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Title: 1984

Author: George Orwell

Publisher: New American Library

Year: 1948

My Rating: 4.5/5

Winston Smith lives in Oceania, a place where Big Brother and the Party rule. Anything the Party says is true, even if it was not so in the past. While Winston attempts to hide his knowledge of the party's corruption, he hopes for a rebellion and hopes for the rise of the rumored conspiracy group: the Brotherhood.

As someone who doesn't read many classics, it took me a while to get through this book, but it was nice to find a story that interested me. I found parts of it to be repetitive, most likely because of the need to describe Oceania's society to the reader. There were also multiple times were I thought Orwell was taking a while to get to a point. He would write five or so pages on an idea that could be understood on one.

Besides the occasional drawn out explanations, I really did love this book. 1984 is divided into three parts, and as I progressed through each part, the story seemed to pick up more and more. Though I would get bored at times, Orwell would suddenly throw in a twist that would spike my interest and keep me reading. By the third book I was completely invested and wanted the story to keep going.

As for the characters, I absolutely loved Winston. He's just a middle-aged single guy trying to get by in a party-centered society. As the reader, I was constantly in his mind and grew to learn how he thought and felt. This became hard, especially at the end. I felt so much for Winston, and I just wanted him to be happy! There is also a love interest in the book, Julie. I didn't like her so much, mostly because of her young mind compared to Winston knowledgable, aged mind. She had much simpler thoughts about the party than Winston and it turned my off from her.

The writing is amazing. Orwell's description of the setting and the society gives ground for the reader. I especially loved the time he put into Winston's character. I was able to feel every emotion and experience that he faced. It's hard to explain it without giving an example. Here is my favorite quote:

I recommend this book to any one who is interested in dystopian societies and classics.