This is quite late, being that we’re almost done with April, and I’m just now getting around to writing about March’s classic, but…oh well? Hopefully I’ll have April’s post up before May 20th! lol

March’s Book:

Check it out on Goodreads

Originally Published: 1949

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ 1/2

Synopsis: The year 1984 has come and gone, but George Orwell’s prophetic, nightmarish vision in 1949 of the world we were becoming is timelier than ever. 1984 is still the great modern classic of “negative utopia” -a startlingly original and haunting novel that creates an imaginary world that is completely convincing, from the first sentence to the last four words. No one can deny the novel’s hold on the imaginations of whole generations, or the power of its admonitions -a power that seems to grow, not lessen, with the passage of time.

WHEN I Discovered This Classic

I don’t remember an exact time, but I’m sure I’ve known about it since at least 7th or 8th grade.

WHY I Chose To Read It

1984 is one of my sister’s absolute favorite books, so she’s been wanting me to read it for a while.  Plus, I usually enjoy dystopian novels, so I thought it was time I give it a try!

WHAT Makes It A Classic

This novel is very thought-provoking, and does an amazing job depicting a world where not only freedom of speech is banned, but even freedom of thought.

WHAT I Thought Of This Classic

I really enjoyed 1984 more than I expected to.  Classic literature is usually not my go-to genre (which is why I’m doing this challenge in the first place), and a lot of times I tend to find classics a bit dry.  This book, however, was really interesting. I had no idea how this book was going to turn out, or what was going to happen next.  It’s very well written, and it amazes me how Orwell had the government and world in this book so detailed and planned out.  The characters felt a bit flat to me, however, I’m not certain if that was intentional or not.  In a world where someone does not even truly have the ability to completely form free thought, are they even able to be a fully fleshed out individual? I’m not sure…

One particular thing in this novel really stood out to me.  In the book, Oceania is constantly at war with Eurasia or Eastasia.  Big Brother constantly switches which one they are fighting against, but acts as if they have always been fighting the same country, and yet everyone just goes along with it.  This book does a really good job of showing the dangers of conformity.  It’s a good reminder for everyone to think for themselves, and to not just go along with what someone says.

The only thing I didn’t particularly like was the ending.  It’s not that it didn’t fit with the story, but it almost felt…anticlimactic to me. I don’t want to give anything away, so I’ll just say I would have liked for the ending to have a little more.

WILL It Stay A Classic

As long as thought is still free, and people can still think for themselves, I have no doubt this book will remain a classic for a long time to come.

WHO I’d Recommend It To

I would recommend 1984 to anybody who is interested in thought-provoking literature.  This book really holds a warning that is still is just as relevant, if not more so today.  I would also recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of dystopian novels, especially those who are interested in reading more classic literature.