Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury - Optional book discussion for Feb. 1 to Feb. 28, 2021

[Richard Kenneth]

This is one of our three optional book discussions for Feb 1 to Feb 28, 2021.

Please feel free to join in and share your thoughts, ask questions, answers, and comments in the comments section below.

If your post will have spoilers... please warn the other members on the top of your message that your thoughts/comments will have spoilers in them. Thank you and enjoy your book discussion everyone.

[Bisma]

I don’t want to be mean, but I hated this book. I feel like it was so poorly written and the ideas could have been conveyed in a better, more interesting way.

[Richard Kenneth]

Bisma wrote: "I don’t want to be mean, but I hated this book. I feel like it was so poorly written and the ideas could have been conveyed in a better, more interesting way."

Hi Bisma. Like all books, there are those would like it and there are those that would dislike it. There will always be varying opinions on a book from negative to positive. That's okay. Everyone has varying tastes.

I'm just curious since I haven't read the book yet. How was it poorly written, can you advise examples. Also if it were you, what could have conveyed better, and in how an interesting way would it have been conveyed? Thanks.

Sometimes that's the problem with some of the so-called classics. Some come across as dry or a little boring.

[Laura]

I personally really enjoyed the concept of 451, I just feel like the plot fell short in comparison to the world building that was going on. Bradbury created this whole dystopian society, and he included so many details that made the world feel so real and interesting. However, in my opinion, the main character, Guy Montag, was kind of flat. After having, like, three conversations with some random girl on the street, he decides to make a complete 180 with his beliefs and what he knows to be true. He basically throws his life out the window to read books and ask questions and actually think, because some 17 year old had a conversation with him, and then went missing. It all happened very fast, too. Montag went from 0 to 100 within a day or so. I just feel like with such a cool world, Bradbury could have done a lot more with the plot to kind of balance it out. But, that’s just my opinion, of course.

[Richard Kenneth]

For those who would like to read this book. Here is a link online to read Fahrenheit 451 for free. The link is:

https://www.ccsoh.us/site/handlers/fi...

[Paulina]

I read Fahrenheit 451 about three years ago and it became my favorite dystopian classic. I remember being amazed at how Bradbury predicted the society in which we would become. In my opinion, he got it right. I was 18 when I read it and I felt it as a slap of reality on the face. It made me realize a lot of things about the society we live in, and to me, that’s amazing. When a book actually changes you, makes you look at the world with different eyes. I also really liked Clarisse, not only as a character but everything she represents. This is a book I feel like everyone should read at least once in their life.

[Kelly]

Richard Kenneth wrote: "Bisma wrote: "I don’t want to be mean, but I hated this book. I feel like it was so poorly written and the ideas could have been conveyed in a better, more interesting way."

Hi Bisma. Like all boo..."

I will admit that I didn’t enjoy this book as much as I thought I would. I think I was influenced in part by the hype that compared it to 1984 by George Orwell. I dislike when books are compared to each other in that manner. Overall, the themes are similar but the authors are in no way similar.

My daughter read this book for her Honors 9th grade English class this year. Again, another opportunity for me to travel down memory lane. I think that even if I don’t enjoy a book I like to break it down to determine what in particular didn’t sit right with me.

I think there’s a lesson to be learned from all books even those we don’t like. I enjoy reading reviews in both sides which support the writer’s opinion. There’s often insight that my have never occurred to me.