Suman Roy answers “Why do people rate this book so high? ...”

Wilma asked this question about 1984:

Why do people rate this book so high? Surely I am missing something.

Suman Roy Because you were probably expecting a story with deep characterizations of both the world and the people all wrapped in a sharp plot.

While the world-b…moreBecause you were probably expecting a story with deep characterizations of both the world and the people all wrapped in a sharp plot.

While the world-building is very detailed and intricate, the plot and writing style is incredibly dull and dreary. the blandness of the characters might be problematic to some, but that part worked for me as it makes sense that everyone looses their self-identity and personality in a world that is so sterile and controlled.

The reason people are so fond of this book, is the same reason that Ayn Rand's books are famous: they aren't stories, they are political manifestos. And in that sense it is brilliant.

The ideas and themes in this novel are not subtext but just text. Bringing those ideas to the front makes for dull story-telling but exceptional point-making.

A point, I should point out, which is even more relevant today.(less)

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Lizzie wholly agree. its not the sort of book you read to become friends with characters and go on a fun adventure with them, it is a story that shows the wo ...more
Jun 04, 2019 09:35PM

Jeffrey Gao No, the world building is amateurish and udderly implausible. Continental empires can’t form in the course of thirty years and if governments actually ...more
Aug 12, 2021 02:21AM

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