Arguably the Greatest book of the 20th century. (Nineteen Eighty-four - George Orwell)

Member Name: Tanglewood001

Product:	Nineteen Eighty-four - George Orwell
Date:	01/10/08 (126 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Brilliant characterisation and description, imparts valuable moral lessons.

Disadvantages: Absolutely none whatsoever.

Nineteen Eighty Four, the book that established George Orwell a literary colossus, confronts the reader with a brilliantly realised vision of a dystopian future wherein the Government is all powerful and the slightest hint of dissention will spell certain death.

The story takes place primarily in London (or, as it is known in the novel 'Airstrip One'. London is a bleak and unforgiving place. The citizens are segregated by caste. At the apex are the Inner Party, an elite class of rulers who oversee the running of society. Beneath them are the Outer Party members, the drones who run the apparatus of Government. At the bottom are the proletariat, or 'Proles', who are numerous, but who are too poor and undereducated to even bother spying on. The main protagonist, Winston Smith, an unwilling member of the 'Outer Party', lives his life masking a reservoir of loathing and resentment against 'Big Brother', the avatar of the dictatorial government. When he chances to meet a kindred spirit, he resolves to bring the monolithic 'Party' to its knees, or die trying.

Nineteen Eighty Four has inspired critical volumes longer even than itself, and is impossible for me to do justice here. I will merely list some of its many outstanding qualities. Most impressive, I think, is the clarity with which Orwell's horrific vision of the future is realised. He successfully convinces us that his imaginary London could very well become a workable reality. Orwell's understanding of human nature was nearly unrivalled in 20th century literature and he constructed the ruling mechanisms of The Party to accomodate them. For instance, he was aware of the resuscitating power of language, and so he created 'IngSoc' (more popularly known as NewSpeak), a neutered version of English which, once established, would rob the language of the slightest rhetorical power.

The book is entirely compelling from the first page to the last. It has withstood the test of time, partly as a thrilling and evocative story of one man's struggle against a massively powerful enemy, but also as a warning to remain vigilant of those who purport to act on our behalf. One can't say this of many books but of Nineteen Eighty Four it is appropriate - You cannot consider yourself well read until you've read this. I can't really recommend it any more than that.

Summary: A classic for the ages.