After all this time, I don't remember much, but it was interesting to see which pop culture phenomena the author chose to include in the book
I enjoyed the writing, especially the way the author describes the setting of a bleak town, adjacent forest, and the defunct chemical plant which has poisoned both. He still finds beauty in nature, and even the industrial ruins – even in death. The book has hints of mystery, crime, and horror, but it’s none of those really. We mostly follow a fourteen-year-old boy and his disaffected friends, as they have perfunctory sex and commit various acts of cruelty and violence. A growing element of mysticism comes in which sadly doesn’t help things. Didn’t work for me as a whole.
Reading 1984 by George Orwell is an enlightening act of masochism.
Through Winston Smith's grim experiences in his dystopian world, Orwell offers more than a warning about the future. The Party dehumanizes the novel's population by promoting values that our society often embraces willingly. This realization is jarring.
Some of the Party's doctrines enforced on the masses include ignorance, rejection of rationality, and impoverishment of language. Ironically, as Orwell says, the masses "can be granted intellectual liberty because they have no intellect."
Winston attempts to resist the oppressive, controlling structure by embracing simple human values, such as loving someone and acknowledging reality. He does so with the full knowledge that his actions will lead to pain and demise, and that the power of the all-knowing Big Brother is immense.
Orwell's depiction of this world is magnificent. Despite being published in 1940, the language is modern, reinforcing the perception that it is a contemporary story. Some of the scientific ideas, such as shaping the cognitive abilities of the population by simplifying and redefining language, are relevant today in the concept of "linguistic determinism." This concept appears in other science fiction works, such as Ted Chiang's "Story of Your Life," though in that case, the effect on people is positive.
1984 is an eye-opening punch in the gut, and it needs to be read.
it’s very repetitive, there’s no real plot or climax. I like the writing
This book is the pinnacle of high school drama. Carter is unredeemable and predatory, while Zoey is absent-minded, which I feel is why the story is so long. Like anyone with Stockholm syndrome, she believes her feelings for him were her choice. I wish I had DNF’d this book sooner, but unfortunately, I read it all.
I have come back to actually write a review, something I do not normally do. The first book was in print, the next two, and probably the rest, will be audio. The stories in and of themselves are enjoyable, the low rating is due to the classification of "Historical Fiction." The history part is just not very good, if the setting was an "alternate earth," I would rate it higher. I am only through the 3rd book, if my opinion changes I will come back and update.
this was a fun read, although unrealistic, however i think that's just a theme of all ana huang's books. i still had a fun time reading it, it was actually better than i thought it was going to be, especially since one of the main characters barely speaks, so that was a cool. and honestly, the cat was both the best part of the book, and the thing that broke the story for me lol. still would recommend as a fun, not serious read.
Plot was predictable and the characters were generic
