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

50 Books Challenge 2012 - # 42: Animal Farm by George Orwell

Title: Animal Farm
Author: George Orwell
Story: No writer has ever been more naked in his contempt for power, or more ruthless in his critique of those who abuse it, than the Englishman born Eric Blair, better known to the world as George Orwell. In Animal Farm he restages the hypocrisies of the Russian Revolution with the principal figures played by, of all things, farm animals. By presenting atrocities in the terms of a fairy tale, he makes them fresh, restoring to readers numbed by the 20th century’s parade of disasters a sense of shock and outrage. Paradoxically, by turning Trotsky and Lenin and their followers into pigs and horses and chickens, he reveals them as all too human.
Start: september 24th 2012
End: september 28th 2012
Comment: I always thought that this book would be too hard for me to read. I have to say, the size didn't scare me, but it is indeed not the easiest book to read. "Animal Farm" is a political satire, not something I would normally read. I'm interested in politics, but sometimes I just don't understand it. I now understand why this book is one of the most powerful books ever. It is a heart breaking allegory about the failure of organised idealogy. The way Orwell wrote this book is just amazing, strong and convincing. Like "The Wind in the Willows", the animals lead the story and they almost feel human because you can identify with them. Snowball is probably the most important character in the book. He is full of good intent, he wants to start classes for the other animals to elevate their understanding of the world. "Animal Farm" is certainly not for just anyone, but definitely a book that got me thinking. And I had something to talk about with my very intellectual brother, haha.
Rating: 5/ 5