To me, one of the most important pair of books ever written
5 stars
I don't think it's controversial to say that 1984 and Animal Farm are some of the most seminal political books ever written. What I had forgotten since the last time I read them was how absolutely wonderfully they were written.
1984 in particular is full of gorgeous, succinct imagery that really emphasises the squalour that people live in in 20th century London.
The main character is explicitly a bad person. He spends a lot of time at the beginning of the novel full of prejudice, but it becomes very clear toward the end that he is just surviving in a hostile environment.
Animal Farm is similarly well-written, however, being a novella, it leaves a lot to the imagination. The pacing is brilliant though. It goes through years on the farm without feeling like it's dragging, but again, highlighting the ever-increasing plight of the animals.
The two …
I don't think it's controversial to say that 1984 and Animal Farm are some of the most seminal political books ever written. What I had forgotten since the last time I read them was how absolutely wonderfully they were written.
1984 in particular is full of gorgeous, succinct imagery that really emphasises the squalour that people live in in 20th century London.
The main character is explicitly a bad person. He spends a lot of time at the beginning of the novel full of prejudice, but it becomes very clear toward the end that he is just surviving in a hostile environment.
Animal Farm is similarly well-written, however, being a novella, it leaves a lot to the imagination. The pacing is brilliant though. It goes through years on the farm without feeling like it's dragging, but again, highlighting the ever-increasing plight of the animals.
The two books together I think is a fantastic combination. I would recommend this to anyone interested in political science, or science-fiction.