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Summary: The only book I ever read in high school
Review: When I was in high school, I always hated reading assignments. I never even bothered to read any of the books that I was suppose to read. But my english teacher assigned this one and I read it since the plot sounded interesting. It was really quite good. I made an 88 out of 100 on the test and my teacher was shocked since I usually made D's in her class. I ended up buying a copy of this book for myself and I still go back to it from time to time.
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Summary: Bradbury's scarily perceptive novel is a must-read
Review: This novel is, in my opinion, Bradbury's absolute best. Bradbury's excellent prose allowed some of his novels to escape the "science fiction ghetto" and surely this is one book that made the jump over the barbed wire.The plot is simple but shocking; books are dangerous to a trivial and controlling culture--therefore, burn them. Without books, there can be no memory of how things were or should be. Montag is a fireman who's job is, of course, to start fires and create bonfires of contraband books. His wife is absolutely shallow and "normal"--she watches the daily soaps on TV, which in this futuristic society are full wall-sized plasma screens. She nags Montag to earn more so she can install a fourth screen and surround the room with the escape from reality. Even some part of her, however, senses the bleakness of the world, and witlessly tries to escape in an overdose of drugs. Montag is dedicated in his work, but perhaps his investigative nature leads him into the world of the contraband book-hoarders. What drives a man to leap upon a funeral pyre of his library? A shaken Montag must find out. Bradbury sketches the frightening world of a society with non-readers and non-thinkers, dumbed down by design. What did he see in the 50's that we are just realizing today? He was not only amazingly prescient in his description of wall-sized flatscreen TV, but in the trend to a world where education, reading, and reason are being made extinct, if not downright subversive. Read this novel and marvel at Bradbury's chilling insights.
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Summary: Difficult to understand
Review: This book was read in my Sophomore English class, I liked it, but I only understood it after my teacher's explanation. I recommend this book to people who like sci-fi, because the things that I didn't get, were futuristic things from the author's imagination. Once you actually get a picture in your head of what these futuristic things look like, the book is really good, and the author makes a very good point. I only give it three stars because the author doesn't describe the unknown things better to the reader.
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Summary: Fahrenheit 451
Review: The book talked about important themes that changed my perspective on life. Guy Montag's world was nothing but bizarre rules that covered up the past. One important part of the story was the fear of change. The society was against him for his attempt to find out the truth. Killing his fellow firefighter, Beatty, caused him to see that he wanted to die. Quote: "...In the middle of the crying Montag knew it for the truth. Beatty had wanted to die. He had just stood there, not really trying to save himself, just stood there joking, needling, thought Montag, and the thought was enough to stifle his sobbing and let him pause for air." He wanted to be free, instead of being confined within rules of the ordinary.
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Summary: OK
Review: I had to read this book for school. I know it has been marked a classic, but i found it incredably boring and a overdone. I thought it was overrated. I can read trashy entertaining books, but i also read classics. I only like to read the trash, or the entertainment when i know its trash or entertainment. I found the characters in the book shallow (Like Clarisse) and under developed. It was too bland and meaningless for what people make of it. And the phoenix metaphor at the end? That was a chiche. I wouldn't say this is a bad book, i mean its fairly well written, but i found 1984, which had a similar cautionary note to it and was also a Dystopian novel much more meaningful.
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Summary: Single-sitting novel
Review: I keep coming back to science fiction written in the 50's and 60's. This novel is a perfect example of why I do this.
I've read this a few times now, and it's always a pleasure to do so. It may not be the best written, but since it was one of Bradbury's first novels, I'm prepared to be tolerant of the writing style. The ideas presented here are still fresh and relevant today, and most certainly set the ground work for many of those which followed. It's influence can be seen in King's 'Running Man'(the original Bachman book, not the screenplay), and Ira Levin's 'This Perfect Day'.
The central theme of the state imposing what the masses may/may not have access to, and that above all "ignorance is bliss", can be seen in today's society to some extent. This is undoubtedly a single-sitting novel. Whenever I pick it up to read it, I find that it's easier to read to the end than attempt to put it down and come back to it later when I'm half way through. It is easy to read, and the story flows beautifully from beginning to end. A perfect book for a wet sunday afternoon.
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Summary: Classic
Review: This is one of those books that everyone is familiar with but no one has read. At least, no one I know. I bought the book for my 12 year old brother but he was quickly bored with it. When I picked it up, however, I was amazed at how...well...amazing it is. To imagine and write about that world in the future where the characters lived, that was talent. Bradbury made it so descriptive and real, it really inspired me. And the message behind it is what makes this book a requirement for many people.
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Summary: Fahrenheit 451 Review and Summary
Review: Guy Montag, a futuristic fireman, works for the fire station where the goal is not putting out fires, but starting them. That is what they do. In this futuristic book, books are not allowed. If you are caught with books, your house will be burnt to ashes. One day on the job, Montag is sent to a woman's house to destroy it. The woman refuses to leave the house and is killed in the fire. Montag wonders what would possess a woman to do such a thing. Montag remains bothered by his event for a long time. He is unable to go on with his daily routine as he did before. After meeting with professor Faber, an old friend of Montag's, he receives a book from the professor and takes it home and begins to read. Montag quickly falls in love with the literature he is reading.
Montag's life begins to fall apart when his wife reports him to the fire department. While on duty one day Montag answers a call to his own home. He arrives just as his wife, Mildred, is leaving. With Faber's advice, Montag rebels against the society killing his ex coworkers. Montag escapes the law and finds a group of people much like himself. Together they cultivate the knowledge they have gathered over the years and await a time in which they will be able to share the knowledge.
Fahrenheit 451 is a well-written novel that invokes thoughts and questions in the reader's mind. Bradbury is a descriptive writer who paints a picture of a society that is not unrealistic or unimaginable. Written just after the era of Stalin, Fahrenheit 451 deals with oppression and an overly powerful society. Complete with futuristic technology and entertainment, Fahrenheit 451 is worth reading.
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Summary: Classic fable
Review: It'd been a couple decades since I last read this book when I picked it up again recently. It has held up well over this time span. This is a fable, a warning of an era where free thought is squashed. The world of Farenheit 451 is an unpleasant place. Although nominally a democracy, the people elect only who they are told to; war is a constant threat and the general populace is kept in a state of blissful ignorance. The only books that remain are dry manuals and rulebooks. Guy Montag, the principal character, slowly becomes aware that there is more to existence than the narrow life that he has lived. As he awakens to this new world, other cracks in the old regime become evident, most obviously with the number of suicides that are taking place. Even if this dictatorship is weakening, it is far from dead, and as Guy begins to explore the world of books and free thought, he puts his life in danger. Although written in the 1950s when television was just beginning, this novel seems to predict an era when TV has essentially replaced reading; fortunately, despite the dominance of television in today's world, books are far from out of fashion. Although not an altogether happy novel, this book is generally optimistic in that it shows how difficult it is to truly contain the human spirit. If it is not 100% realistic, it need not be; as stated before, this is a fable, and a classic in not only science fiction, but literature in general.
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Summary: Fahrenheit 451 - Pages 179
Review: Really, the story itself ends on page 165. This is a fascinating book, but it left me wanting more. You probably already know that the book is about censorship and book burning in the future, but you also see a little of the political correctness and revisionist history that led up to this future. There is not much more told about how this society evolved.
It seems pretty far-fetched, but you can also see some similarities to today... fast, loud, shallow "reality" TV; hints that the rest of the world despises an arrogant, prosperous U.S.A; and Americans that are too distracted to pay much attention to a war they know little about...
Another odd thing is that nobody is WRITING. The firemen are still tracking down stashes of old books, but there is no mention of anyone being caught writing anything new. With all the talk of how important books are, you would think some rebellious soul would want to create something new. On the other hand, characters who also happen to be writers can be such a cliché. Bradbury managed to write a book about books, and not include a single writer among the characters.
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