Animal Farm: A Fairy Story |
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George Orwell
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Pages: 112 (Paperback)
ISBN: 0140278737
Pub: Penguin Books Ltd
Pub date: 1998-09-03
Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 9535
Reader Reviews:
A Well Deserved Classic (1/1 people found this helpful)
Unlike other books which you are forced to read at school, or which are labelled classics and which turn out to be wildly disappointing, this book lives up to its hype.
It is a simple political allegory acted out in a farmyard setting with the animals deciding they have had enough of being 'ruled' by the farmer and that they could do a better, fairer job by themselves. Orwell charts their progress with its initial ups and final horrifying downs with a sense of wondrous glee which lifts this book out of the ordinary and well above the usual fairytale standards.
The book is simple, short and yet breathtakingly powerful. It has huge emotional impact and will stay with you long after reading it. I am glad that I didn't read it at school and discovered it later in my adult life when I could really appreciate it properly. This and 1984 are two of Orwell's greatest achievements and given the high standards of the rest of his output that is really saying something.
My fav ever book (0/0 people found this helpful)
I teach History, Politics and some English so this book is well ahead to start with. However i think it is the greatest English book ever writen Orwell is a master story teller. At 6 i thought this book was about Pigs and sheep, at 15 i understood it was about Russia, at 21 i understood it was about both Ruissa and European society as a whole and at 27 i understand that perhaps i dont really understand this book at all, because it can mean many different thing to many diffent people. That is Orwell's master stroke he never knew his books would still have an impact after the fall of dictatorships but his books speak more to us now than perhaps they ever did
Brilliant!!! (0/0 people found this helpful)
One of the greatest books ever! The animals bring a revolution and it goes all awry. Don't think this book is for or against any particular ideology as such (just like 1984) but a sheer brilliance of George Orwell the way he could spin the political stories. The theme was true when the World was dreading Communism and it is true today when we 'think' that 'Capitalism', 'Free Markets' or 'Neo Liberalism' is a revolution or utopia and a 'Nation' or two can lead rest of the humanity to bring prosperity or equality. The book will be true no matter what contemporary political ideology we try to apply to the World problems. Pigs (sorry Men) are so greedy and power hungry! Would be interesting to know what way out did Mr Orwell think of?
Trotter's Independant Standards (0/0 people found this helpful)
How could this book be anything other than a five or even a six star performance. As Brian Aldiss said; if any book is going to make it 'galactically', then this is it. If yo have already read it then I'm talking to the converted, if not..........READ IT AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. Rule 1. Reading Animal Farm Good, Not reading it Bad!
Rule 2. Not following Rule 1. BAD!
Animal Farm is a critique of Stalinism, not communism or socialism! (1/1 people found this helpful)
Orwell was a socialist and fought with the POUM and was a member of the ILP. This quote is from the preface of the 1947 Ukrainian Edition of Animal Farm:
Indeed, in my opinion, nothing has contributed so much to the corruption of the original idea of Socialism as the belief that Russia is a Socialist country and that every act of its rulers must be excused, if not imitated.
And so for the past ten years I have been convinced that the destruction of the Soviet myth was essential if we wanted a revival of the Socialist movement.
The idea that Animal Farm is a critique of socialism, therefore, is complete corruption of what Orwell was arguing. What Orwell was criticising was the counter-revolution that took place in Russia under Stalin (Napoleon). This book should be read in its proper context to see the message that Orwell is trying to present. It is more subtle than simply 'socialism/communism is bad'.
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