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1984 by George Orwell: A Review

A Book Review of George Orwell's '1984' by Diti Vaswani


I loved this book. 


It is not without its flaws, but it had an impact on me and generally that's all I need in a book. Yes, the main character is kind of awful, but to me he depicts a world that's just as awful. He's our window into a world that isn't perfect, it only seems right that our window should be tainted itself. 


Even with all of his flaws, I feel bad for him and in most cases I see where he's coming from. I see what he could've been in a normal world and it saddens me.


Here's my synopsis:

1984 explores a dystopian world ruled by a dictator, Big Brother and the horrifying reality of what extreme forms of surveillance and misinformation can do to a society. We follow a character called Winston who works in one of the four government ministries in Oceania and his reactions to the world. We see Winston grow slowly rebellious against the system and that's what the story is about. 


How did this book make me feel?

It made me appreciate freedom a little more. It haunts me but in a good way. If that makes any sense at all? As someone who has never known anything but freedom, 1984 is a chilling reminder that freedom is a privilege. 

At the same time, the parallels between Oceania and the world we live in today were deeply unsettling. Orwell has managed to capture the essence of a future he never saw or wanted to see. 


Now more than ever, 1984 reads more like a warning than fiction.

Yes, it's slow and has a habit of dumping information in certain sections but personally, I didn't mind. I enjoyed the way the world was built up and how sure Orwell was of what he wanted to create. It doesn't try to sugar-coat anything and I can appreciate that.

Why should you read it?

Because despite its flaws I think it added something to my understanding of the world and maybe it'll do the same for you? It remains faithful to its themes and tone. Overall, I enjoyed it and maybe you will too.

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