A Dystopian World - Ongoing Blog

[lunababymoonchild]

I have this on my shelf in paperback and I remember the film so am looking forward to it, glad you could recommend it even with content warnings (which I do appreciate)

[KEV67]

On 8/15/2021 at 8:32 PM, Goose said:

1984 – George Orwell

(dystopian, thought-provoking, classic)

 

This book took me quite a while to get through, not because its long, but because I think I read it at the wrong time, a time when I felt more like reading fantasy and not sci-fi and therefore kept picking other books up. I finally decided to just focus on it and not let myself be tempted by anything else until I had finished it, and eventually found myself really enjoying it.

 

The story follows the main character Winston who lives in an age where people are completely controlled and brainwashed by the current governing body called ‘The Party’ in ways that the general population are blind to. Orwell wrote this book in 1948 and it is interesting to see how someone from that time imagined the world could change.

 

I found that the first half of the book dragged a little, we mostly follow Winston in his day-to-day life as he begins to have rebellious inclinations. However there came a point where the narrative seemed to switch more to focussing on building our knowledge and understanding of how the questionable government was controlling the country. This part I was intrigued by. I was taken aback by how detailed and well thought out the foundations of this story were, I really felt that Orwell had created a clear and fully constructed world and had left no stone unturned when it came to thinking of all the ways in which ‘The Party’ could control people.

 

As with many dystopian stories 1984 asks the question as to whether it is acceptable to sacrifice people’s freedom in order to provide them with happiness and contentment. I do feel like 1984 stands out from other dystopian novels in the way that it presents people being controlled and is one of the most well-thought-out systems I have read so far.

 

Opening line: It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.

 

Format: ebook

I started to read this book when I was sixteen, but I put it down about three-quarters of the way through, because I could not see how Winston Smith could win, or escape and join the counter revolution. Should have read Fahrenheit 451 instead. After reading most of Orwell's other novels, non-fiction and essays, I started reading 1984 again. I thought it was genius.

[KEV67]

21 hours ago, Goose said:

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest – Ken Kesey

(mental health, emotional, thought-provoking)

 

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest is set in a psychiatric hospital ward in the 1950s and is told from the perspective of ‘Chief’ Bromden, a supposedly deaf and mute patient. Through Bromden’s eyes we see the arrival of a charismatic new patient, R. P. McMurphy, who is determined not to bend to the ways of the ‘Big Nurse’.

 

I really liked the way the book is told from the point of view of a character who initially plays no real participation in the story. Bromden clearly experiences hallucinations and these visions are portrayed as what is actually happening, which I liked. Although it is clear these events aren’t happening, to me they really help the reader to gain an understanding of Bromden’s experience on the ward. I feel the hallucinations help Bromden to rationalise the things that are happening around him.

 

The character of McMurphy is portrayed as both a good and bad person. You want to like him however know that he is not all good. He greatly helps the existing patients to stand up for themselves on the ward however he is intrinsically an immoral individual, oftentimes manipulating the others for his own gain.

 

The main theme of the book is to discuss the idea of individuality and how humans, particularly those that are vulnerable, can be manipulated in to certain actions and mindsets.

 

I would recommend this book with some content warnings of suicide, abuse, mental illness as well as there being elements that have really not aged well, most noticeably the casual racism, misogyny and depictions of those suffering with mental illness.

 

Opening line: They’re out there.

 

Format: print

 

It was a great book, but I thought the film was even better.

[KEV67]

The other great dystopian book that really impressed me was Brave New World by Aldous Huxley.

[Goose]

6 hours ago, KEV67 said:

started to read this book when I was sixteen, but I put it down about three-quarters of the way through, because I could not see how Winston Smith could win, or escape and join the counter revolution. Should have read Fahrenheit 451 instead. After reading most of Orwell's other novels, non-fiction and essays, I started reading 1984 again. I thought it was genius.

1984 is so well done in the way it builds hope and then sucker-punches you back to reality when you realise the truth. I have Fahrenheit 451 on my book shelf, will get round to reading it at some point. Have you read it? If so did you enjoy it?

[Goose]

6 hours ago, KEV67 said:

The other great dystopian book that really impressed me was Brave New World by Aldous Huxley.

I struggled a bit with Brave New World. I loved the concept but just didn't enjoy the characters.

[lunababymoonchild]

My reading diary tells me that I read Brave New World in 2011. I do not remember a thing about it but I do seem to remember that I thought that it was profound.

[KEV67]

1 hour ago, Goose said:

1984 is so well done in the way it builds hope and then sucker-punches you back to reality when you realise the truth. I have Fahrenheit 451 on my book shelf, will get round to reading it at some point. Have you read it? If so did you enjoy it?

I have read Fahrenheit 451. I think it is dated. I do not think it is as good as 1984.

[poppy]

We studied Brave New World and 1984 at school, but it's all a complete blur now (not surprising really, I often finish a book and can't really remember much the next day 😏). 

Not a huge fan of dystopian novels although loved One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, both book and film.

We also studied Lord of the Flies at school, which I remember parts of vividly. Found it very disturbing.

Our English teacher must have been big on this kind of book because we read Animal Farm as well.

[Madeleine]

We did Animal Farm and Lord of the Flies as well so they must have been set texts at that time (late 70s/early 80s).  We also did 1984 for A Level and I loathed it, was bored stiff.  Looking back a lot of it probably went over my head at the time, but of course things were very different then, no cameras everywhere etc!

[lunababymoonchild]

We did Lord of the Flies but not 1984 or Animal Farm (same educational time period as @Madeleine) although it's possible that other classes in the same year did. I found Lord of the Flies profoundly shocking and as a result did not know that that wasn't the only book William Golding wrote.

 

I enjoy Dystopian novels, just not all the time. I do plan to read 1984 and Animal Farm at some point.

[Hayley]

23 hours ago, Goose said:

I have Fahrenheit 451 on my book shelf, will get round to reading it at some point

I really loved Fahrenheit 451. I can see what Kev means about it feeling a bit dated. Nobody would believe it was written in the last decade, but that didn't really matter to me. 

 

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest is on my to-read list. It's one of those books I've kept putting off because I just know it's going to make me sad! 

 

Gad you enjoyed Wyrd Sisters too! I always find it really hard to describe Terry Pratchett books to other people. It's not really the plot that makes them so great, it's the way he writes them, isn't it!?

[Goose]

10 hours ago, poppy said:

We studied Brave New World and 1984 at school, but it's all a complete blur now (not surprising really, I often finish a book and can't really remember much the next day 😏).

 

9 hours ago, Madeleine said:

We did Animal Farm and Lord of the Flies as well so they must have been set texts at that time (late 70s/early 80s).  We also did 1984 for A Level and I loathed it, was bored stiff.  Looking back a lot of it probably went over my head at the time, but of course things were very different then, no cameras everywhere etc!

 

8 hours ago, lunababymoonchild said:

We did Lord of the Flies but not 1984 or Animal Farm (same educational time period as @Madeleine) although it's possible that other classes in the same year did. I found Lord of the Flies profoundly shocking and as a result did not know that that wasn't the only book William Golding wrote.

We did Lord of the Flies at school which I found shocking but fairly boring. Overall I liked 1984 but do remember also finding it a bit boring when I read it a few years ago, and I can imagine I would have found it ten times as boring if I had read it at school! I really don't think they choose the right books to get kids interested in reading, books like these require thought and reflection that most teenagers just aren't interested in (no shade intended, I certainly didn't appreciate these things when I was that age!)

[Goose]

1 hour ago, Hayley said:

Gad you enjoyed Wyrd Sisters too! I always find it really hard to describe Terry Pratchett books to other people. It's not really the plot that makes them so great, it's the way he writes them, isn't it!?

Yes absolutely right! I just remember smiling the whole time I was reading Wyrd Sisters! I have Darwin's Watch and The Wee Free Men on my shelf so my next Disc World will most likely be one of them.

[poppy]

13 hours ago, Goose said:

 

 

We did Lord of the Flies at school which I found shocking but fairly boring. Overall I liked 1984 but do remember also finding it a bit boring when I read it a few years ago, and I can imagine I would have found it ten times as boring if I had read it at school! I really don't think they choose the right books to get kids interested in reading, books like these require thought and reflection that most teenagers just aren't interested in (no shade intended, I certainly didn't appreciate these things when I was that age!)

 

I think I was unusual in that I was happy to read any book for homework, it really didn't feel like school work at all. I know other kids absolutely hated many of our set books though, and I agree they probably weren't the best choices. We studied them in the 6th form, I guess teachers thought (probably erroneously) we were capable of a bit of mature analysis by that stage.

[Madeleine]

I agree, most of the books we studied went straight over our heads (and don't even get me started on German A Level Lit!).  Compared to what we studied, some of the current curriculum does look a bit simpler, though I would have loved to have read His Dark Materials as a set text,which I believe it is now.  My teachers would have had an attack of the vapours if anything like that had been on our curriculum, we were given Frankenstein as an A Level set text and I remember thinking, hooray, at last something a bit more interesting, then they changed the syllabus and we got Jane Austen instead.  Perhaps they thought Frankenstein was a bit much for young ladies (I went to a very academically inclined grammar school).

[lunababymoonchild]

On 5/3/2023 at 10:16 AM, poppy said:

 

I think I was unusual in that I was happy to read any book for homework, it really didn't feel like school work at all. I know other kids absolutely hated many of our set books though, ..........

I did too (ETA) insofaras I was happy to read any book for homework. 

Edited May 5, 2023 by lunababymoonchild

[Goose]

The Ocean at the End of the Lane – Neil Gaiman

(creepy, surreal, middle-grade)

 

 

4.25/5

 

I haven’t read a book in a long time that I could not put down. It was interesting because The Ocean at the End of the Lane isn’t exactly a hugely gripping book, but there was just something about it that meant I devoured it in a day. The story follows an unnamed boy who gets a new nanny, but there is clearly something very wrong with her. The boy befriends the unusual girl who lives next door and together they try to put right all that is wrong.

 

I believe there a many different take-aways from this story but for me the main ones were about how as we become adults and the stresses of daily life take over, we lose our childhood wonder and imagination. I loved how things weren’t fully explained which added to the creepiness of the story.

 

Just like in Coraline I think Gaiman has done a fantastic job of writing in a way that talks to your inner child. Gaiman has quickly become a favourite author of mine.

 

Opening line: I wore a black suit and a white shirt, a black tie and black shoes, all polished and shiny: clothes that normally would make me feel uncomfortable, as if I were in a stolen uniform, or pretending to be an adult.

 

Format: print

 

235 pages

Published in 2013

Edited September 2, 2023 by Goose

[Goose]

The Bell Jar – Sylvia Plath

(classic, reflective, mental health)

 

 

3.25/5

 

The Bell Jar follows a young woman called Esther who is living in New York as part of a fashion internship of sorts. Esther is very talented and clever however her mental health is slowly deteriorating. The book follows her as she slowly spirals out of control.

 

This is a very raw story. I knew the basic premise of the book before reading but was still surprised by how open and honest it was with regards to mental health, particularly for a book written when it was. I found it a little slow in the beginning however I understand during this portion we are learning about Esther and who she is. The second half where she begins to deteriorate really intrigued me and I found it much more engaging.

 

I would recommend this book (with content warnings for self-harm and suicide attempts), it touches on many thought-provoking topics including the struggle to find one’s place in the world and feel as though your life has importance and meaning. Esther looks to the future a lot and almost plans her life out based on small interactions and factors, something I felt I could relate to. Being stuck in your head, always worrying about and contemplating what the future holds rather than living in the now.

 

Opening line: It was a queer, sultry summer, the summer they electrocuted the Rosenbergs, and I didn’t know what I was doing in New York.

 

Format: ebook

 

294 pages

Published in 1963

Edited September 2, 2023 by Goose

[Hayley]

On 5/15/2023 at 5:57 PM, Goose said:

The Ocean at the End of the Lane – Neil Gaiman

I also absolutely love this book 😄. I think, like we were saying before about Terry Pratchett, the synopsis or blurb can’t do justice to the actual book. The plot sounds simple but that adventure-fantasy theme is just used to very beautifully explore the complex emotions of childhood and those we carry into adulthood. 
Fully agree that Gaiman has a knack of speaking to your inner-child too. Although I haven’t read Coraline and I need to! 
 

On 5/15/2023 at 6:12 PM, Goose said:

The Bell Jar – Sylvia Plath

This is one of those books that I feel I should have read, but have just never gotten around to. I do like the opening line! 

[France]

On 5/3/2023 at 12:46 PM, Madeleine said:

I agree, most of the books we studied went straight over our heads (and don't even get me started on German A Level Lit!).  Compared to what we studied, some of the current curriculum does look a bit simpler, though I would have loved to have read His Dark Materials as a set text,which I believe it is now.  My teachers would have had an attack of the vapours if anything like that had been on our curriculum, we were given Frankenstein as an A Level set text and I remember thinking, hooray, at last something a bit more interesting, then they changed the syllabus and we got Jane Austen instead.  Perhaps they thought Frankenstein was a bit much for young ladies (I went to a very academically inclined grammar school).

We did study Frankenstein for A level English lit though it wasn't one of our set books as it was a continuation of 18thC gothic literature - we had 18th century literature for our set books as our teacher said we'd never read them again (with reason in most cases), Joseph Andrews, The Castle of Otranto, Vathek... Goodness they were dull! Frankenstein was good though and we'd have loved a bit of Jane Austen as light relief from Joseph flipping Andrews which was universally loathed.

[Madeleine]

I read Castle of Otranto years later and I agree, totally dull.  Frankenstein does stand up well though and obviously very prescient.  

[Goose]

The Graveyard Book – Neil Gaiman

(middle-grade, creepy, magical-realism)

 

 

3.25/5

 

The Graveyard Book is a story of a very young boy whose family are murdered. The boy manages to evade the same fate and ends up in the local graveyard where the ghosts that live there decide to take him in and raise him. We follow the boy who is named Bod (short for Nobody) as he grows up, having adventures and discovering the dangers that wait for him in the real world.

 

I have read a couple Neil Gaiman books now and although this isn’t my favourite, I still enjoyed it. I liked the different people and creatures that Bod comes across, and as with all the Gaiman books I have read so far, the creatures are not fully explained, leaving a feeling of uncertainty and mystery. Overall, not a huge amount happens with regards to a story line until towards the end, but I still found it a very interesting read.

 

I would recommend, particularly if you are already a fan of Gaiman.

 

Opening line: There was a hand in the darkness, and it held a knife.

 

Format: ebook

 

312 pages

Published in 2008

Edited September 2, 2023 by Goose

[Goose]

Old Man’s War – John Scalzi

(sci-fi, space opera, military)

 

 

3/5

 

The book is set in a time where when you reach seventy-five you can sign up to join the army and go to space to fight. Without knowing where he will go, or what will happen to him, John signs up. He changes, and learns how to become a soldier, one who has to adapt to hostile planets and fight alien species far more advanced than humans.

 

I enjoyed the first half of this book very much. It was very informative with regards to the science behind what is happening and explaining the reasons that have led to the world being the way it is. John becomes part of a small group of friends and I really enjoyed the times when the group were together. Unfortunately, once the story got to the part where John was now a solider and fighting I lost interest a bit. I am not a huge fan of war books and therefore I found the second half not my cup of tea. Its not the fact that I don’t like reading about fighting, or that I find it gruesome or upsetting, I just get bored reading about battle and fight scenes. To be fair though this is more an error on my part, the title of the book very clearly indicates that the book involves war, I guess I just hadn’t really considered how much of it would be actual fighting.

 

Having said this I did enjoy the book over all, it felt very classic sci-fi which I was really in the mood for. Would recommend.

 

Opening line: I did two things on my seventy-fifth birthday.

 

Format: ebook

 

318 pages

Published in 2005

Edited September 2, 2023 by Goose

[Goose]

You’d Be Home Now – Kathleen Glasgow

(YA, mental health, emotional)

 

 

3.75/5

 

You’d Be Home Now follows Emory, a teenage girl who is struggling to know what her place is in the world. She and her brother were in a car crash that killed another student and also revealed the seriousness of her brother’s drug addiction. Her brother is now home from rehab and Emory is trying to balance looking out for him, as well as trying to figure out who she is.

 

To me this book seems to tackle the topic of addiction in a sensitive and raw way, demonstrating how it impacts loved ones in different ways and how the person struggling can often feel that they are worthless. However, I am lucky enough to have not had my life affected by addiction and therefore cannot say whether this is an authentic representation or not, only that it allowed me to be able to be more understanding and thoughtful with regards to the topic.

 

I liked that Glasgow chose to tell the story from Emory’s point of view as opposed to her brothers. I also liked that having a brother battling addiction was not Emory’s whole character, she had her own issues she was dealing with, as well as struggling with feeling anger and frustration towards her brother. The only thing that I didn’t like was that it seemed that Glasgow maybe tried to include too many elements, meaning that some things felt a little random. For example, Emory has a habit of stealing and collecting objects and items but it is never really explored as to why Emory feels the need to do this and therefore it just kind of felt a little random.

 

Overall though I really like the book, it has made me want to read other books by this author. Some trigger warnings including drug misuse and addiction.

 

Opening line: We are flying in the black-blue night, rain slashing the car.

 

Format: ebook

 

387 pages

Published in 2021

Edited September 2, 2023 by Goose