1984

Rating:
Summary: A true prophecy and warning
Review: This was a great book. I thought every scene was true and had actually happened, even though it was about how the government can control a person or people. George Orwell sounded like a true Prophet as I read this book.

Rating:
Summary: A sometimes misunderstood classic
Review: I'm rating 1984 a 10, since it's pretty apparent that the book has indeed stood the test of time to become a twentieth century classic.

But people growing up today- particularly since the fall of the Soviet bloc- may have a hard time understanding what Orwell was writing about. At the time the book was written, the Soviet show trials were still in the news, and Orwell- a lifelong socialist who still distrusted most socialists- saw in the Soviet trials what could happen to England. 1984 was then written as a warning to the British of what Orwell felt their world was coming to.

Today's readers should keep in mind that the world Orwell warned about was not a fantasy world, but aside from the techology of the Telescreen, very much a real picture of the Soviet Union of the 30s. When government officials start talking about controlling the Internet, and restricting communication between people, or wanting to hold onto everyone's encryption keys, think of 1984.

Rating:
Summary: Muy bueno
Review: de este libro me habìan hablado bastante, por lo cual me decidì a leerelo, y desde esta modesta opinion lo considero uno de los clásicos de la literatura universal.Por lo cual muy recomendable.

Rating:
Summary: 1984: our responsibility for democracy in the world
Review: Someone wrote that 1984 shows us how the world would be like if the governments obtained complete power over the populace. But HOW is this power obtained? As citizens in democratic (?) nations we have a duty to work for democracy around the world and to see to that all aspects of democracy are maintained. If we fail, the nightmare of 1984 can turn into reality. Orwell's 1984 really makes one think. The novel stays on your mind, and hopefully it will never go away. How would I react as a citizen of a totalitarian state? Would I have the guts to stand up for democracy and human rights, knowing that it could get me killed? Even if 1984 is a nightmare, small parts of it become reality every day, throughout the world. So maybe George Orwell's great novel isn't just a warning? And hey, look out for Newspeak!

Rating:
Summary: a shattering ending to a rather slow book
Review: Though I consider this book a masterpiece I personally like "Animal Farm" better. The ending of 1984 is fantastic..shocking and all around genius...but before reaching that climax, one is exposed to a long and dreary relationship that is based more on hate of their surrounding then actual love. I wish Orwill had paid just a little more attention to the characters. They could have made the book go by a little faster. then again he was a conceptual writer and never really paid much attention to his charactes. Its the message that counts not the content...and the message is a warning about big government presented by BB himself.

Rating:
Summary: A great book, makes you believe in how good a story can be
Review: "Under the spreading chestnut tree I sold you and you sold me: There lie they, and here lie we Under the spreading chestnut tree." 1984 is a powerful book about communism and one mans defiance against it. Imagine the world split up into three huge superstates which all are communist. The government controls your way of life, where you work, what you think, how to love, what your provisions will be, and everythiing in between. It is a stunning tale of passion and rebellion that ends with a BANG. A must read for anyone who loves a good story. BEWARE OF ROOM 101.

Rating:
Summary: One of the best satires of all time
Review: This is perhaps the best book I have ever read, it's basically a book that's against the government becoming too watchful over it's people, it's about how society functions in a state were there is no democracy, were there is a totalitarian government, that won't admit, and a place were "Big Brother" is always watching you, where you're deepest darkest most private fears are known by all, and used against you, most of all this book is about the evils of communism, drawing symbolism between Big Brother and one of the most tyrannical and oppresive leaders of all time, Josef Stalin, this is a great book and I recommend it for everyone to read

Rating:
Summary: A Fiction Book Come Startlingly True
Review: The book is gripping and holds the reader captive for the majority of the book. The characters tale is told intelligently and the plot has all of the litte things it takes to make a good book. However, towards the end of the book it becomes boring unless you really have the perserverence to go on. On a less technical note the book tells a story that you can see in the lay of tomorrow and it is not a good prospect. A time when propoganda is the daily news and and you love your government, dead or alive. They say that love will always find a way, and here it does. For a short time that is. The government goes even so far as to control a persons personal life, and the struggle against them is fruitless, if not gripping. Definetly a good book for everybody.

Rating:
Summary: 1984 is the definition of extreme intrusive Socialism
Review: By revealing the extreme; George Orwell, in 1984, described a chilling reality. This reality was a testimony to the extremes that a government could reach if given the license to do so. Big Brother is a microcosom for the greater socialistic atmosphere that was created in the Soviet Union of the 1940's.

Rating:
Summary: Outdated now but is it?
Review: I read 1984 when I was in High School and its still amazing how many of us remember it and refer to "big brother" in our everyday lives. After all 1984 has come and gone but has the concept of an all seeing government watching our every move? We are in a digital world we every bank transaction, movie rented,item we buy can be electronically tracked that allow others to see more of our private lives than we realize. Doesn't it ever make you wonder where all the junk mail comes from? The concept is still valid and probably more so...it would be interesting to see what the generation X'ers think.