The New York Times- Book Review

Here is a book review by Yun Kim from the New York Times:

"Written in 1949, George Orwell draws up an alternate world where after World War 2, only three superstates exist in the world- Eurasia, East Asia and Oceania. The novel takes place in the "Future" England, called "Airstrip One". More specifically, it focuses on an individual named Winston Smith, an insignificant individual working for the Party, the government of Oceania. In public, he supports the Party just as any other person, but in secret, Winston despises the Party.

In a world where history can be easily rewritten without any political consequences, where people suspected of being "Thought Criminals" can be arrested and removed from history whatsoever, where two-way telescreens can spy on people around the clock, the Party of Oceania rules the state with an iron grip. But there are some people, along with Winston, that hate the Party. While working, Winston meets a girl named Julia that reveals she loves him. Winson begins a secret love affair with Julia, and he can enjoy life and its delights again, but deep down, he knows that the Party will eventually get to him.

George Orwell writes with a ferocious style and describes the dangers of totalitarianism. After partaking in the Spanish Civil War and witnessing the brutal oppression by the communist government, Orwell grew to despise totalitarianism and made various satires of Communism/Socialism, the most notable being Animal Farm. The reason for the title of the novel, Nineteen Eighty-Four, was to suggest that the terrible world in the novel could in fact become reality in the near future when it was written (1949)  if totalitarianism was not opposed.

Although this novel used various symbols and motifs to get the message across, it was truly amazing and made readers think, there are many moments in the story where the reader may get uninterested, especially the beginning. Other than the occasional boring moments, I believe George Orwell successfully wrote about the dangers of communism and totalitarianism in his novel Nineteen Eighty-Four, to which i give a 4.5/5. I think other readers will appreciate this novel, and I strongly urge readers to try George Orwell's amazing novel."