Emily (Books with Emily Fox on Youtube)'s Reviews > 1984

I had the same! The whole manifesto thing was boring and tbh it made me dread continuing reading :/

Sara wrote: "I had the same! The whole manifesto thing was boring and tbh it made me dread continuing reading :/"

Exactly what I found boring :S

I know the comparison gets old real quick, but i personally liked Brave New World so much more. It's hauntingly accurate about how people interact with one another, and the science in that book (way ahead of it's time when Huxley wrote the book) is also freaking accurate. I think Orwell just gets a lot of hype because he wrote so many dystopian novels. And come on... who wasn't forced to read Animal Farm in High School??

I'm halfway through it, is it worth finishing? I don't like not finishing a book. But now I'm dreading the second half!

Elise wrote: "I'm halfway through it, is it worth finishing? I don't like not finishing a book. But now I'm dreading the second half!"

I liked what happened after that but not the ending!

Some books like this I have to try to imagine how it would be to read back when it was originally published. We are now so accustomed to seeing books about dystopias but this was one of the first books of that sort. My guess it would be groundbreaking to read at the time and I do think the concept of doublespeak is lasting. People reference it now when politicians talk using terms similar to the language of 1984.

Felt the same way about Brave New World but as I was reading I kept thinking what would have been reading it when it was published and understand why it's a classic... I'm planning on reading 1984 eventually and maybe I'll enjoy it more.

same! I love the plot and of course this is the mother of all dystopian novels but the bits from Goldstein's book were unbearably boring and repetitive.

The only part I hated was the relationship between Julia and Wisnton. Julia rubs me the wrong way in every aspect. I hated her personality, her love you note thrown out of nowhere. I didnt feel that I understand her motives in depth nor her interests. She was just there. I was waitign for a female power kind of girl. I got nothing. Other than that, everything else was impeccably written and described.

Emily wrote: "Sara wrote: "I had the same! The whole manifesto thing was boring and tbh it made me dread continuing reading :/"

Exactly what I found boring :S"

I didn't appreciate the significance of the appendix either when I first read it but someone online (I wish I could remember where) highlighted for me the fact that it's actually part of the narrative itself. Because the essay isn't just written by Orwell; it's an essay by someone in the world of 1984 that explicitly refers to Ingsoc and Newspeak as past phenomena. And what this does then is invert the brutally pessimistic ending of the main narrative; because the dystopia of 1984 clearly collapses. In fact, rereading the essay, it states (Indirectly) at the end that Ingsoc is already "history" by the year 2010. So actually the ending is one of the book's most impressive parts; it's so subtle and easily overlooked in the wake of the main narrative's conclusion (Winston succumbing to a "love" for Big Brother is such an emphatic statement of despair) but once you appreciate its significance, the appendix becomes quite emotionally affecting. I'd highly recommend rereading it from this perspective; and if you like I'd be happy to send you a link to the appendix.

Kilani wrote: "The only part I hated was the relationship between Julia and Wisnton. Julia rubs me the wrong way in every aspect. I hated her personality, her love you note thrown out of nowhere. I didnt feel tha..."

She was an agent for Ingsoc. She formed a relationship with Winston so the party could assess him. Also, Mr. Charrington's antique shop was run by the government for the express purpose of trapping dissidents; which is why Winston was surreptitiously manoeuvred into renting a room there for his trysts with Julia.

Definitely

Yeah, but I bet you’re glad you read it no?

I feel the same. But glad I finished it either way!

If you liked 1984 or Brave New World, and especially if you didn't, I suggest you read my new book Antunites Unite, inspired by these classics. Many reviewers have noted how it reminded them of the earlier books, but was more fun. It's written for modern audiences with much more action (with an espionage plot) and has a positive ending. There is even a femme fatale revenge scene and an enemies-to-lovers romance.

My feeling summed up.

Reads totally different when you're from a totalitarian country

It was totally boring and uninspired. I hated this book and wish I'd never tried. I am an avid reader and thought I would enjoy it. In the end, I hated it.

Finally, another 1984 hater. Boring and uninspired sums it up for me as well. I wanted to love it and to understand the hype, but I just found it to be garbage. It’s quite the controversial unpopular opinion fyi lol
Just as a forewarning before saying too much about how loathsome it is in certain company. Some people are genuinely offended when others don’t like 1984. It’s definitely a weird reaction. Like, you’d think they wrote it themself and sacrificed their own grandma to do it.

Didn’t you thought that was very misogynistic? I’m hating the part that she do the makeup and he thought that she can be beautiful 🤮