Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell

Nineteen Eighty-Four
George Orwell

Front cover

Date read: 14 - 21 August 2017
Length: 311 pages (347 including introductions and appendix)

Winston lives in Oceania and works for the Party in the Ministry of Truth, rewriting the past. But he doesn't like the world he lives in, with telescreens and microphones everywhere, recording his every move. He doesn't believe this world is better than before the revolution and seeks the truth. He has a secret love affair with Julia, and together they search for answers. What happens when they get caught by the Thought Police?


As a novel, I feel it's got great. There's not much character development and they seem a bit bland. You feel for them because of their circumstance, the horrible things they endure. The world they live in is not really set up, you're just sort of thrown in and have to figure things out for yourself, by following Winston about his day to day life.

That being said, it is a very political novel, and even though it was published in 1949, there are some points which are very valid in Britain today. BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING. There is no privacy in Oceania, your every move, thought, breath, is recorded by a screen or a microphone. We have a reality television series called Big Brother, which is basically the same. There's always some kind of war or conflict between counties here, the same in the novel between Oceania and Eurasia or Eastasia. Technology is advancing very quickly. We all have cameras on our phones, ready to snap and record at a moments notice. Machines are taking over our jobs, we're already being served by them in supermarkets. For a novel written so long ago, it's crazy that this is still very relevant today.

One thing I'm glad doesn't really apply is Newspeak. Yes, we use abbreviations, and some people do 'text speak' but that's shortening words, not eradicating them altogether. Our dictionary is expanding, not diminishing. If something is very good, we can use words like fantastic, great, brilliant, not plusgood. And I hope that will never change!


A novel worth reading in this political climate, but don't be too disappointed by the story. The message behind it is powerful.

WAR IS PEACE

FREEDOM IS SLAVERY

IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH.

Overall rating

Thanks,
The Wee Librocubicularist

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Harry Potter #7) by J. K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Harry Potter #7
J. K. Rowling

Front cover

Date read: 29 July - 13 August 2017
Length: 620 pages

It is no longer safe at Hogwarts and Harry, Ron, and Hermione have a mission to accomplish; they must find and destroy all of Lord Voldemort's Horcruxes. But it's not all plain sailing; Dumbledore hasn't left them much to go on and they begin to lose hope. Can they find them all, and is Harry really prepared to die at the hands of his mortal enemy?


It's been a while since I have been as invested as a series as this one. I just wish I had read it as a teen, as I think it would have made a big impression. Instead I read the first 2 as a child, then rediscovered them in my mid-twenties. Obviously pretty much everyone is aware of The Boy Who Lived, and I've seen the films. But to actually read them yourself is a different experience altogether.

Snape. Snape. Severus Snape. What a character! For Harry not to find out about the real Snape for so long, until pretty much the last moment, and for Snape to keep his intentions from Harry as well, it's quite astonishing. To think their relationship could have been completely different if it wasn't kept a secret. It's good to be able to finally understand Snape.

The deaths! Oh, the deaths! It was inevitable of course; you can't go to war without some fatalities, but it's still hard all the same. Now there's only one twin and a child without any parents. It's heartbreaking, really.


I want to read more! I will read more!

J. K. Rowling

Overall rating

Thanks,
The Wee Librocubicularist