1984 for school and being unable to find it in a local bookstore, we tried ordering it off the internet. Supposedly delivery was delayed and we began to wonder if it would get here within 10 days for her deadline. The book arrived in 3 days in new condition and saved the day!

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