Animal Farm, by George Orwell
This symbolic story, written during the dawning of the Communist Revolution in Russia, is an interesting and unique book. It is a quick read, and I was very engaged by the storyline and the characters. Although it was rather slow to start, it gained momentum as it became evident that corruption and greed go hand-in-hand with power. It provoked awareness of the complexities of leadership and government, and how important it is to participate in the government. I was slightly disappointed by the conclusion because it didn't end on an up-note. Overall, I would recommend Animal Farm to anyone who's interested in politics and history.
Reviewed by Eamon P., Grade 9
Montrose Library
Comments
I've always wanted to read Animal Farm, so I created very high expectations for the book and I'm glad to say they held up and even surpassed them. The beginning was a bit difficult for me because several characters are introduced at once, but within the next few pages everything made sense. The book has a lot of representations of the Russian Revolution, every character in the novel represents some historical figure in Russian history, and Orwell made it incredibly obvious who was who so it's easy to follow. I would recommend this book to any student who is learning about the Russian Revolution and needs help remembering the people and their actions or if you like Orwell's other famous book 1984.
Reviewed by Nayri T., Grade 10
Casa Verdugo Library
I enjoyed this book very much. I very much liked the unique plot, which included numerous unexpected twists. I think any person who enjoys history will be fond of this book, as it is very closely related to a real-world event that took place in the past. This book made me think about the way that animals are treated on farms, and I wondered if they would feel the need to rebel if they had the ability to do so.
Reviewed by Alec S., Grade 10
Glendale Central Library
Honestly, I thought this book was nowhere near interesting. It was very boring and stupid, and had no point. I had no interest in watching animals try to take over a farm whereas us humans were trying to take the farm back. It shows how weak humans are even though we are not. I only read the book because it was mandatory for my entire class. It might be interesting for any reader interested in political allegories, but it just wasn't for me.
Reviewed by Mary A., Grade 9
Glendale Central Library
I love this book and everybody with time should read it. If you read the book you have to understand it in a symbolic way rather than literally, because the book is very symbolic.
Reviewed by A.J., Grade 10
Grandview Branch
I love this book and everybody with time should read it. If you read the book you have to understand it in a symbolic way rather than literally, because the book is very symbolic.
Reviewed by A.J., Grade 10
Grandview Branch
Honestly,I think this book was one of the worst books I've ever read. I was very bored when I read this book and I didn't even understand the concept of it. I wouldn't recommend this book because personally for me it was really boring and I didn't enjoy it at all. Usually in a book I like to be excited to see whats going to happen next and be surprised ar be amazed. Unfortunately, I didn't experience anything like this in this book.
Reviewed by TA, Grade 9
Glendale Central Library
The book takes place on a farm owned by a "slave-owning" farmer. The slaves, unlike from what you might have thought, are the domesticated farming animals (which will later prove to be wilder than a lion). Tired of their despotic leader, The Man, they organize a revolution, kick the farmer out of the farm (literally), and take over. It's as simple as that! After the farmer is kicked out, the Pigs, the "wisest" leaders of all, take over. As I do not want to spoil your amazing experience, I will not go further. Just start thinking about the symbolism before you dive in to the book. I will just give one hint- USSR at the time of the Bolshevik Revolution.
Overall, I did enjoy the book, as I do like to think about what I read after I am done with it. In my opinion, anyone would enjoy reading Orwell's Animal Farm, a book which has humor, history, animals, and everything else imaginable brilliantly incorporated in it. Orwell's language and vocabulary choice, simple and sophisticated at the same time, will amuse any reader. I do really recommend anyone to read Animal Farm, and hope that you will enjoy this amazing book!
Reviewed by Henry G., Grade 11
Pacific Park Library
I enjoyed how Orwell used something else like animals to represent such a big idea .I was able to image what was next and I was able to connect it to history.It was a combination of both.I think all history lovers will love this book,people who love to analyse ideas,and teens/adults of course.It made me wonder at first on where this was going to take me to.I knew it used allegory but I dint see if it was possible and it was!You should also read other books from George Orwell.His style is very similar and they all mostly portray the truth in a hidden way,so go check those out..like 1984.
Reviewed by Andrea V., Grade 10
Glendale Central Library
Orwell wrote a critique of socialist ideals in the USSR through this story, warning people about the consequences of a society with dictators.
Each character depicted represents a key figure or group in the Russian Revolution: Napoleon (Stalin), Snowball (Leon Trotsky), Boxer (working classes), Squealer (Russian Media), Old Major (Karl Marx and Vladimir Lenin), Mollie (Bourgeoisie), and last but not least, Mr. Jones ( Tsar Nicholas II). Their development throughout the story was as history allowed it.
The surfacing plot was very simplistic- a clever move by George Orwell, for it allows readers to contemplate the motives of the author and the symbolism of the characters.
After the farm rebellion, the pigs claimed authority and imposed a state of totalitarianism, in which they recognized no limit to their authority over the other animals and strived to have control over every aspect of their new lives. There was great tension among the pigs as to who would be the leader, while the rest of the animals either passively or wholeheartedly agreed with whatever happened (needless to say those who caused any trouble were executed). The dark humor in the story is that although the rebellion that created Animal Farm was against all things related to mankind, the pigs slowly evolved to display and adapt human structure, thought processes, and needs. Haunting, the sentence closing off the book was: “The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which.” (148, 2:3-5)
Reviewed by RO, Grade 10
Casa Verdugo Library
This book was great. The only thing that is closest to this that I have read is "Charlotte's Web", but it isn't the same plot. The book was well written by George Orwell. I think that the characters in the story have helped shape the story great. I like the idea of animals fighting to take control but once they do the animals have to fight for leadership. Overall, I would recommend this book to a friend.
Reviewed by Aren, Grade 9
Pacific Park Library
I enjoyed the book because of the endless allegories which a farm animal cast applies. It has a message about becoming what you hate. The satire is very subtle which often have to reread to understand. Another thing to admire is how much story was put into so few pages though it has the structure and plot of a much longer novel. Overall, Animal farm is a very intelligent look into the political changes within the last century and the idea of the pigs becoming men truly stands.
Reviewed by Parvaneh, Grade 9
Downtown Central Library
I really liked the book. It was pretty simple and straightforward in my opinion. This gave a clear idea on what was really happening in the story. And it was pretty short too which is both good and bad. Good, because it doesn’t take that long to finish. Bad, because I wished for more detail. It would've been nicer if the author added a little bit more detail. I mean this book was pretty detailed but not enough. Also, this is one of the classics that anyone can take a look at as long as they have decent reading comprehension skills and vocabulary development too. Although, I kind of think that the book cover looked pretty basic. I visualized the book cover having some extra color rather than just a white background and a vibrant pink-colored pig on it. If this were to have a longer plot, maybe I would've liked it more, to be honest.
Review by Hannah R., Grade 9
Downtown Central Library
If you enjoy world history or are to lazy to research about the Russian revolution, this book is the best way to learn about the revolution. It offers a funny way to learn about what really happened and displays dictatorship along with control through fear. The animals make a society at first but fail and it leads to chaos. This Novel is worth reading as it provides an interesting way of describing that time era, through farm animals, of rebellion and is a satirical piece.
Reviewed by E.N., Grade 12
Casa Verdugo Library
I loved this book, and anyone who has an interest in Soviet history like I do would love it, too. This book has one of the best and most memorable endings I've ever read. The parallels between Napoleon and Joseph Stalin and Snowball and Leon Trotsky help the reader grasp a real life situation through fiction. I'm personally a fan of Orwell's literature because I think he describes political situations in a way that makes them so much easier to understand and much more interesting to read about.
Reviewed by Hailey P., Grade 12
Casa Verdugo Library