From the Bookshelf of Nothing But Reading Challenges…

Fahrenheit 451

Ray Bradbury

Start date: November 1, 2020

Finish date: November 30, 2020

Discussion: Books of the Month

Find A Copy At

Group Discussions About This Book

Showing 2 of 163 topics — 23,374 comments total

Books of the Month

* The Names by Florence Knapp - Sep 25 Adult / Non-Fiction BOM (starts 16 Sep)
By Moderators of… , Challenger-in-Chief · 12 posts · 76 views

last updated 20 hours, 10 min ago

* The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese - Sep 25 Theme BOM - South and South East Asia (Starts 5 September)
By Moderators of… , Challenger-in-Chief · 37 posts · 68 views

last updated 1 hour, 47 min ago

showing 10 of 67 topics view all »

What Members Thought

Sep 22, 2010 Trisha rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Nov 18, Hillsboro 10 am

6 likes · Like · see review

Feb 13, 2014 Rebekah rated it liked it

Shelves: genre-classics, genre-literature, genre-fantasy, genre-novels, genre-science-fiction, genre-science-fiction-dystopia, genre-fiction, nbrc-bom-br, bookgirls

Interesting critique of anti-intellectualism, technology addiction, violence, hedonism, capitalism, and war, but felt a bit heavy handed and preachy at times! This is a classic dystopian novel, and the themes presented are still scarily relevant (if not even more so with reality television, smart phones, etc) today as when it was originally published! However, things move very quickly and I got the impression sometimes that Bradbury was being a little Old Man "Get off my lawn!" in his approach. ...more

4 likes · Like · see review

May 04, 2015 Catsalive rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2015

04/05/15

A fast, enjoyable, emotive read. I'm sure it was a sensation in the 50s & really worrying in the 60s. For me, it faded a bit into all the other dystopian, post-apocalypta that I've read over the years, but it was still worth the effort.

I kept thinking what an idiot Montag was as he let his pride & anger overcome sense, but if he hadn't done it he wouldn't have survived the war. I also kept wondering when this war was going to manifest & blow all their worries to smithereens - I got my an 04/05/15

A fast, enjoyable, emotive read. I'm sure it was a sensation in the 50s & really worrying in the 60s. For me, it faded a bit into all the other dystopian, post-apocalypta that I've read over the years, but it was still worth the effort.

I kept thinking what an idiot Montag was as he let his pride & anger overcome sense, but if he hadn't done it he wouldn't have survived the war. I also kept wondering when this war was going to manifest & blow all their worries to smithereens - I got my answer.

I know I would go insane if I had to watch tele all the time just to get through the day. There's not much I can stand to watch. I hate all these so-called reality shows that clutter the airwaves.

As for censorship, well, it's always with us, particularly in America where some people are still trying to get evolution banned & creationism added to curricula. There are always people wanting to give people no education, limit information & keep the masses downtrodden & believing what they're told - religion is always there when the censorship cards are handed out. Plus ca change, plus c'est la meme chose.
-------------------------------------------------------
07/04/16
I've just finished this for the second time, before I send it on to someone else. I'm glad I re-read it as I picked up on more, & enjoyed it more, this time. How prophetic it is. I highly recommend reading the Afterword & Coda, where Bradbury talks about the sweet irony of his own books - and particularly 451 - being cut about & censored. This being the 50th anniversary edition, there's also a good interview with Bradbury at the end.

I must see Truffaut's 1966 movie, even tough it doesn't stay close enough to the story for Bradbury's liking. 'It's a good movie...", but how can in be Fahrenheit 451 without Clarisse, Faber & the Mechanical Hound. I see his point. There has been much talk of a remake that will stick to the storyline, first mooted in the mid-90s by Mel Gibson, but it has been put on the backburner a couple of times. I do hope it comes to fruition in the not too distant future. ...more

Like · see review