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1984 Kindle Edition
- Reading age16+ years, from customers
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherDIGITAL FIRE
- Publication dateNovember 5, 2018
- ISBN-13978-9388118651
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Editorial Reviews
Review
A profound, terrifying, and wholly fascinating book...Orwell s theory of power is developed brilliantly. The New Yorker
A book that goes through the reader like an east wind, cracking the skin...Such are the originality, the suspense, the speed of writing, and withering indignation that it is impossible to put the book down. V. S. Pritchett
Orwell s novel escorts us so quietly, so directly, and so dramatically from our own day to the fate which may be ours in the future, that the experience is a blood-chilling one. Saturday Review --Review
"Orwell's best-known work of unrelenting dystopian realism warns against totalitarianism." -- AudioFile
"Orwell's best-known work of unrelenting dystopian realism warns against totalitarianism." --AudioFile
Nineteen Eighty-Four is a remarkable book; as a virtuoso literary performance it has a sustained brilliance that has rarely been matched in other works of its genre...It is as timely as the label on a poison bottle. New York Herald Tribune
A profound, terrifying, and wholly fascinating book...Orwell s theory of power is developed brilliantly. The New Yorker
A book that goes through the reader like an east wind, cracking the skin...Such are the originality, the suspense, the speed of writing, and withering indignation that it is impossible to put the book down. V. S. Pritchett
Orwell s novel escorts us so quietly, so directly, and so dramatically from our own day to the fate which may be ours in the future, that the experience is a blood-chilling one. Saturday Review --Review
About the Author
Product details
- ASIN : B07K59XMFK
- Publisher : DIGITAL FIRE
- Accessibility : Learn more
- Publication date : November 5, 2018
- Edition : 1st
- Language : English
- File size : 1.4 MB
- Screen Reader : Supported
- Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
- X-Ray : Enabled
- Word Wise : Enabled
- Print length : 107 pages
- ISBN-13 : 978-9388118651
- Page Flip : Enabled
- Reading age : 16+ years, from customers
- Best Sellers Rank: #1,114,609 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #1 in Classic Literature & Fiction
- #7 in Science Fiction (Books)
- #44 in Fiction Classics
- Customer Reviews:
About the authors
Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read book recommendations and more.
George Orwell is one of England's most famous writers and social commentators. Among his works are the classic political satire Animal Farm and the dystopian nightmare vision Nineteen Eighty-Four. Orwell was also a prolific essayist, and it is for these works that he was perhaps best known during his lifetime. They include Why I Write and Politics and the English Language. His writing is at once insightful, poignant and entertaining, and continues to be read widely all over the world.
Eric Arthur Blair (George Orwell) was born in 1903 in India, where his father worked for the Civil Service. The family moved to England in 1907 and in 1917 Orwell entered Eton, where he contributed regularly to the various college magazines. From 1922 to 1927 he served with the Indian Imperial Police in Burma, an experience that inspired his first novel, Burmese Days (1934). Several years of poverty followed. He lived in Paris for two years before returning to England, where he worked successively as a private tutor, schoolteacher and bookshop assistant, and contributed reviews and articles to a number of periodicals. Down and Out in Paris and London was published in 1933. In 1936 he was commissioned by Victor Gollancz to visit areas of mass unemployment in Lancashire and Yorkshire, and The Road to Wigan Pier (1937) is a powerful description of the poverty he saw there.
At the end of 1936 Orwell went to Spain to fight for the Republicans and was wounded. Homage to Catalonia is his account of the civil war. He was admitted to a sanatorium in 1938 and from then on was never fully fit. He spent six months in Morocco and there wrote Coming Up for Air. During the Second World War he served in the Home Guard and worked for the BBC Eastern Service from 1941 to 1943. As literary editor of the Tribune he contributed a regular page of political and literary commentary, and he also wrote for the Observer and later for the Manchester Evening News. His unique political allegory, Animal Farm was published in 1945, and it was this novel, together with Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949), which brought him world-wide fame.
It was around this time that Orwell's unique political allegory Animal Farm (1945) was published. The novel is recognised as a classic of modern political satire and is simultaneously an engaging story and convincing allegory. It was this novel, together with Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949), which finally brought him world-wide fame. Nineteen Eighty-Four's ominous depiction of a repressive, totalitarian regime shocked contemporary readers, but ensures that the book remains perhaps the preeminent dystopian novel of modern literature.
Orwell's fiercely moral writing has consistently struck a chord with each passing generation. The intense honesty and insight of his essays and non-fiction made Orwell one of the foremost social commentators of his age. Added to this, his ability to construct elaborately imaginative fictional worlds, which he imbued with this acute sense of morality, has undoubtedly assured his contemporary and future relevance.
George Orwell died in London in January 1950.
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Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers find "1984" to be a thought-provoking and interesting read, describing it as a prophetic book with many relevant concepts. The writing quality and scariness level receive mixed reactions - while some find it well-written and scary, others note it's somewhat difficult to read and disturbing. Customers appreciate its timeless nature and consider it a classic science fiction work, though some find it depressing and not particularly fun to read.
AI Generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers find the book highly readable, describing it as a classic with a good story that makes for an interesting read.
"Great book. No print errors or damage in shipping" Read more
"...Nineteen Eighty-Four is overall a great book...." Read more
"Great read!..." Read more
"Book was received in excellent condition and is a great read." Read more
Customers find the book thought-provoking, describing it as an eye-opening and insightful read with relevant concepts.
"...Chillingly prophetic and thought provoking...." Read more
"...Story / Content } — ☐ Boring ☐ Okay ☑ Interesting and enjoyable ☐ Amazing and unforgettable ☐ Life-changing — {..." Read more
"...book inside a book, that's the part I wanted read more of it was very interesting." Read more
"...It really strengthens the plot, and for me it’s both interesting and enjoyable to read about...." Read more
Customers appreciate the book's fiction, describing it as an interesting science fiction work with prophetic elements and a classic story.
"...Nineteen Eighty-Four is overall a great book. It is a classic novel that many people will enjoy, although there is some adult content so it may not..." Read more
"Prophetic, insightful, hardly a fantasy, still so relevant...." Read more
"...The tone was bleak. Throughout. Unflinchingly somber and hopeless...." Read more
"...Actually mind blowing and prophetic." Read more
Customers appreciate this classic book, noting that its content from 1949 remains incredibly relevant today, with one customer describing it as "terrifyingly ahead of its time."
"...A timeless classic." Read more
"...Timeless and educational" Read more
"...of its themes to contemporary society is striking, making it a timeless and essential read. "..." Read more
"...I'm in such awe that Orwell wrote such a timeless book that speaks truth even in 2016...." Read more
Customers find the book worth its price, noting it's in good condition and worth the time investment, with one customer describing it as "worth its weight in gold."
"...This was a great price so I thought I’d give it a go. As someone who has a hard time sitting in one place and reading, this book got my attention...." Read more
"Great price and book, my only complaint is the words are so close to the crease that it is very hard to read, I wish they had left some space..." Read more
"I love this book and this is a good price!" Read more
"Good price. Great condition." Read more
Customers have mixed opinions about the writing quality of the book, with some finding it very well written and readable throughout, while others describe it as a somewhat difficult read with too many typos.
"...The book is endlessly fascinating, well written, and deeply provocative. It is, after all, a classic." Read more
"...a lot of the pages are printed in very dull ink, making it difficult to read." Read more
"...Though we’re way past 1984, we do edge closer to scary times. Well written and thought provoking but thoroughly depressing...." Read more
"...for long periods of time, which, to me, can be quite boring and hard to read...." Read more
Customers have mixed reactions to the scariness level of the book, with some appreciating its thought-provoking dystopian fiction and scary world, while others find it disturbing.
"The book is great! It is very interesting to read and scary since some of the stuff seems to be as it is in Sweden right now...." Read more
"Scary and frightening...." Read more
"Every human in civilized society should read this.l book. The terrifying, almost prohpetic vision orwell crafts lives up to all the hype...." Read more
"...control and governance in a manner that is quite interesting - and disturbing...." Read more
Customers find the book depressing and boring, describing it as not a happy or fun read with a demoralizing outcome.
"One of my favorite classics that I, even though it is very depressing, recommend anyone interested in reading to read this book...." Read more
"boring. many similarities to present day Barak-a-topia America. Socialism is alive and well, spelled d.e.m.o.c.r.a.t...." Read more
"...And, it reminded me of why I hated high school so much. This is a very dark, depressing book. On one level it is even a stupid, nonsensical book...." Read more
"Boring. Good plot, bad characters. Orwell’s political manifesto...." Read more
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Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on January 2, 2016Format: Mass Market PaperbackVerified PurchaseWhat can be said about this book that has not already been said? Orwell’s despondent view of an evil utopia hits all the right notes. His vision into a near-possible future is stunning, depressing and all too understandable. A warning, a final prophesy written by a spirited visionary in the final stage of his life.
Many have read this book early in their youth, most likely as part of their educational upbringing. 1984 and Animal Farm are standard, pedantic texts battle ready for disaffected youth to sink their teeth into. This book, among the greats, seems boundless in the echoes and touchstones resounding within its tome. In revisiting the text many years later, one will find that Orwell’s words seem strangely even more relevant than they were at first blanch. Perhaps even more so than they were when original meted out and scratched into paper during the author’s self-imposed exile in the Scottish isle that was his final home so many years ago.
There are so many elements here that have such deep and broad depth that will keep this work of literature relevant for many more years. Orwell invented the terms “Big Brother” and “Thought Crime” and dove unrepentantly into issues of privacy, personal freedom and individualism. All this before the revolution of the internet! He also fretted over the degradation of language (OMG!) and the breakdown and bastardization of society’s communal bonds, family bonds, bonds of friendship and the abolishment of simple love. His vision of a mechanized society (one that even turns books out by machines), is more than a decry by a luddite so much as it concerns the debasement or obliteration of the individual and sense of self.
Orwell’s main thrust seems to be right at the heart of man and the core inner lust for domination and power, simply for its own sake. That ever-present evolutionary tendency to thrive at all costs without purpose or direction, and the ability of that singular impetus to take over and distort all else toward its own end. He digs that up out of the blackest parts of the human heart and disgorges it upon the shoreline of society receding tide as if to say, “This too is what you are. Do not kid yourself.”
For me, this book was rough. The tone was bleak. Throughout. Unflinchingly somber and hopeless. Yet, the story of the protagonist and his struggle amid this world turned upside down, is relatable and believable. Despite the obvious despair and immeasurable odds, we do feel for Winston Smith (the protagonist) and we do root for him. We follow him in his desperation to find something, some way to express himself and make a dent in the impenetrable wall that has become the totalitarian society which he is a part. We feel his constant fear and ever present distrust of everything—almost. The little glimmers of possibilities, even when they are squashed, keep your interest and balance the grim-gray that pervades everything.
One thing that struck me was that the female character Julia, is an interesting addition. She has a good amount of gumption and serves more than just a goal or love interest. She is fleshed out pretty well and adds a lot of dimension to the story by sharing the protagonist’s goals, but also coming from a slightly different more realistic viewpoint.
Another thing I found interesting in reading this book in present time was how insular the story is. We are just as stuck as the protagonist. All news of the outside world and the society is filtered to the reader through the regime in power. We never really know who to trust or when something might be real or made up or mere speculation. Nothing ever really seems certain. The story never ever escapes this – there is never an Oz-like “Man behind the Curtain” moment. Not really. We are told how some things work, and sometimes by sources that are deemed more reliable than others, but we don’t truly find out.
This tight view point, keeps up a claustrophobic feeling that forces the storyline to remain connected to the protagonist’s individual struggle. Even though Winston Smith is concerned with larger concepts and a revolutionary struggle on a society level–the story remains individualistic. However, the tale is not a man’s struggle with himself, it is a man’s struggle to find himself among others; the interrelatedness of things and how important that is. The totalitarian regime in power has distorted this effect and is manifesting control by continually putting up road blocks and pseudo-constructed, societal norms to hamper true progress and growth.
Even still, the individual struggles to find their place in society. As the story goes on, I think it is clear that most of this doomed society continues to struggle with this. And the powers that be, must expend an immense amount of effort and expense to constantly suppress this. In the end, can that really work? Have a care. Big Brother is watching.
Podcast: If you enjoy my review (or this topic) this book and the movie based on it were further discussed/debated in a lively discussion on my podcast: "No Deodorant In Outer Space". The podcast is available on iTunes, YouTube or our website.
- Reviewed in the United States on July 8, 2025Format: Mass Market PaperbackVerified Purchase— { Writing Style } —
☐ Couldn’t finish it
☐ Simple and clear
☑ Engaging and well-written
☐ Poetic or deep
☐ Confusing or awkward
— { Story / Content } —
☐ Boring
☐ Okay
☑ Interesting and enjoyable
☐ Amazing and unforgettable
☐ Life-changing
— { Pacing / Flow } —
☐ Slow and draggy
☐ Uneven
☑ Flows well
☐ Fast-paced and exciting
☐ Blink and it’s over
— { 9 / 10 } —
- Reviewed in the United States on June 24, 2025Format: Mass Market PaperbackVerified PurchaseGot a different cover for some reason? But other than that the book is pretty good some pages are bent but that’s it
Got a different cover for some reason? But other than that the book is pretty good some pages are bent but that’s it
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- Reviewed in the United States on December 10, 2020Format: Mass Market PaperbackVerified Purchase“Books like Orwell’s are powerful warnings, and it would be most unfortunate if the reader smugly interpreted “1984” as another description of Stalinist barbarism, and if he does not see that it means us, too” -Erich Fromm. George Owell’s book 1984 speaks about the questionable actions the government takes in order to protect and watch over the people living in their dystopian society. The themes outline the dangers of a totalitarian government and waves of manipulation as they suppress any sort of possibilities of citizens questioning their power. Some of these themes can be compared to our present day life. I recommend “1984”, because it is a controversial book that grabs the reader’s attention as it reflects on government manipulation and social class issues.
“The Party” is described as an unknown higher power that has total influence over its citizens. It is clear that the Party has manipulated its citizens to think in a “certain way”. One way they manipulate the citizens is the rewritten text from the past. The mutability of history causes citizens to believe that some make believe figures and events actually existed when in reality, it was created in favor of the Party. This is described when Orwell states “Who controls the past,’ ran the Party slogan, ‘controls the future: who controls the present controls the past.” Winston participated in this when he invented a figure named “Comrade Ogilvy”. This idea is a parallel to real life because in different countries, certain events are rewritten to appear patriotic towards the country. Another example of government manipulation is the widespread propaganda. Citizens were forced to view advertisements of hate towards “The Brotherhood” (anti-government) group and Goldstein (Brotherhood leader). Citizens also participated in a week long event called “Hate Week” which was designed to ignite anger and hatred towards the “enemy”. Telescreens were also posted everywhere in order to keep track of the citizens' lives. These ideas are controversial to today’s society. Many are weary of the government spying on our actions through webcams and cell phones. During election season, propaganda of leaders can be seen to create hate similar to how the Party forces propaganda to its citizens. There are three slogans the Party lives by: “War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength”. Citizens of Oceania live by these quotes believing it is the correct ideas because the Party constantly repeats it. The parallel for this is that there are certain ideas that some countries live by that overall can be dangerous towards its citizens. The idea of government manipulation in 1984 is an eye-opening experience to read and will make any reader question whether any of these practices are happening in their real life.
Social class issues were presented with the story through a concept called “Inner Party” and “Outer Party”. The “Inner Party” is the high and elite class of citizens of Oceania and they have less privileges than the “Outer Party”. The “Outer Party” is described as the “middle class” of the story. Most are given government jobs however, they are the most threatening to the government because they are intelligent enough to start a revolution. There are also the “Proles” that have poorer conditions than the “Outer Power” and makes up 85% of the population. The Party controls the “Proles” by exposing them to vices such as alcohol and pornography; furthermore, they are considered and viewed as animals. This social class system can be seen in today’s society. For example, in the United States, the “Inner Party” is compared to the “Top 1%”. The “Outer Party” makes up the middle working class. Though not as extreme as described in the book, the “Proles” can compare to the rest of America’s population: low working wages and mostly involved in vices as well. In the book, Winston writes “If there is any hope, it lies with the Proles” meaning that if there is any hope for change for the regime, it would start the majority of the population. This is an idea that is popular in American politics. Leaders tend to campaign towards the low working class population because they know there is more of “them” in the population to vote. This theme can bring attention to the reader and persuade them to understand how their society is composed and “controlled by the government”.
“1984” was one of the first books to explore the ideas of change and “free thinking”. This caused many institutions to ban this book, which is ironic because censorship was one of the ways the Party manipulated its citizens. I would recommend this book to encourage conversations about individualism and power.
- Reviewed in the United States on July 9, 2025Format: Mass Market PaperbackVerified PurchaseLove this book! Had to read it for one of my AP classes in high school. The content is very applicable to today's world, even now.
Top reviews from other countries
- Ursula RussellReviewed in Spain on May 21, 2025
5.0 out of 5 stars 1984
Unbelievable prediction! What would George Orwell think if he came back now and had a look at today's world. It is turning out just as he predicted, only a few years later.
- JMH_1991Reviewed in Canada on May 12, 2025
5.0 out of 5 stars classic for a reason
The ideas this book confronts you with feel shocking and far removed from reality; however it is easy (almost too easy) to draw parallels with a lot of events happening currently in the world. The writing is a bit heavy and clunky at times but it’s worth the read.
- Viktor DahlbergReviewed in Sweden on October 9, 2023
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book, great cover
Format: HardcoverVerified PurchaseGreat book, a must read!
The cover really fits with the theme of the book and looks great on the shelf
- Amazon CustomerReviewed in Germany on May 21, 2025
5.0 out of 5 stars No surprise
The book was delivered as expected, new and neat. Worth the price.
Amazon CustomerNo surprise
Reviewed in Germany on May 21, 2025
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- NatáliaReviewed in the Netherlands on December 11, 2023
5.0 out of 5 stars Fast delivery
Format: Mass Market PaperbackVerified PurchaseAll in order.