1984

By George Orwell

Book Overview

75th ANNIVERSARY EDITION

"Orwell saw, to his credit, that the act of falsifying reality is only secondarily a way of changing perceptions. It is, above all, a way of asserting power."--The New Yorker

In 1984, London is a grim city in the totalitarian state of Oceania where Big Brother is always watching you and the Thought Police can practically read your mind. Winston Smith is a man in grave danger for the simple reason that his memory still functions. Drawn into a forbidden love affair, Winston finds the courage to join a secret revolutionary organization called The Brotherhood, dedicated to the destruction of the Party. Together with his beloved Julia, he hazards his life in a deadly match against the powers that be.

Lionel Trilling said of Orwell's masterpiece "1984 is a profound, terrifying, and wholly fascinating book. It is a fantasy of the political future, and like any such fantasy, serves its author as a magnifying device for an examination of the present." Though the year 1984 now exists in the past, Orwell's dystopian classic remains an urgent call for the individual willing to speak truth to power.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1328869334
• ISBN13: 9781328869333
• Release Date: April 2017
• Publisher: Mariner Books Classics
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 0.92 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 5.6" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

Big Brother Is Watching!

1984 has come and gone...what has changed? What was foretold? What has actually taken place since we were all in high school or college?

One of my favorite books ever written!

I love dystopian novels like Brave New World, Fahrenheit 451, and A Handmaid’s Tale; however, this one is my favorite.

$1.49 at Goodwill

Order this book as the cheapest version offered & paid $6.89, but they left the Goodwill sticker on it & I could have paid $1.49 for it had I went to Goodwill. Highway robbery. Be sure to check your local Goodwill or Ollie’s before using this site or they’ll rob you blind.

Excellent book

I was assigned to read this book when I was in high school in the 70's. I didn't really understand it all at that time, but with the current state of our politics, I wanted to read it again. It really makes you think and it hit in a whole new way. A must read in our current times.

Dystopian Negative Utopia

Usually when you hear about a piece of media so often, it can disappoint you due to high expectations. This book lives up to its notoriety. Orwell was a man ahead of his time, predicting the future of what 1984 might look like. Perhaps the only thing he got wrong was how long it may take.

Hard to put down

This is my favorite Orwell book, and probably the best allegory ever written. I wish I could read this book to the first time again.

Important picture on which to reflect on current events

As a high school English teacher, this is one of the classics that ignited the most thought-provoking discussions in class. I would sit back and let students run the seminar, and I went home having been newly inspired by what Orwell is communicating. A bit frightening considering today’s events, but a must-read, especially now.

A grim warning.

This is a look at what a totalarian society could be. It's truly grim to see the universe of 1984 develop as you read, and look at it through a modern lens. There's a lot of concepts in the book that have shocking parallels to some of our technology and methods today, and it's something to think on. In spite of the dystopia presented, it's written in a very entertaining way, and it makes the book a challenge to put down. It's not meant to be prophetic, but serve as a warning about those who necessarily seek power.

An ominous look into a not so far off future, a tale of warning.

Certainly lives up to it's reputation in terms of story. While there may be some mild lows in the story you can't help but having a feeling of being on edge as the main character goes about his daily life. A definite tale of caution as to what could be if too much power were in the wrong hands and the inescapable doom that will become of everyone. Some instances will have you thinking that would never happen in a million years, others, will rattle you at the uncanny similarities to today's society. Well written and not too hard to read, I found myself reading chapter after chapter rooting for the main character and hoping he triumphs over each little adversity he encounters. And the ending lit a fervor and hope in me that what happens in this book never comes to pass.

A Relevant Masterpiece

I sit roughly 20-25 pages from finishing this book and i am dumbfounded by the predictions made by Orwell. The man outlined a dystopic hell that unfortunately reflects much of our society today. This book is essential reading in my mind, while it may be rough at a few points (notably towards the end of Part 2), it still paints such a vivid picture of the horrors of fascist, totalitarian regimes and their effects on the victims forced to live through them. Orwell writes in this informative, hard hitting, critical prose through Winston from time to time, leading to these beautifully hateful passages of scathing criticism for Oceania. Its in these moments where 1984 really hits its stride of making you feel the hate for The Party, and Big Brother, and Oceania and whatever else Winston rants about. It's in these moments when 1984 truly cements itself as a classic piece of literature. (8/10) The book has many standout quotes, but I'll leave you with my favorite and the one that convinced me to finally buy and read it, "Every record has been destroyed or falsified, every book has been re-written, every picture has been repainted, every statue and street and building has been re-named, every date has been altered. And this process is continuing day by day and minute by minute. History has stopped. Nothing exists except and endless present in which the party is always right"

Timeless classic

This is a wonderful, although depressing, book. I bought it for my granddaughter for Christmas because it was on her list. However, I did not pay attention to the rating as far as scolastic rating and it is far too simple for her. That is my only problem with the book. I do not recall if that was clearly explained in the ordering process. But that has nothing to do with the story which is amazing. It was much more alarming when I first read it in 1962, however, than it is now.

Deviates corrected for their own good

In a society that has eliminated many imbalances, surplus goods, and even class struggle, there are bound to be deviates; Winston Smith is one of those. He starts out, due to his inability to doublethink, with thoughtcrime. This is in a society that believes a thought is as real as the deed. Eventually he graduates through a series of misdemeanors to illicit sex and even plans to overthrow the very government that took him in as an orphan. If he gets caught, he will be sent to the "Ministry of Love" where they have a record of 100% cures for this sort of insanity. They will even forgive his past indiscretions. Be sure to watch the three different movies made from this book: 1984 (1954) Peter Cushing is Winston Smith 1984 (1956) Edmond O'Brien is Winston Smith Nineteen Eighty-Four (1984) John Hurt is Winston smith 1984 Actors: Edmond O'Brien, Jan Sterling