vrijdag 28 september 2012

50 Books Challenge 2012 - # 42: Animal Farm by George Orwell

Title: Animal Farm
Author: George Orwell
Story: No writer has ever been more naked in his contempt for power, or more ruthless in his critique of those who abuse it, than the Englishman born Eric Blair, better known to the world as George Orwell. In Animal Farm he restages the hypocrisies of the Russian Revolution with the principal figures played by, of all things, farm animals. By presenting atrocities in the terms of a fairy tale, he makes them fresh, restoring to readers numbed by the 20th century’s parade of disasters a sense of shock and outrage. Paradoxically, by turning Trotsky and Lenin and their followers into pigs and horses and chickens, he reveals them as all too human.
Start: september 24th 2012
End: september 28th 2012
Comment: I always thought that this book would be too hard for me to read. I have to say, the size didn't scare me, but it is indeed not the easiest book to read. "Animal Farm" is a political satire, not something I would normally read. I'm interested in politics, but sometimes I just don't understand it. I now understand why this book is one of the most powerful books ever. It is a heart breaking allegory about the failure of organised idealogy. The way Orwell wrote this book is just amazing, strong and convincing. Like "The Wind in the Willows", the animals lead the story and they almost feel human because you can identify with them. Snowball is probably the most important character in the book. He is full of good intent, he wants to start classes for the other animals to elevate their understanding of the world. "Animal Farm" is certainly not for just anyone, but definitely a book that got me thinking. And I had something to talk about with my very intellectual brother, haha.
Rating: 5/ 5

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