Rating: Summary: Good title, good writer, good book. Review: First, I'd like to comment on the title. To name a book in which fireman burn books after the temperature at which paper burns is nice. Simple, but ties in nicely. The titles of so many books seem to be so remote from the content of the book(Just a little hang up of mine, sorry). I really appreciate writers who take the time to tie everything together. Anyone can ramble for a few hundred pages and slap a ridiculously vague title on the front. Good writers actually do a little planning and thinking. Bradbruy is a good writer. The plot involves fireman who set fire to books, but to say this book is about fireman burning books is taking things a little too literally. This book is about the importance of ideas and free-thinking. The reviewers who criticize this book for being "far-fetched" or a rip off of other books such as 1984, etc., etc., are being very narrow minded. First of all, to criticize any fiction book for being far-fetched is ridiculous. If you want to read something that isn't far-fetched, read a newspaper. This is fiction. It is entirely made up for the purposes of concretizing ideas or simply for entertainment. As far as the criticism of this book as a poor imitation of other dystopian books, this book adresses completely different themes than those others. This book is concerned mainly with freedom of thought, the other books referred to are concerned primarily with political and sociological issues. This one is much more personal, and in my opinion, much more effective at making it's point precisely because of how "far-fetched" it is. I'm not even a fan of science fiction, but I really enjoyed this book. If you like good fiction and don't mind a story that actually deviates from what you already see every day, you will enjoy it too.
Rating: Summary: Collective Ignorance..... Review: How ironic that the reviews for the masterpiece Fahrenheit 451 here on Amazon.com constitute the very collective ignorance Bradbury attempts to warn his readers of. Not a clear comprehensible statement (or thought) to be found! Bottom line...if you're capable of autonomous, independent, intelligent thought then read this book. When read along with 1984 (G. Orwell) one can recognize undeniable similarities between the fictitious oppressive regimes of these novels and the factual western political regimes of the present. Oh and civil rights....what's that? That's right we've outlawed such antiquated ideologies: USA PATRIOT ACT, USA CHILD ONLINE PROTECTION ACT, USA P2P PIRACY PREVENTION ACT, USA DIGITAL MILLENIUM COPYRIGHT ACT, USA TELECOMMUNICATIONS ACT......................
Rating: Summary: An effortless copy of some masterpieces Review: I read this book after having read 1984 and Brave New World. It's far less complex in terms of language and expressions than those two, which makes its reading easy and fast. But Farenheit's story is clearly "too much" inspired by Orwell's and Huxley's work, with too obvious similarities hard not to be comparable at the same time you go through the book. An example, Farenheit's big televisions on the walls in the houses. Remember Big Brother speaking from wallscreens in 1984? On the other side, Bradbury let us know that books are synonims of "culture", and "development of thinking", which in my opinion are arbitrary statements. There can also be non educative books as there are non educative tv programmes or popcorn movies. And the story changes its course abruptly at the end. The characters that didn't die are running madly across the forests, with an ending that is hardly convincing. My advice would be not to read this book, at least if you've already read those other two...
Rating: Summary: Fahrenheit 451- Somewhat a flop Review: I didn't really care for this book. Fahrenheit 451 is not far-fetched though. I think some of the material mentioned in this book really could happen in the future if we let it. This is a fairly good book overall, but I'm rating it a 2 out of 5 stars because I was just confused. I am a freshmen in high school and my whole Literature Pre-AP class had to read Fahrenheit 451 for an assignment. Now I know what you're probably thinking, well of course it's going to be confusing for a freshmen. But, I beg to differ. This book is written good I suppose, but the story jumps around too much and certain parts come up and it is just plain confusing (i.e. Dentham's Dentifrice). Well that is about all I have to say about this novel. I'm sure if I read it over again I would enjoy it more. But I don't think this book would be much more than 2 or 3 stars.
Rating: Summary: Disturbing... Review: One of the signs of a great book, in my opinion, is that it disturbs you - twists with your emotions and never leaves you. More importantly, that it makes you think. Farenheit 451 does this and more. As I read it, it horrified me how much it applies to today's society. People are always offended about one thing, or they want you to delete that. Some people detest reading at all and are content to spend their days watching sitcoms - most of which are not funny and have no point to them whatsoever. These days, people seem to be longing for an easy, brainless, sacchrine happiness and existence. Farenheit 451 shows what happens when those people get their wish. A must-read for anybody of any age - five stars from me! If you like it, and haven't already read other books of this genre (dystopias and such) - may I also recommend 1984 by George Orwell, Anthem by Ayn Rand, and The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood.
Rating: Summary: much more relevant than you may think Review: The real purpose of burning the books is clearly explained by Montag's boss himself. Those books present opinions that might upset different social, racial, etc. groups. Look at our society where polical correctness so oftent replaces the facts, the truth, and just plain common sense. False sense of social stability achieved this way is the same fallacy that is so brilliantly explored in this book. Extremely relevant.
Rating: Summary: Feeling the Heat Review: This, I'm sad to say, was the first time I'd taken the time to read a Bradbury novel. I had no idea what I was missing! This book deserves the status of a classic, all right. It has memorable characters, vivid sentences and scenes, and holds a mirror to the errors of society. Though fifty years old, the book is surprisingly modern in its perceptions. The story follows Guy Montag, a fireman. His job is to start fires, rather than put them out. When the station receives calls about homes that harbor books, the Salamander fire engine races out with kerosene hoses to douse the residence and destroy the threatening pages. What is really under attack in Montag's world is thought, intellectualism, connection between people. The effects of TV and useless trivia, the conflict between art and entertainment, are highlighted here in the flames of Montag's burning. When Montag turns the corner, deciding to combat this world gone mad, he faces deep and long-lasting consequences. And the world will never be the same. Bradbury succeeds in writing a very personal, yet very global tale. The heat of this novel still emanates today. Pick up this book--at the risk of feeling the heat!
Rating: Summary: Fahrenheit 451... Good or Bad? Review: Hello People, I thought that Fahrenheit 451 was a good book. I wouldn't say that it was the best book in the world but it was definetly a good book and you should read it. It isn't your average book that you're used to, it's a little diffrent. Bradbury writes really well and you can follow the story, but sometimes he would just say something and you would have no clue what he's talking about. So then you have to go back and read a couple pages just to figure out whats going on. But above all I would say that it is a good book and even though it's a little diffrent, it's good to give diffrent things a try. :) Peace-out and enjoy the book!!!!!!!!!
Rating: Summary: A Rude Awakening Review: This book is by far one of my favorite books ever, along with Lord of the Flies. It starts out where Guy Montag is a happy, yet braindead fireman who seems to love his job. Which is burning houses that contain any books. Set in the future, everything seems backwards. Television seems to run their lives. No one reads. People on the street drive more than eighty miles an hour, which causes them to knock people over. And no one seems to care when someone dies. They just drive around knocking people over. Montag's wife Mildred (if memory serves) is just as braindead and likes to watch "the family" and that terrible clown show where the clown gets run over by a train in the walls, which are like giant TV screens that completely surroud her and engulf her. But Montag meets a girl who shows him the beauty of life outside their brainless conformaties. She tells him that, long ago, firemen put fires out, not started them. And he starts to wonder why there are no more porches or decks for people to sit on and talk. He wonders why there are people who love books so much that they would be willing to be burnt with their books. And he wonders what is really in the books.... So while he is reading (illegally) Mildred and her friends are sitting around watching the walls and talking about how many abortions or husbands they've had like it's nothing at all. Montag tries to get Mildred to read with him, but she thinks it's wrong and leaves. All the while, Captain Beatty, a chief at the fire station where Montag works is suspicious of Montag owning books, but he can't prove anything. Until the night Mildred leaves Montag and pulls the alarm that let's the firemen know someone has books in their house. Montag is shocked to have to burn his own house to the ground. He kills Beatty and the other two firemen with the flamethrower and runs away. The police are pursuing him but he eventually gets away, with the help of an old man who used to be a professor. In the end the city blows up. It is kind of a representation of the terrible lives the people there were living and how our society could someday end up like their's. It is a really beautiful book, science fiction at it's finest. Ray Bradbury did an amazing job with this one.
Rating: Summary: Frightening; wonderfully told story Review: Of the people I know who have read this book, roughly three-fourths of them loved it and the other fourth hated it. I would be in the former group. Fahrenheit 451 tells of a not too distant future where all books are banned, and anyone caught with even one book has it, and the rest of their belongings, burned. It describes a future where human life means next to nothing and war is not uncommon. I won't go any further into the plot, as many other reviewers already have. Ray Bradbury has a mastery of the English language that requires the book to be read slowly in order to be fully understood, but it is ultimately very rewarding. For the type of book it is, it is the perfect length. It has just enough details to keep you interested, but not too many to bog down the enjoyment. And it is paced perfectly. I've seen this book getting quite a few comparisons to Orwell's 1984. I have read both books, and I don't think they really compare. 1984 is a slower, much more detailed look into a government, while Fahrenheit 451 is faster paced and focuses on one aspect of the government of the future. I've read the book no less than four times, and enjoy it more each time. It is now one of my favorite books. It does have to be read slowly due to Bradbury's metaphorical way of writing. I consider it Bradbury's masterpiece, and while all may not agree, you should at least give it a try, taking time to absorb exactly what it is Bradbury is saying.
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