Nineteen Eighty Four by George Orwell

Matilda Pinto
Oct 27, 2024
3 min read

Updated: Nov 4, 2024

Woman's hand holding the book 1984 by George Orwell. The cover has an eye representing Big Brother who is always watching.

Summary:

Big Brother is watching you. Winston Smith rewrites history. It’s his job. Hidden away in the records department of the sprawling ministry of Truth, he helps the Party and the omnipresent Big Brother control the people of Oceania. But the notebook he’s begun to write in is against the rules - in fact the Thought Police could arrest him simply for having it. Despite the danger, a seed of rebellion has begun to grow in Winston’s heart - one that could have devastating consequences.

In George Orwell's final novel, 1984, he explores a dystopian future in which a totalitarian government controls the actions, thoughts and even emotions of its citizens.

About the Author:

George Orwell, which is the pen name of Eric Arthur Blair, was a British novelist, poet, essayist, and journalist. His writing is characterised by sharp social criticism, a strong opposition to all forms of totalitarianism, and a commitment to democratic socialism. Among his other notable works is the allegorical novel Animal Farm.

Tilda Rating:

4 stars - ★★★★☆

Review:

I would characterise this as a slow burn, and I do enjoy that about a book. I love to see the character’s day-to-day life where not a lot happens; they’re just going about their business. George Orwell is certainly talented at building a complex world complete with rules and history and customs. Despite the perceived slow pace, there is a definite thriller-like quality around the writing, you’re expecting there to be a twist or a discovery at every turn of the page. George Orwell’s character building is beautiful and the layers of Winston Smith’s character are so interesting to see. I would have liked to have some more details of Julia’s character, see some of her history and her thought processes. She just seemed to sleep a lot. However I can understand why Orwell made the decision to keep her more a mystery, as it emphasised the isolation of the people in the book. Never being able to truly know someone when you’re not able to speak freely.

There were some long parts of the book where Winston is reading about the political ideology of The Party. I found these very long and honestly skipped over a lot of it. It did lull you into a false sense of security in the narrative, and it made the bursts of action much more shocking. They also really show the thought and development that went into the creation of The Party, and George Orwell’s views on the world (and the future of the world). I understand their purpose, but I still didn’t enjoy reading those parts. I don’t think it took away from the story to skip over most of them.

I appreciated the flawed protagonist. I have been in a bit of a dystopian book craze recently, and I am always in disbelief about strong protagonists who fearlessly oppose the state of their world. I struggle a little with that kind of protagonist as I know I would be the complete opposite. I would be following the rules and keeping my head down. As much as I’d love to be a Katniss Everdeen, I know that I would be more likely to silently accept things to keep myself safe.

I was scared by some of the parallels to the world that we live in. The bending or sometimes erasure of the truth of the world in the news is something that happens every day. And that’s something that appears in a dystopian novel about a totalitarian society. It made me very thoughtful but also helpless.

Despite this, overall I really enjoyed reading this book, I enjoyed the pace and the detail of the world. If you’re in a banned books or dystopian phase, I would recommend that this is moved close to the top of your list. Obviously it’s iconic, and rightly so.

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