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Summary: Read it again and again!
Review: This is my favorite book of all time! Everything about it is great!
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Summary: The Classic that will always satisfy...
Review: This book is so straight on that I believe it will never die. I think that Jerry Furland, author of Transfer - the end of the beginning, is possiby George Orwell re-incarnated. I would like to know more about both of these authors.
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Summary: We shall squeeze you empty, and then we shall fill you
Review: with ourselves ....... 1984 is an epic of living terror. Of the haunting spectre of communism that has gone paranoid. The central character Winston is a mechanised survivor in this regime where everything is according to the wishes of "Big Brother" . Winston becomes a rebel to retain his last shred of humanity . He meets Julia who is a rebel (but only from the waist down as Winston remarks) and is well aware of the prevalent hypocrisy and fear.They are unmasked by the thought Police who watch your every move thro hidden telescreens. Winston is arrested and subsequently his reformation begins. He must love BIG BROTHER.... 1984 is a singular in its portrayal of the helplessness of an individual and his acceptance of the sham of BIG BROTHER.Orwell was a genius way ahead of his time and every word of this book proves that fact.
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Summary: Good if you stick with it
Review: At the mention of 1984, critics will prostrate worshipping Orwell's mastery of metaphors, readers will rejoice at his clarity, and soothsayer's will marvel at his prescience. 1984 has even spawned new english words like "doublethink" and "newspeak". And along with capri pants, it seems in fashion to like 1984. This praise is not meritless and Orwell did indite a great book; however, it didn't grab me the way other books have. For me a good beginning makes me stick with a book, and this is something 1984 lacks. The beginning is ponderous and confusing, and I debated giving up on the book numerous times, but I remembered all the adulatory reviews and decided to stick with it. I am glad I did because the story picks up and still maintains its themes. The beginning did tarnish my view of 1984 a little though and I was still cynical of the praise it receive; after my cynicism disperesed I realized the book did deserve the praise--if the reader can bear the beginning.
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Summary: A Determined Society
Review: I will have you imagine something. But it can only be what I tell you to imagine. You cannot wonder off. You can think of nothing else. Your past, your present, your future. All irrelevant from now on. You will be told your function. This function, of course, has nothing to do with you. For there is no 'you' from my saying so. There is the State, but nothing else. Liberty? I don't know that term, do you? And you can forget abotu God, since God does not exist. You are part of a whole, which is the State. But you are, and never were, a whole unto yourself.... Forgive me: my creativity is lacking. On the other hand, I hope you get the point. I am trying to give you a picture of what a totalitarian society is. For Orwell, this was Communism. The protagonist of the book is named Winston-an obvious reference to Churchill. In 1984, everyone dresses the same. There are no such things as churches or pornography. A person's home is 'watched' by what they call 'Big Brother," whose face is on a monitor in every house and every building. Presumably, Big Brother is watching to make sure you are not eating too much or having sex. He can see you, presumably, as you walk down the street. The idea of democracy is vacant in 1984. The word 'democracy' is not even among the dictionaries anymore. It has been stricken, and the people brainwashed so as not to remember there being democracy. History, as it were, is no more. History is being re-written. Thus, a child growing up in 1984 will be told that society has been the same for the past 1,000 years. In 1984, personal liberty is gone. You are told what to say, what to think, what to do. Any slight deviance of this is punishable by death, beating, and so on. Even the children are made to watch their parents. Religion has no role among these people. Literature, as well, is not there. Neither is free speech. This book was well put together. The details of this communism are enough to scare the reader. The movie, too, is good. It helps us not to take our free society for granted. Even though the people of 1984 have nothing to compare their horror to, they still feel an emptiness (that is, when they are conscious). It may sound radical, but it is very realistic. Who knows? Maybe the world will become like this one day. If this is so, Orwell is a kind of prophet.
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Summary: A different time, a complete opposite of a utopia
Review: The story is of 1984, a completely different sight than what we remember 1984 to be. "Big Brother is watching," and you can't talk bad against the Party, which controls everything. Life isn't interesting in this time. People disappear because they go up against the Party or even just thinking about it gets you in trouble. It was interesting and kept me reading just to find out what would happen revolting against the Party. It's a book that may drag for a while but a definite read till the end.
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Summary: Wish I could give it more!
Review: In this gripping, horrifying novel, Winston Smith (a citizen of totalitarian Oceania) dares to be defiant in private, against Big Brother, against the Upper Class, against everything. Along side his forbidden love Julia Winston works toward his goal of destroying Big Brother. He doesn't realize no one can end the reign of Big Brother. A terrifying gaze into the life of citizens in a totalitarian communist government, 1984 deserves all the hype and praise it gets. In the words of Winston Smith, "DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER!"
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Summary: Orwell is a genius!
Review: There are many reviews for this book, so I will not say what has been said so many times before. One thing I have to add though; This is a deeply disturbing book, though not in a bad way. NOT a book for small children. In my opinion, anyone who isn't disturbed even a little by the ending did not fully understand the story.
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Summary: 1984- awesome book
Review: From cover to cover 1984 captivates the reader with its insightful, intriguing, and disturbing look at human nature. Winston, the hero of the novel, lives in a totalitarian government that has control over every aspect of his life. The government has made privacy obsolete and love a sin; therefore, making life for many people unlivable. But with the slogan "Big Brother Is Watching You" reigning over every wall and building, many people are far to afraid to speak out against this so called "perfect" government, in fears of loosing their life. Winston however, feels that as long as he is living under the rule on INGSOC (the official name of the government) he might as well be dead. So he looses his fears and slowly takes action against INGSOC. He falls in love and for the first time in his life he is truly happy. But everything that he is doing is against the law. The government views love as something that is dangerous to the party; therefore it must be destroyed. Ultimately the government turns out to be far more complex and powerful than anyone imagined. I am assuming that many people are reading this before they have actually read 1984. I will not reveal more because I do not want to ruin the plot for you. AlI can say is that it has a surprise ending that you would have never expected. 1984 was written by George Orwell in 1949, yet its theme and ideas still holds true in many ways to today's world. That is one, out of many reasons, as to why 1984 will forever be a classic. Set in 1984, Orwell's depiction, of what was then considered the future, is both horrific and in some ways accurate to the governments of today. There is great deal of symbolism in this novel. I believe that Orwell's intention, as Goldings had been in Lord of the Flies, was to reveal the evil that drives people and to show how that evil is apparent even in today's modern societies. Orwell worded this book so eloquently that it is easy for almost anyone to pick up the symbolism. 1984 was so eye opening for me, that after I read it I walked morbidly around the house just thinking about what ultimately happened to Winston. This book pulls everyone in because it has all the elements - drama, action, suspense, and romance. I only recommend this book to people that are at least in 6 grade. The reading isn't challenging, it is just the actual concepts about the goal of governments and human spirit that might be confusing. If you are the type of person that likes to get absorbed in a book, not just have a quick read, then this is the book for you. If you enjoy books such as Fahrenheit 451, Brave New World, or The Giver, then 1984 will undoubtedly become a favorite.
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Summary: A must read for your children if you've already read it.
Review: More chilling now than when I first read it over 25 years ago. Not necessarily because of increased understanding but because of increased intrusion by the state. I am nagged by the realization that had Orwell lived longer, his work would have been closer to current events than fiction.
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