zondag 31 maart 2013

50 Books Challenge 2013 - # 10: 1984 by George Orwell

Title: 1984
Author: George Orwell
Story: Winston Smith works for the Ministry of truth in London, chief city of Airstrip One. Big Brother stares out from every poster, the Thought Police uncover every act of betrayal. When Winston finds love with Julia, he discovers that life does not have to be dull and deadening, and awakens to new possibilities. Despite the police helicopters that hover and circle overhead, Winston and Julia begin to question the Party; they are drawn towards conspiracy. Yet Big Brother will not tolerate dissent - even in the mind. For those with original thoughts they invented Room 101.
Start: march 24th 2013
End: march 31st 2013
Comment: This is one of those books you just need to read. It belongs on anyones list. I read George Orwell's "Animal Farm" last year and it was fantastic, but not for everyone. It's not the easiest peace of literature, it has several layers and a great choice of words. "1984" has that too. This is Orwell's first novel and it was written amidst the anti-communist hysteria of the cold war. This is the story of how he feared the world would become run by a group of cahooting despots by 1984. The world he created was seriously scary, though very insightful. You see it all throught the eyes of Winston, which makes it all even scarier. I felt like I was in that creepy world, I was Winston. It's really easy to relate to him somehow, although this is a world you can't even imagine living in. That's the power of the story: it gets a hold on you and doesn't let you go until you close it. This book was published back in 1949, but Orwell already had certain ideas about how the world could be someday. Nowadays it's ruled by computers and all types of media. You wonder now if this book is fiction or it was a prophecy. Again, like "Animal Farm", this isn't just for anyone, but you should at least give it a try. It's such a good book. I'm glad I finaly picked it up.
Rating: 5/ 5

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