The year 1984 has come and gone, but George Orwell’s prophetic, nightmarish vision in 1949 of the world we were becoming is timelier than ever. 1984 is still the great modern classic of “negative utopia”—a startlingly original and haunting novel that creates an imaginary world that is completely convincing, from the first sentence to the last four words. No one can deny the novel’s hold on the imaginations of whole generations, or the power of its admonitions—a power that seems to grow, not lessen, with the passage of time.
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Excellent book! This was a reread for me, having initially read it in high school and it was amazing to think how relevant the concepts are to today. I actually listened to it this time around as an audiobook, narrated by Simon Prebble which was excellent. I would recommend it to everyone.
The author, George Orwell, was a genius at conveying terrifying, yet fascinating hypothetical scenarios that were engaging and relevant from concept to implementation. Only thing is, is that the concepts and unfolding of scenes really weren’t far off from truth and the tone remained insistent of the consequence of those truths. The characters each had a specific supportive role that helped to depict intellectual and emotional response that drove the storyline. This made for a chilling, yet sound plot that developed into fearful characteristics that come with a society that experiences corruption, deception, and ultimately dehumanization.
FAVORITE LINES:
“War is peace.
Freedom is slavery.
Ignorance is strength.”
“The best books… are those that tell you what you know already.”
“If you want to keep a secret, you must also hide it from yourself.”
“It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.”
