1984 Nineteen Eighty-Four: Amazon.co.uk: George Orwell: Books

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30 Reviews

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4.9 out of 5 stars (30 customer reviews)

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13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A sign of things to come?, 7 Oct 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: 1984 Nineteen Eighty-Four (School & Library Binding)

The book at first appears to be a sick fantasy of a world gone mad, until you read a little deeper and realise that it is actually potentially our world some time in the future - only the names have been changed.
The world that Orwell describes is constantly at war, although the people never really know who is the enemy. They are in a constant state of high alert, and therefore the people have given up all their rights to privacy - Big Brother watches them at all times through their television screens, searching for potential resistance within the population.
The main character, Winston, appears to be an anomoly in the system. He thinks that he is alone in his secret hatred of Big Brother until he meets and falls in love with Julia, and together they attempt to join the resistance in order to bring about the down fall of Big Brother.
Orwell creates tension and suspense from the first page and is relentless throughout.

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18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You love Big Brother, don't you?, 24 Feb 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: 1984 (Library Binding)

This is the book I wanted to study in English Lit at school, but I was palmed off with the cloying sentimentality of 'To the Lighthouse' instead. 1984 is a powerful claustrophobic novel that evokes an impression of a post war, brown-grey, totalitarian Britain where a national state of emergency is maintained to preserve the status quo. Everything about this book is original for its time, from the use of Newspeak, to the overwhelming sense of paranoia and fear that infects every thought and movement of the central characters, to the chilling reminder of just how frail the human spirit really is. 1984 can only be judged as a ground breaking literary event. Whether Orwell was writing to warn of the 'horrors' of communism, or the austerity of post war Britain is irrelevant. What he has single handedly achieved is to define the very essence of dystopian fiction. The date 1984 has become a brand term of description for mind control, totalitarianism and the police state. At the time Orwell wrote this, no piece of fiction had been as brutal or as terrifying in its portrayal of ideas and the determination with which a ruling body could obliterate them. It is hard to imagine the effect his novel could have had on its readers at the tail end of the 1940s. The book opened my eyes to a lot of things. I just wish the book had done so when I was 14.

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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Indescribably good, 22 Feb 2004

By	Karen Ashe - See all my reviews

This review is from: 1984 Nineteen Eighty-Four (School & Library Binding)

"1984" comes from the mind of a genius. I had something against Orwell after reading "Animal Farm" years ago and not enjoying it, but after being encouraged to give "1984" a chance, I somewhat reluctantly gave in.

I am extremely glad that I did so; the book is an excellent essay in politics, (extreme) oppression, romance and linguistics all in one! It serves as a timely warning to humanity. OK, so it's unlikely anything quite so dramatic could occur, but it demonstrates the dangers of dictatorship. It encourages us to be careful who we let into political office.

Orwell also spends the final part of the book exploring how far ethics will go in 'curing' people of social ills. This reminded me considerably of Burgess's "A Clockwork Orange" (though of course that was written much later than "1984"). Both books provide a very interesting take on this, asking where the government should draw the line between right and wrong.

In my humble opinion, "1984" is very much a must-read for anyone interested in the future (or lack thereof) of democracy and freedom.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Deviates corrected for their own good
In a society that has eliminated many imbalances, surplus goods, and even class struggle, there are bound to be deviates; Winston Smith is one of those. Read more

Published 11 months ago by bernie

5.0 out of 5 stars Deus ex machina ...."The Brotherhood"
A Message from the Brotherhood to YOU

1984 reveals why an elite would want to subjugate its own middle and lower classes, and how that goal might be attained so as to remain a... Read more

Published on 9 Oct 2004

5.0 out of 5 stars A True Classic
Reading this book many years ago and again recently I found how scarily true the world of orwell is becoming.
The first time i read this book i could not put it down! Read more

Published on 16 Sep 2004 by theninesuns

4.0 out of 5 stars Thought provoking
I don't quite know what to make of this book.I read it as it was number 1 on the BBC Big Read Top 100 books, plus it's one of those books which you think everybody else has read... Read more

Published on 25 Aug 2004 by H. Dennison

5.0 out of 5 stars How far are we away from this?
"1984" is a disturbing book on many levels. Not only does it paint a picture of a society where the state has total control over the individual; it also makes you wonder how close... Read more

Published on 17 Mar 2004 by Alistair Duncan

5.0 out of 5 stars The scariest book I've ever read
This book starts with one of the most striking first lines of all time but is not the most accessible book you'll ever read.
Persevere, though. Read more

Published on 5 Mar 2004 by me

5.0 out of 5 stars Stange...
This is quite possibly the starngest book I ahve ever read. I read it because it's one of those books your supposed to have read, never realising how many of our modern day... Read more

Published on 17 Feb 2004 by Heather Duncan

3.0 out of 5 stars Be honest with yourself now. This is not well written
I had to read nineteen-eighty four to find out where the concept of Big Brother came from and now, after reading 1984, I know. Read more

Published on 12 Feb 2004 by Mr. P. W. Stirups

5.0 out of 5 stars Has the warning came to late?
1984 is George Orwell's frightening view of the (inevitable) future.
In 1984 George Orwell describes a society ruled by a figure (who may or may not exist) called Big... Read more

Published on 20 Jan 2004 by William

5.0 out of 5 stars Dark gripping fiction.
I couldn't put this book down. It's surprisingly easy to read and draws you in so deeply you'll not escape. Read more

Published on 28 Dec 2003 by andy@savagescape.com

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1984 Nineteen Eighty-Four (Mass Market Paperback)

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