Author: George Orwell
Genre: Adult, Classics, Dystopian
Publisher: Signet Classics
Pages: 328
The year 1984 has come and gone, but George Orwell's prophetic, nightmarish vision in 1949 of the world we were becoming is timelier than ever. 1984 is still the great modern classic of "negative utopia" -a startlingly original and haunting novel that creates an imaginary world that is completely convincing, from the first sentence to the last four words. No one can deny the novel's hold on the imaginations of whole generations, or the power of its admonitions -a power that seems to grow, not lessen, with the passage of time. (More from Goodreads)
This book gets a mini review from me, nothing more. Partly due to the fact that it is a very well-known classic and trying to review and/or analyze it would be rather redundant when there are better material out there for that reason, but mostly because a lazy reviewer has to ease back into reviewing books after a seven-month hiatus. Okay, mostly because I'm lazy.
This is a good book. It's not an outstanding novel as novels go, but it is a good... document. Something heavier and more factual than novels, kind of like... An essay. Yes, it is an excellent essay. In fact, if you go to the Goodreads page, you can find one of the top reviewers saying almost exactly the same thing. It is clever and rather prophetic, and this is the reason why this book continues to be relevant many years after its inception.
Although this particular copy seems small and relatively unremarkable next to most of the books on my shelves, it is a highly daunting book and feels like a giant tome in the reading. Often times I had to take a break from the heavy, morose tones of the narration. When something does happen to the main character, it picks up speed- only to fall flat again after a few pages. I took my time with this book because- as almost all classics are to me- it requires a lot of patience.
Thus, a warning: Do not read this when you need a pick-me-up; when things in your life seem rather bleak. Or do, if you feel reading about a highly realistic dystopian novel with little action perks you up and makes your predicament feel like a trifle.
Of course, in the end, you feel rather enlightened.
Your effort pays off.
Your patience is rewarded.
To what extent? That is entirely up to you.
This is the very definition of a classic book. I wish I had more time and patience for more of them.
~My Rating~
4 out of 5 stars
★★★★☆
