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Book Review: Animal Farm by George Orwell

Title: Animal Farm

Author: George Orwell

Publisher: Harcourt, Brace and Company

Genre: Allegory, Satire

First Publication: 1945

Language: English

Major Characters: Snowball, Napoleon, Clover, Boxer, Old Major, Muriel, Jones, Squealer, Moses the Raven, Benjamin

Setting Place: A farm somewhere in England in the first half of the 20th century

Theme: Revolution and Corruption, Totalitarianism, Power, Soviet Union

Narrator: Third Person narration

Book Summary: Animal Farm by George Orwell

As ferociously fresh as it was more than a half century ago, this remarkable allegory of a downtrodden society of overworked, mistreated animals, and their quest to create a paradise of progress, justice, and equality is one of the most scathing satires ever published.

As we witness the rise and bloody fall of the revolutionary animals, we begin to recognize the seeds of totalitarianism in the most idealistic organization; and in our most charismatic leaders, the souls of our cruelest oppressors.

Animal Farm by George Orwell captures the themes of oppression, rebellion and history repeating itself. Animal Farm begins like an ambitious children’s tale: After Mr. Jones, the owner of Manor Farm, falls asleep in a drunken stupor, all of his animals meet in the big barn at the request of old Major, a 12-year-old pig. Major delivers a rousing political speech about the evils inflicted upon them by their human keepers and their need to rebel against the tyranny of Man.

Shortly after, when Jones forgets to feed the animals, the revolution occurs, and Jones and his men are chased off the farm. Manor Farm is renamed Animal Farm, and the Seven Commandments of Animalism are painted on the barn wall, the most important being “ All animals are created equal “, which is later changed into “ All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others. ” Through the revision of the commandments, Orwell demonstrates how simply political dogma can be turned into malleable propaganda.

“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.”

Animal Farm by George Orwell maybe not really children’s book material! There’s some heavy stuff. According to Orwell, the book reflects events leading up to the Russian Revolution of 1917 and then on into the Stalinist era of the Soviet Union. He believed, the Soviet Union had become a brutal dictatorship, built upon a cult of personality and enforced by a reign of terror.

“I meant the moral to be that revolutions only effect a radical improvement when the masses are alert and know how to chuck out their leaders as soon as the latter have done their job. The turning-point of the story was supposed to be when the pigs kept the milk and apples for themselves.” – George Orwell on Animal Farm

In his essay Why I Write (1946), he wrote that Animal Farm was the first book in which he tried, with full consciousness of what he was doing, “ to fuse political purpose and artistic purpose into one whole “. In my humble opinion, he mastered that with flying colors.

The revolt of the animals against Farmer Jones is Orwell’s analogy with the October 1917 Bolshevik Revolution . The Battle of the Cowshed has been said to represent the allied invasion of Soviet Russia in 1918. The pigs’ rise to pre-eminence mirrors the rise of a Stalinist bureaucracy in the USSR, just as Napoleon’s emergence as the farm’s sole leader reflects Stalin’s emergence. The pigs’ appropriation of milk and apples for their own use stands as an analogy for the crushing of the left-wing 1921 Kronstadt revolt against the Bolsheviks, and the difficult efforts of the animals to build the windmill suggest the various Five Year Plans.

“The only good human being is a dead one.”

I am not a history buff and I wasn’t acquainted with all of the historic events mirrored in Animal Farm, nonetheless, Orwell’s narrative remained accessible, since it can not only be coined to the Russian Revolution but to revolutions and change in leadership in general. Animal Farm by George Orwell details the history of humankind on this planet. History repeating itself. People being driven by money and profit.

Animal Farm by George Orwell closes with the pigs and men in a kind of rapprochement, reflected Orwell’s view of the 1943 Teheran Conference that seemed to display the establishment of “ the best possible relations between the USSR and the West “—but in reality were destined, as Orwell presciently predicted, to continue to unravel. The disagreement between the allies and the start of the Cold War is suggested when Napoleon and Pilkington, both suspicious, “ played an ace of spades simultaneously “. Of course, only one of the two is technically cheating, but Orwell does not indicate which one because such a fact is unimportant.

Another theme of Animal Farm by George Orwell that also strikes a satiric note is the idea of religion being the “ opium of the people ” (as Karl Marx famously wrote). Moses the raven’s talk of Sugarcandy Mountain originally annoys many of the animals, since Moses, known as a “teller of tales,” seems an unreliable source. At this point, the animals are still hopeful for a better future and therefore dismiss Moses’ stories of a paradise elsewhere. As their lives worsen, however, the animals begin to believe him, because “ Their lives now, they reasoned, were hungry and laborious; Was it not right and just that a better world should exist somewhere else? ”

“Man serves the interests of no creature except himself.”

Here, Orwell mocks the futile dreaming of a better place that clearly does not exist. The pigs allow Moses to stay on the farm — and even encourage his presence by rewarding him with beer — because they know that his stories of Sugarcandy Mountain will keep the animals docile: As long as there is some better world somewhere — even after death — the animals will trudge through this one. Thus Orwell implies that religious devotion — viewed by many as a noble character trait — can actually distort the ways in which one thinks of his or her life on earth.

In conclusion, Animal Farm by George Orwell is a novel that completely shook me. A novel that will haunt and accompany for the rest of my life, and that I will continue to dread and look forward to picking up again and again and again.

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A Summary and Analysis of George Orwell’s Animal Farm

By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)

Animal Farm is, after Nineteen Eighty-Four , George Orwell’s most famous book. Published in 1945, the novella (at under 100 pages, it’s too short to be called a full-blown ‘novel’) tells the story of how a group of animals on a farm overthrow the farmer who puts them to work, and set up an equal society where all animals work and share the fruits of their labours.

However, as time goes on, it becomes clear that the society the animals have constructed is not equal at all. It’s well-known that the novella is an allegory for Communist Russia under Josef Stalin, who was leader of the Soviet Union when Orwell wrote the book. Before we dig deeper into the context and meaning of Animal Farm with some words of analysis, it might be worth refreshing our memories with a brief summary of the novella’s plot.

Animal Farm: plot summary

The novella opens with an old pig, named Major, addressing his fellow animals on Manor Farm. Major criticises Mr Jones, the farmer who owns Manor Farm, because he controls the animals, takes their produce (the hens’ eggs, the cows’ milk), but gives them little in return. Major tells the other animals that man, who walks on two feet unlike the animals who walk on four, is their enemy.

They sing a rousing song in favour of animals, ‘Beasts of England’. Old Major dies a few days later, but the other animals have been inspired by his message.

Two pigs in particular, Snowball and Napoleon, rouse the other animals to take action against Mr Jones and seize the farm for themselves. They draw up seven commandments which all animals should abide by: among other things, these commandments forbid an animal to kill another animal, and include the mantra ‘four legs good, two legs bad’, because animals (who walk on four legs) are their friends while their two-legged human overlords are evil. (We have analysed this famous slogan here .)

The animals lead a rebellion against Mr Jones, whom they drive from the farm. They rename Manor Farm ‘Animal Farm’, and set about running things themselves, along the lines laid out in their seven commandments, where every animal is equal. But before long, it becomes clear that the pigs – especially Napoleon and Snowball – consider themselves special, requiring special treatment, as the leaders of the animals.

Nevertheless, when Mr Jones and some of the other farmers lead a raid to try to reclaim the farm, the animals work together to defend the farm and see off the men. A young farmhand is knocked unconscious, and initially feared dead.

Things begin to fall apart: Napoleon’s windmill, which he has instructed the animals to build, is vandalised and he accuses Snowball of sabotaging it. Snowball is banished from the farm. During winter, many of the animals are on the brink of starvation.

Napoleon engineers it so that when Mr Whymper, a man from a neighbouring farm with whom the pigs have started to trade (so the animals can acquire the materials they need to build the windmill), visits the farm, he overhears the animals giving a positive account of life on Animal Farm.

Without consulting the hens first, Napoleon organises a deal with Mr Whymper which involves giving him many of the hens’ eggs. They rebel against him, but he starves them into submission, although not before nine hens have died. Napoleon then announces that Snowball has been visiting the farm at night and destroying things.

Napoleon also claims that Snowball has been in league with Mr Jones all the time, and that even at the Battle of the Cowshed (as the animals are now referring to the farmers’ unsuccessful raid on the farm) Snowball was trying to sabotage the fight so that Jones won.

The animals are sceptical about this, because they all saw Snowball bravely fighting alongside them. Napoleon declares he has discovered ‘secret documents’ which prove Snowball was in league with their enemy.

Life on Animal Farm becomes harder for the animals, and Boxer, while labouring hard to complete the windmill, falls and injures his lung. The pigs arrange for him to be taken away and treated, but when the van arrives and takes him away, they realise too late that the van belongs to a man who slaughters horses, and that Napoleon has arranged for Boxer to be taken away to the knacker’s yard and killed.

Squealer lies to the animals, though, and when he announces Boxer’s death two days later, he pretends that the van had been bought by a veterinary surgeon who hadn’t yet painted over the old sign on the side of the van. The pigs take to wearing green ribbons and order in another crate of whisky for them to drink; they don’t share this with the other animals.

A few years pass, and some of the animals die, Napoleon and Squealer get fatter, and none of the animals is allowed to retire, as previously promised. The farm gets bigger and richer, but the luxuries the animals had been promised never materialised: they are told that the real pleasure is derived from hard work and frugal living.

Then, one day, the animals see Squealer up on his hind legs, walking on two legs like a human instead of on four like an animal.

The other pigs follow; and Clover and Benjamin discover that the seven commandments written on the barn wall have been rubbed off, to be replace by one single commandment: ‘All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.’ The pigs start installing radio and a telephone in the farmhouse, and subscribe to newspapers.

Finally, the pigs invite humans into the farm to drink with them, and announce a new partnership between the pigs and humans. Napoleon announces to his human guests that the name of the farm is reverting from Animal Farm to the original name, Manor Farm.

The other animals from the farm, observing this through the window, can no longer tell which are the pigs and which are the men, because Napoleon and the other pigs are behaving so much like men now.

Things have gone full circle: the pigs are no different from Mr Jones (indeed, are worse).

Animal Farm: analysis

First, a very brief history lesson, by way of context for Animal Farm . In 1917, the Tsar of Russia, Nicholas II, was overthrown by Communist revolutionaries.

These revolutionaries replaced the aristocratic rule which had been a feature of Russian society for centuries with a new political system: Communism, whereby everyone was equal. Everyone works, but everyone benefits equally from the results of that work. Josef Stalin became leader of Communist Russia, or the Soviet Union, in the early 1920s.

However, it soon became apparent that Stalin’s Communist regime wasn’t working: huge swathes of the population were working hard, but didn’t have enough food to survive. They were starving to death.

But Stalin and his politicians, who themselves were well-off, did nothing to combat this problem, and indeed actively contributed to it. But they told the people that things were much better since the Russian Revolution and the overthrow of the Tsar, than things had been before, under Nicholas II. The parallels with Orwell’s Animal Farm are crystal-clear.

Animal Farm is an allegory for the Russian Revolution and the formation of a Communist regime in Russia (as the Soviet Union). We offer a fuller definition of allegory in a separate post, but the key thing is that, although it was subtitled A Fairy Story , Orwell’s novella is far from being a straightforward tale for children. It’s also political allegory, and even satire.

The cleverness of Orwell’s approach is that he manages to infuse his story with this political meaning while also telling an engaging tale about greed, corruption, and ‘society’ in a more general sense.

One of the commonest techniques used in both Stalinist Russia and in Animal Farm is what’s known as ‘gaslighting’ (meaning to manipulate someone by psychological means so they begin to doubt their own sanity; the term is derived from the film adaptation of Gaslight , a play by Patrick Hamilton).

For instance, when Napoleon and the other pigs take to eating their meals and sleeping in the beds in the house at Animal Farm, Clover is convinced this goes against one of the seven commandments the animals drew up at the beginning of their revolution.

But one of the pigs has altered the commandment (‘No animal shall sleep in a bed’), adding the words ‘ with sheets ’ to the end of it. Napoleon and the other pigs have rewritten history, but they then convince Clover that she is the one who is mistaken, and that she’s misremembered what the wording of the commandment was.

Another example of this technique – which is a prominent feature of many totalitarian regimes, namely keep the masses ignorant as they’re easier to manipulate that way – is when Napoleon claims that Snowball has been in league with Mr Jones all along. When the animals question this, based on all of the evidence to the contrary, Napoleon and Squealer declare they have ‘secret documents’ which prove it.

But the other animals can’t read them, so they have to take his word for it. Squealer’s lie about the van that comes to take Boxer away (he claims it’s going to the vet, but it’s clear that Boxer is really being taken away to be slaughtered) is another such example.

Communist propaganda

Much as Stalin did in Communist Russia, Napoleon actively rewrites history , and manages to convince the animals that certain things never happened or that they are mistaken about something. This is a feature that has become more and more prominent in political society, even in non-totalitarian ones: witness our modern era of ‘fake news’ and media spin where it becomes difficult to ascertain what is true any more.

The pigs also convince the other animals that they deserve to eat the apples themselves because they work so hard to keep things running, and that they will have an extra hour in bed in the mornings. In other words, they begin to become the very thing they sought to overthrow: they become like man.

They also undo the mantra that ‘all animals are equal’, since the pigs clearly think they’re not like the other animals and deserve special treatment. Whenever the other animals question them, one question always succeeds in putting an end to further questioning: do they want to see Jones back running the farm? As the obvious answer is ‘no’, the pigs continue to get away with doing what they want.

Squealer is Napoleon’s propagandist, ensuring that the decisions Napoleon makes are ‘spun’ so that the other animals will accept them and carry on working hard.

And we can draw a pretty clear line between many of the major characters in Animal Farm and key figures of the Russian Revolution and Stalinist Russia. Napoleon, the leader of the animals, is Joseph Stalin; Old Major , whose speech rouses the animals to revolution, partly represents Vladimir Lenin, who spearheaded the Russian Revolution of 1917 (although he is also a representative of Karl Marx , whose ideas inspired the Revolution); Snowball, who falls out with Napoleon and is banished from the farm, represents Leon Trotsky, who was involved in the Revolution but later went to live in exile in Mexico.

Squealer, meanwhile, is based on Molotov (after whom the Molotov cocktail was named); Molotov was Stalin’s protégé, much as Squealer is encouraged by Napoleon to serve as Napoleon’s right-hand (or right-hoof?) man (pig).

Publication

Animal Farm very nearly didn’t make it into print at all. First, not long after Orwell completed the first draft in February 1944, his flat on Mortimer Crescent in London was bombed in June, and he feared the typescript had been destroyed. Orwell later found it in the rubble.

Then, Orwell had difficulty finding a publisher. T. S. Eliot, at Faber and Faber, rejected it because he feared that it was the wrong sort of political message for the time.

The novella was eventually published the following year, in 1945, and its relevance – as political satire, as animal fable, and as one of Orwell’s two great works of fiction – shows no signs of abating.

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Animal farm, common sense media reviewers.

Classic satirical allegory about the abuse of power.

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this book.

George Orwell's novel, about totalitarianism in ge

The main message of Animal Farm is pretty bleak, i

Many of the characters in Animal Farm care about t

The animals rebel against their human master and c

Even though the use of alcohol is prohibited on th

Parents need to know that Animal Farm is a biting satire of totalitarianism, written in the wake of World War II and published amid the rise of Soviet Russia. Although it tells a fairly simple story of barnyard animals trying to manage themselves after rebelling against their masters, the novel demonstrates…

Educational Value

George Orwell's novel, about totalitarianism in general and Stalinism in particular, is one of the most famous satires in the English language. It comments on Soviet Russia specifically and human folly in general.

Positive Messages

The main message of Animal Farm is pretty bleak, in essence, "Don't let this happen." Most of the animals mean well and want their farm to succeed, but none are a match for the treachery of their leaders.

Positive Role Models

Many of the characters in Animal Farm care about their community, but few are intellectually equipped to see how they are being exploited until it is too late. For example, Boxer the horse is steadfast in his support of the farm and pushes himself to great acts of strength for the good of all. But even he is unprepared for his ultimate fate once he is no longer needed.

Violence & Scariness

The animals rebel against their human master and chase him from the farm. When Farmer Jones returns with his neighbors, the animals attack the intruders and inflict various bites and cuts on them. Later, the pigs use their guard dogs to keep order on the farm. Some animals are executed for crimes for which they have supposedly confessed. The violence in the novel is not described in detail, but its emotional implications might be upsetting to some readers.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Even though the use of alcohol is prohibited on the farm, the pigs eventually feel free to get drunk whenever the mood strikes them.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

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Community reviews.

Parents say (15)
Kids say (125)

Based on 15 parent reviews

ANIMAL FARMIO

Epic rap battles of history : squealer vs. joseph stalin, what's the story.

After years of oppression by Farmer Jones, the animals on his farm rise up and chase him away. They plan to run the farm themselves, for their own benefit. At first, the animals are able to work together and support each other. Gradually, however, the pigs begin making helpful suggestions about how the farm should be run. Before long, the pigs are at the top of the social ladder and the rest of the livestock are wondering what happened.

Is It Any Good?

The story and language are very simple, but Orwell is unnervingly precise in the way he depicts each step on the road from revolution to tyranny. ANIMAL FARM has been popular and highly acclaimed since its publication in 1945. In 2005, Time magazine chose it as one of the 100 best English-language novels, and the book ranks at 31 on the Modern Library List of Best 20th Century Novels.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about what totalitarianism means, how it shaped the 20th century, and whether it still exists today.

As the pigs grow more powerful, they find a number of animals who seem willing to confess to the most horrendous crimes, even though they know they will be executed for their supposed crimes. Do criminal confessions always contain the complete truth? Why might a suspect confess to crime he or she did not commit?

Soon after they take over the farm, the animals agree to follow "The Seven Commandments." The rules seem fairly basic, but they are changed over the course of the novel. How do leaders today change the rules to achieve their own agendas?

One of the novel's most famous quotes is "All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others." What might that paradoxical statement mean?

Why do you think Animal Farm is often required reading in school?

Book Details

Author : George Orwell
Genre : Literary Fiction
Book type : Fiction
Publication date : August 17, 1945
Number of pages : 128
Last updated : June 8, 2015

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Animal Farm: A Fairy Story by George Orwell - review

Sinister, sad, yet true. Animal Farm is the most thought-provoking piece of literature I have ever read.

Captioned 'a fairy story', Animal Farm is anything but that. Sick and tired of maltreatment under their enslavement from man, the animals of Manor Farm revolt. Released from all chains, there is but one key rule: All animals are equal. Yet, as the story progresses we soon see some animals are more equal than others…

Written in an elegantly simple style, Orwell uses the turmoil faced on the farm by the animals as a metaphor for the Russian Revolution itself. It shows how a people's fight for freedom can so quickly morph into a power play as chaos ensues. Orwell cleverly plants lies, illiteracy and even a head hunt throughout the novel to explain the oppression, propaganda and elaborate excuses that led to the rise of the Soviet dictatorship.

Yet, this novel goes beyond addressing the Russian Revolution, it speaks to all revolts there have been and will ever be. It suggests an uprising is futile, that things will remain how they have always been neither getting better nor worse. All simply remains constant. Here I cannot agree with what George Orwell has to say, but right or wrong this book is a brilliant politically minded piece that is an irrevocable page turner, easily read in one sitting.

Truly a timeless classic that speaks so much of human nature. Plus, it's quaint farmyard setting makes this a very British book, lucky enough to have become a global phenomenon.

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Animal farm, by george orwell, recommendations from our site.

“ Animal Farm sticks in everybody’s mind. ‘All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others’. Again, this is something read twice. I read it for the first time when I was 14 or 15 and it was a funny story about badly behaved animals, but then I read it again at college and someone pointed out to me that this was sharp social satire. I thought it was an animal story, a kids’ book, but when I took another look at it I realised what he was getting at. The Soviet leadership was pretty well represented there.” Read more...

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P. J. O’Rourke , Political Commentator

“I picked Animal Farm because it is an allegory about power and its seductive and corruptive influence on people regardless of their initial good intentions.” Read more...

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Heather Brooke , Journalist

There is the extraordinary political impact of those two books, Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty-Four, actually releasing out of the barrel a number of highly unpleasant but necessary truths about the way oligarchy and authoritarianism works in the mid-20th century, at a time when a lot of people were determined that those things shouldn’t be said. When Orwell was trying to get Animal Farm published in the mid 1940s, it was rejected by at least one English publishing firm because they had been recommended to turn it down by the Ministry of Information on the grounds that it was politically inadvisable, given that the Soviet Union were our allies. And Peter Smollett, the man who’d advised that the book be rejected, was actually a Soviet spy. That just shows you how convoluted the situation was in Britain in the mid-1940s.

The Best George Orwell Books recommended by D J Taylor

I remember when I was in Bulgaria during the takeover, and one of President Kolarov’s entourage asked, ‘Could you get me Orwell’s book?’. That meant his first book, Animal Farm . When I gave it to this party veteran and he read it, he said Orwell must have come from a Communist country. But of course Orwell didn’t – so it was possible to understand communism without having been there.

The best books on Communism recommended by Robert Conquest

He wrote this book ( 1984 ) in 1948, when he was dying of tuberculosis, in a great burst of passionate determination, because he could see long before other people where totalitarianism and communism were heading. Animal Farm had told it as a kind of dark fairy-tale, but this was the culmination. The intellectual dishonesty of the Left, which refused to see how evil Stalin was, is despicable, and Orwell was brave enough to stand up to his friends as well as his enemies.

Books that Changed the World recommended by Amanda Craig

I could recommend you Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men , Orwell’s Animal F a rm or Kafka’s The Metamorphosis , all of which clock in at around 100 pages in length. But perhaps these are too obvious, as they are often set texts in high school.

Very Short Books You Can Read In A Day recommended by Cal Flyn

Other books by George Orwell

Down and out in paris and london by george orwell, burmese days by george orwell, a clergyman’s daughter by george orwell, keep the aspidistra flying by george orwell, the road to wigan pier by george orwell, homage to catalonia by george orwell, our most recommended books, the tainted cup by robert jackson bennett, three eight one by aliya whiteley, the tower: a novel by flora carr, funny story by emily henry, the last murder at the end of the world by stuart turton.

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ANIMAL FARM

A fairy story.

by George Orwell ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 26, 1946

A modern day fable, with modern implications in a deceiving simplicity, by the author of Dickens. Dali and Others (Reynal & Hitchcock, p. 138), whose critical brilliance is well adapted to this type of satire. This tells of the revolt on a farm, against humans, when the pigs take over the intellectual superiority, training the horses, cows, sheep, etc., into acknowledging their greatness. The first hints come with the reading out of a pig who instigated the building of a windmill, so that the electric power would be theirs, the idea taken over by Napoleon who becomes topman with no maybes about it. Napoleon trains the young puppies to be his guards, dickers with humans, gradually instigates a reign of terror, and breaks the final commandment against any animal walking on two legs. The old faithful followers find themselves no better off for food and work than they were when man ruled them, learn their final disgrace when they see Napoleon and Squealer carousing with their enemies... A basic statement of the evils of dictatorship in that it not only corrupts the leaders, but deadens the intelligence and awareness of those led so that tyranny is inevitable. Mr. Orwell's animals exist in their own right, with a narrative as individual as it is apt in political parody.

Pub Date: Aug. 26, 1946

ISBN: 0452277507

Page Count: 114

Publisher: Harcourt, Brace

Review Posted Online: Nov. 2, 2011

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 1946

LITERARY FICTION

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Four Chicago sisters anchor a sharp, sly family story of feminine guile and guilt.

Newcomer Lombardo brews all seven deadly sins into a fun and brimming tale of an unapologetically bougie couple and their unruly daughters. In the opening scene, Liza Sorenson, daughter No. 3, flirts with a groomsman at her sister’s wedding. “There’s four of you?” he asked. “What’s that like?” Her retort: “It’s a vast hormonal hellscape. A marathon of instability and hair products.” Thus begins a story bristling with a particular kind of female intel. When Wendy, the oldest, sets her sights on a mate, she “made sure she left her mark throughout his house—soy milk in the fridge, box of tampons under the sink, surreptitious spritzes of her Bulgari musk on the sheets.” Turbulent Wendy is the novel’s best character, exuding a delectable bratty-ness. The parents—Marilyn, all pluck and busy optimism, and David, a genial family doctor—strike their offspring as impossibly happy. Lombardo levels this vision by interspersing chapters of the Sorenson parents’ early lean times with chapters about their daughters’ wobbly forays into adulthood. The central story unfurls over a single event-choked year, begun by Wendy, who unlatches a closed adoption and springs on her family the boy her stuffy married sister, Violet, gave away 15 years earlier. (The sisters improbably kept David and Marilyn clueless with a phony study-abroad scheme.) Into this churn, Lombardo adds cancer, infidelity, a heart attack, another unplanned pregnancy, a stillbirth, and an office crush for David. Meanwhile, youngest daughter Grace perpetrates a whopper, and “every day the lie was growing like mold, furring her judgment.” The writing here is silky, if occasionally overwrought. Still, the deft touches—a neighborhood fundraiser for a Little Free Library, a Twilight character as erotic touchstone—delight. The class calibrations are divine even as the utter apolitical whiteness of the Sorenson world becomes hard to fathom.

Pub Date: June 25, 2019

ISBN: 978-0-385-54425-2

Page Count: 544

Publisher: Doubleday

Review Posted Online: March 3, 2019

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2019

LITERARY FICTION | FAMILY LIFE & FRIENDSHIP

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NORMAL PEOPLE

by Sally Rooney ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 16, 2019

Absolutely enthralling. Read it.

A young Irish couple gets together, splits up, gets together, splits up—sorry, can't tell you how it ends!

Irish writer Rooney has made a trans-Atlantic splash since publishing her first novel, Conversations With Friends , in 2017. Her second has already won the Costa Novel Award, among other honors, since it was published in Ireland and Britain last year. In outline it's a simple story, but Rooney tells it with bravura intelligence, wit, and delicacy. Connell Waldron and Marianne Sheridan are classmates in the small Irish town of Carricklea, where his mother works for her family as a cleaner. It's 2011, after the financial crisis, which hovers around the edges of the book like a ghost. Connell is popular in school, good at soccer, and nice; Marianne is strange and friendless. They're the smartest kids in their class, and they forge an intimacy when Connell picks his mother up from Marianne's house. Soon they're having sex, but Connell doesn't want anyone to know and Marianne doesn't mind; either she really doesn't care, or it's all she thinks she deserves. Or both. Though one time when she's forced into a social situation with some of their classmates, she briefly fantasizes about what would happen if she revealed their connection: "How much terrifying and bewildering status would accrue to her in this one moment, how destabilising it would be, how destructive." When they both move to Dublin for Trinity College, their positions are swapped: Marianne now seems electric and in-demand while Connell feels adrift in this unfamiliar environment. Rooney's genius lies in her ability to track her characters' subtle shifts in power, both within themselves and in relation to each other, and the ways they do and don't know each other; they both feel most like themselves when they're together, but they still have disastrous failures of communication. "Sorry about last night," Marianne says to Connell in February 2012. Then Rooney elaborates: "She tries to pronounce this in a way that communicates several things: apology, painful embarrassment, some additional pained embarrassment that serves to ironise and dilute the painful kind, a sense that she knows she will be forgiven or is already, a desire not to 'make a big deal.' " Then: "Forget about it, he says." Rooney precisely articulates everything that's going on below the surface; there's humor and insight here as well as the pleasure of getting to know two prickly, complicated people as they try to figure out who they are and who they want to become.

Pub Date: April 16, 2019

ISBN: 978-1-984-82217-8

Page Count: 288

Publisher: Hogarth

Review Posted Online: Feb. 17, 2019

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2019

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‘Animal Farm’: What Orwell Really Meant

July 11, 2013 issue

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Following is an excerpt from a letter from George Orwell to Dwight Macdonald, written in December 1946, soon after the publication of Animal Farm in the US. According to the editor of the letters, Peter Davison, who also supplied the footnotes, Macdonald wrote Orwell that

anti-Stalinist intellectuals of his acquaintance claimed that the parable of Animal Farm meant that revolution always ended badly for the underdog, “hence to hell with it and hail the status quo.” He himself read the book as applying solely to Russia and not making any larger statement about the philosophy of revolution. “I’ve been impressed with how many leftists I know make this criticism quite independently of each other—impressed because it didn’t occur to me when reading the book and still doesn’t seem correct to me. Which view would you say comes closer to you own intentions?”

Orwell’s reply will appear in George Orwell: Life in Letters , to be published by Liveright in August.

Re. your query about Animal Farm . Of course I intended it primarily as a satire on the Russian revolution. But I did mean it to have a wider application in so much that I meant that that kind of revolution (violent conspiratorial revolution, led by unconsciously power-hungry people) can only lead to a change of masters. I meant the moral to be that revolutions only effect a radical improvement when the masses are alert and know how to chuck out their leaders as soon as the latter have done their job. The turning-point of the story was supposed to be when the pigs kept the milk and apples for themselves (Kronstadt). 1 If the other animals had had the sense to put their foot down then, it would have been all right. If people think I am defending the status quo , that is, I think, because they have grown pessimistic and assume that there is no alternative except dictatorship or laissez-faire capitalism. In the case of Trotskyists, there is the added complication that they feel responsible for events in the USSR up to about 1926 and have to assume that a sudden degeneration took place about that date. Whereas I think the whole process was foreseeable—and was foreseen by a few people, eg. Bertrand Russell—from the very nature of the Bolshevik party. What I was trying to say was, “You can’t have a revolution unless you make it for yourself; there is no such thing as a benevolent dictat[or]ship. 2

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George Orwell (1903–1950) was the author of Animal Farm and 1984 , among many other works of fiction and journalism. dwight macdonald was an editor of Partisan Review  and the founder, during World War II, of the magazine Politics , which he edited at the time of his correspondence with Orwell. Peter Davison edited the twenty volumes of Orwell’s Complete Works , the Facsimile Edition of the Manuscript of 1984 , and The Lost Orwell .

CLOVER : Do you think that it is quite fair to appropriate the apples?

MOLLY : What, keep all the apples for themselves?

MURIEL : Aren’t we to have any?

COW : I thought they were to be shared out equally.

When Yvonne Davet wrote to Orwell on September 6, 1946, she told him that the title initially chosen for the French translation of Animal Farm was to be URSA—Union des Républiques Socialistes Animales (=URSA, the Bear) but it was changed “to avoid offending the Stalinists too much, which I think is a pity.” ↩

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Animal Farm

By george orwell.

George Orwell’s 'Animal Farm,' often misunderstood to be Children’s Literature, is a political satire on Stalin Russia. The novel projects how the people of Russia fall prey to a totalitarian regime when they were dreaming of a more free country of equality for all.

About the Book

Article written by Mizpah Albert

M.A. in English Literature and a Ph.D. in English Language Teaching.

It is an allegorical novel that deals with the Russian revolution through the animals in the manor farm who protests against their human masters’ tyranny. Unfortunately, when they feel like they have attained freedom, they become the victims of a power-hungry pig, Napoleon. He becomes a totalitarian dictator and rephrases the ideology of Animalism from “All are Equal” to “All Animals Are Equal / But Some Are More Equal Than Others” oppression.

Key Facts about Animal Farm

Title: Animal Farm, though initially known as Animal Farm: A Fairy Story
When/where written : Orwell started writing the novel in 1944
Published: First published in England on 17 August 1945 and in the U.S in 1946
Literary Period: Modernist period
Genre: Political satire; AllegoryPoint-of-View: Third-person through an anonymous writer
Setting : Mr. Jones’ Manor Farm
Climax : The Climax of the novel appears in Chapter V, where Napoleon runs Snowball off the farm, to secure power.
Antagonist: Napoleon

George Orwell and Animal Farm

George Orwell was a committed socialist , who expressed his strong views through his intellectual engagements. He has clearly portrayed his dissatisfaction over the dictators and megalomaniacs through his writings. If one observes his works clearly it could be clearly seen how he has dealt with socialism as something more than an emotion. Moreover, he has identified the Spanish Civil War of 1936 as some kind of defining moment in his career. For, he too has taken part in the war which unfortunately incapacitated him.

‘Animal Farm’ depicts the agony of Orwell as a Socialist as he sees the way Socialism has been deformed by Stalin. Orwell deliberately mocks and criticizes the Russian leadership under Lenin using Animals in the novel. It is evidently his disappointment exhibited through the simple story that shares his detailed perspectives on the Socialist Revolution. Orwell in his ‘ Animal Farm’ explains the Russian Revolution as a history of a revolution that went wrong through the animals’ attempt to attain freedom and equality which unfortunately leads to dictatorship. Initially, when the animals secure their freedom they form a utopian society, but soon they fall prey to the dictatorship of the pigs which were the brightest of other animals. The course of the story stands for The Russian Revolution of 1917 and the early years of the Soviet Union. While concluding the novel Orwell honestly illustrates the miserable impact of power in the life of comrades who become tyrannical dictators who initially fought for a cause quite opposite.

Animal Farm by George Orwell Digital Art

Books related to Animal Farm

‘Animal Farm’ is a widely read allegorical novel of George Orwell set in a dystopian world. It is a political satire in all its form on the negative result of the Russian Revolution and Stalin’s dictatorship. Though Orwell is a believer in socialism, he warns people against the dangers of Communism and totalitarian states, which was spreading rapidly in Europe with the possibility of Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany coming to power. Similar to Orwell’s Animal Farm, there are works intended as a political satire by different authors at different periods. These allegorical novels serve a moral or political idea woven into a fictional story.

Some of the novels that follow the setting and the theme of ‘ Animal farm’ include Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World , Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 , Golding’s Lord of the Flies, and Orwell’s famous dystopian novel 1984 . Bradbury in his dystopian novel Fahrenheit 451 written during the 1950s, at the height of McCarthyism in America, explores the dangers of rejecting knowledge in his. Similarly, Golding’s Lord of the Flies, written in 1954, examines the anxieties of society post-world war. Also, Aldous Huxley in his Brave New World deals with a futuristic world where the citizens are genetically modified to uphold the authoritarian regime. In contrast to ‘ Animal Farm,’ 1984 is set in a futuristic world and explores the effects of totalitarianism and warns the world against it.

The Lasting Impact of Animal Farm

‘Animal Farm’ though a short book is one of the few books that are featured as favorites by most people since its publication. Still in 1945, when Orwell tried to publish the book, it wasn’t a cakewalk for him. The publishing houses in Britain were hesitant for it was criticizing the Russian government, which was an ally then. Even, T. S. Eliot, who was a director of a publishing firm, rejected stating that it is “good writing” and still “not convincing.”

In this allegorical novel, Orwell makes one experience all the human emotions through the animal characters in the novel. Orwell attacks on Stalinism in Russia through the characters of ‘ Animal Farm.’ The dominant figures of Animalism, The Old Major, Snowball, and Napoleon represent Karl Marx, Leon Trotsky, and Stalin respectively. Napoleon driving Snowball out of the farm is based on Trotsky, who was expelled from the Communist Party, deported from Russia, and murdered by Stalin’s order.

The novel in all its significance speaks about power and corruption and how a democratic farm turns into a dictatorship. Even after decades of its publication, it stands as evidence of the political system’s universality. Napoleon uses propaganda, fear, and force to accomplish his motive. Similarly, this is a happening of all ages. It could be relevant to all periods wherever the dictators take advantage of the human desire for a better world for their own selfish interests. Thus, reading ‘ Animal Farm’ will remain an eye-opener for the generations to come as a manual to question power and hold leaders and the government responsible for their acts. In the end, the key characters not only represent the dictatorial regime of Stalin but also of any regime that tries to hold ultimate power over its subordinates.

Thus, all the unique features of the novel as mentioned stand as evidence for the long-lasting impact the novel has created in the past decades.

Animal Farm Review ⭐

George Orwell’s novel ‘Animal Farm’ opens with Old Major’s dream for a free world of animals. He shares his dream with the animals on the farm.

Animal Farm Quotes 💬

In ‘Animal Farm’ George Orwell tries to picture an ideal socialist nation through the image of Russia’s failed socialism. From the Pigs to the Horse to the smallest of the animals are used to explain his ideology.

Animal Farm Character List 🐖

George Orwell wrote ‘Animal Farm’ to express his critical perspective on Socialism, Dictatorship, and Totalitarian based on his observation of the Russian Revolution.

Animal Farm Historical Context 🐖

George Orwell’s 1945 novel ‘Animal Farm,’ is a political fable that satire’s on communism that turned out to be a dictatorship. The novel is based on the Russian Revolution of 1917.

Animal Farm Themes and Analysis 🐖

‘Animal Farm’ is a political allegory based on the events of the Russian revolution and the betrayal of the cause by Joseph Stalin.

Animal Farm Summary 🐖

‘Animal Farm’ by George Orwell, an allegorical novel, tells the story of a group of farm animals who rebel against their human masters to create a society of equality and freedom.

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Orwell’s Fables

George orwell's story is too close to recent historical events without being close enough..

George Orwell in his critical writings shows imagination and taste; his wit is both edged and human. Few writers of any period have been able to use the English language so simply and accurately to say what they mean, and at the same time to mean something. The news that he had written a satirical allegory, telling the story of a revolution by farm animals against their cruel and dissolute master, and of their subsequent fortunes, was like the smell of a roast from a kitchen ruled by a good cook, near the end of a hungry morning. The further news that this book had been chosen and was being pushed by the Book of the Month Club, though it occasioned surprise, was pleasant because it seemed to herald one of those instances when unusual talent of the sort rarely popular receives recognition and a great tangible reward.

There are times when a reviewer is happy to report that a book is bad because it fulfills his hope that the author will expose himself in a way that permits a long deserved castigation. This is not one of them, I was expecting that Orwell would again give pleasure and that his satire of the sort of thing which democrats deplore in the Soviet Union would be keen and cleansing. Instead, the book puzzled and saddened me. It seemed on the whole dull. The allegory turned out to be a creaking machine for saying in a clumsy way things that have been said better directly. And many of the things said are not instantly recognized as the essence of truth, but are of the sort which start endless and boring controversy.

Orwell does know his farm animals and gives them vivid personalities. Many will recognize Benjamin, the donkey who never commits himself, never hurries and thinks that in the end nothing much matters. Mollie the saddle horse, who wanders from the puritanical path of the revolution to seek ribbons for her mane, the cat who never does any work, the hens who sabotage by laying their eggs in the rafters, Clover and Boxer, the powerful, trusting and honest draught horses, are all real enough. But these spontaneous creatures seem in action like circus animals performing mechanically to the crack of the story-teller’s whip.

Part of the trouble lies in the fact that the story is too close to recent historical events without being close enough. Major, the aged pig who on his deathbed tells the animals of their oppression and prophesies revolution, must be Karl Marx. His two followers who lead the revolution, Napoleon and Snowball, are then readily identified as Lenin and Trotsky. This identification turns out to be correct in the case of Snowball, but the reader soon begins to puzzle over the fact that Napoleon disapproves the project of building a windmill—an obvious symbol for electrification and industrialization—whereas this was Lenin’s program. The puzzlement is increased when Napoleon chases out Snowball as a traitor; it was Stalin who did this.

And so it goes through incident after incident. The young dogs are alone selected for schooling; later they appear as the secret police. Is this a picture of Soviet education? The pigs not only keep the best food for themselves, but also become drunkards, taking over the pasture reserved for retirement of the superannuated in order to raise the necessary barley. Of course prohibition was abolished early in the revolution, but have the leaders drunk too much and has social insurance been abolished? There is a pathetic incident when Boxer, the sturdy and loyal old work horse, is sent off to be slaughtered and turned into dog food and bone meal, under the pretext that he is being hospitalized. Just what part of Soviet history corresponds to this?

Nobody would suppose that good allegory is literally accurate, but when the reader is continually led to wonder who is who and what aspect of reality is being satirized, he is prevented either from enjoying the story as a story or from valuing it as a comment. Masters like Swift and Anatole France, with whom Orwell is compared in the blurbs, were not guilty of this fault. They told good stories, the interest of which did not lie wholly in their caricature. And their satire, however barbed, was not dependent on identification of historical personages or specific events.

The thoughtful reader must be further disturbed by the lack of clarity in the main intention of the author. Obviously he is convinced that the animals had just cause for revolt and that for a time their condition was improved under the new regime. But they are betrayed by their scoundrelly, piggish leaders. In the end, the pigs become indistinguishable from the men who run the other nearby farms; they walk on two legs, have double and triple chins, wear clothes and carry whips. Animal Farm reverts to the old Manor Farm in both name and reality.

No doubt this is what George Orwell thinks has happened in Russia. But if he wants to tell us why it happened, he has failed. Does he mean to say that not these pigs, but Snowball, should have been on top? Or that all the animals should have been merged in a common primitive communism without leaders or organization? Or that it was a mistake to try to industrialize, because pastoral simplicity is the condition of equality and cooperation? Or that, as in the old saw criticizing socialism, the possibility of a better society is a pipe-dream, because if property were distributed equally, the more clever and selfish would soon get a larger share and things would go on as of old? Though I am sure he did not intend this moral, the chances are that a sample poll of the book-club readers in the United States would indicate that a large majority think so and will heartily approve the book on that account.

There is no question that Orwell hates tyranny, sycophancy, deceitful propaganda, sheeplike acceptance of empty political formulas. His exposures of these detestable vices constitute the best passages in the book. There have been plenty of such abuses in Russia, They also crop up in other places. It is difficult to believe that they determined the whole issue of the Russian revolution, or that Russia is now just like every other nation. No doubt in some respects she is worse than most; in other respects she may be better.

It seems to me that the failure of this book (commercially it is already assured of tremendous success) arises from the fact that the satire deals not with something the author has experienced, but rather with stereotyped ideas about a country which he probably does not know very well. The plan for the allegory, which must have seemed a good one when be first thought of it, became mechanical in execution. It almost appears as if he had lost his zest before be got very far with the writing. He should try again, and this time on something nearer home.

'Animal Farm' at 50 Date: April 14, 1996, Late Edition - Final Byline: By Arthur C. Danto Lead: Arthur C. Danto's most recent books are ''Playing With the Edge: The Photographic Achievement of Robert Mapplethorpe'' and ''After the End of Art: Contemporary Art and the Pale of History.'' The leading figures in '' Animal Farm '' are clever pigs, one of whom, Napoleon, has the propensity for evil, the paranoia and the greed for power found in despots throughout history. He is clearly modeled on Stalin, as his corevolutionary, Snowball, is the Trotsky figure of George Orwell 's tale, and as Squealer, his minister of propaganda, is modeled on those experts in the subversion of truth probably best exemplified, in a different totalitarian order, by Goebbels. The political structure of Animal Farm -- the farm that gives the book its title -- is very much that of Plato's ''Republic,'' with the pigs as rulers; a pack of fierce dogs as what Plato would call guardians, serving to enact and enforce the rulers' will; and then the plain ordinary animals -- horses, goats, donkeys, sheep, chickens -- who, fired by a utopian ideal transmitted to them by a prophetic pig, old Major, undertake to create for themselves a life free of exploitation. In the beginning, the animals are totally exploited by their human owners. After their revolution, there is a brief period when the animals labor for themselves alone. By the end of the book, the animals might be said still to work only for animals, but they might as well be working for human farmers, since their animal rulers are the pigs, who now walk about on two legs, wear clothes, sleep in beds, swill beer and are exactly as exploitative as the humans they have replaced. Text: ''A Fairy Story'' is Orwell 's subtitle for the book, and it is made to order for a certain kind of illustration in which pigs can be shown as ridiculous, taking on more and more human attributes; and as evil, since they can, with a few wicked touches, serve as caricatures of various easily represented figures in Soviet history, which Orwell in part meant as the target of his allegory. The proportion that Orwell quite clearly had in mind -- Soviet dictators are to human beings as human beings are to animals -- makes ''Animal Farm'' a pessimistic book only if dictatorship is the inevitable result of political revolution, and if, again, revolutions are inevitably, as the word implies, circular. Orwell 's message was not to beware of revolution but to watch out for the pigs, who may try to take it over. Even then, had the animals' revolution fallen into the hands of Snowball rather than Napoleon -- the Trotsky rather than the Stalin character in the book -- life might have been as rosy as its promise in the speech of old Major, which ignited the misanthropy and the discontent of the proletarian beasts who made the revolution and endured its bitter consequences. It was the unmistakable Soviet reference that more than 50 years ago made it difficult for Orwell to publish the book -- initially because the publishers to whom he submitted it were, like so many intellectuals of the period, reluctant to see any bad word said about the one clear instance of socialist experiment, and then because, once the Russians were allies in the war against Germany, it seemed wrong to give aid and comfort to the enemy. It was doubtless the thinly disguised Soviet reference that gave the book its first tremendous popularity, inasmuch as its publication virtually coincided with the advent of the cold war. But the sustained acceptance of the book is testimony to a human meaning deeper than anti-Soviet polemics. The book very quickly entered the political imagination as a moral fable that showed how the most exalted social ideals are degraded when raw power continues to speak in the language of brotherhood, and how this entails the corruption of truth and meaning. Its famous example is the sad transformation of ''All animals are equal'' -- Item 7 in the Animalist Manifesto composed by Snowball and Napoleon -- into ''All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others,'' a precocious example of what Orwell called Newspeak in his chilling masterpiece, ''Nineteen Eighty-four.'' ''Animal Farm'' may find a certain confirmation in the metamorphosis of Communist apparatchiks into market capitalists and racketeers, just as the seeming plasticity of truth that enables its cynical pigs to interpret and reinterpret the Animalist Manifesto has its counterpart in the giddier employments of deconstructionism. But these applications simply underscore the political universality of Orwell 's profound and affecting work, and we know that it will be timelessly timely, as long at least as human beings are what Nietzsche called human, all too human. Its unwavering appeal to readers has made it a steady seller in the half-century since its publication, and it is fitting that Secker & Warburg, the publisher that showed sufficient courage to bring the book out in August 1945, should have marked its golden anniversary with an opulently illustrated edition (published now in this country by its first American publisher, Harcourt Brace). This new edition is as far a cry as can be imagined from the wartime austerity of the first. How fitting Ralph Steadman is as the book's illustrator is a more complicated matter, though in truth, when I try to think of who would be the ideal illustrator, only Goya comes to mind, for the book requires the comedy of ''Los Capriccios,'' with its absurdly humanized animals, and the violence of ''Los Desastros de la Guerra,'' where human beings behave to one another like beasts. Mr. Steadman is a master of a certain bravura caricatural style found chiefly in England, marked by blots and spatterings that testify to a highly energized brush or pen, employing, at its most successful, forms that are heavy black brushstrokes, accenting figures done with thin spidery lines. I suppose it is the task of illustrators to find visual equivalents to texts, with the images depicting what the text describes. But in ''Animal Farm'' there is nothing verbal to which the blots and spatters might correspond, and, if the implied narrator should in fact be an animal, he or she is a far greater master of English prose than the draftsman of many of the illustrations in the book is a master of the drawn line. Orwell treated his animals with dignity and affection -- I found tears coming to my eyes when Boxer the horse begins his descent into death. But Mr. Steadman's drawings are in no sense equivalent in feeling to the text he has undertaken to ornament. There really is a sense in which, graphically speaking, the pigs are more equal than any of the other animals. Mr. Steadman does not draw any of the other animals with anything approaching the vehemence with which he draws the pigs, unless we count humans as animals, which violates one of the commandments of Animalism (''Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy''). The human animal is Mr. Steadman's natural subject, and his drawing of the hapless Farmer Jones has some of the energy the pigs always have -- which is a way of showing, I suppose, that we are pretty much pigs under the skin, a deep identity that has not escaped the attention of moralists before. It enables Mr. Steadman to bring off with great clat the moment when it becomes difficult for the animals, as it does for us, to tell in the climactic drawing, when the two groups meet, which are the pigs and which the farmers. But I would be more convinced that this was an intended commentary if I felt that the other animals were shown convincingly, as Goya showed them, or as Maurice Sendak does. In fact the drawings of the other animals are fairly undistinguished, as if for a down-market children's book with no great budget for pictures. The two-page spread of the expiring Boxer is almost embarrassingly, well, lifeless. ''Animal Farm'' is neither political cartoon nor children's book. One thinks back, fondly, to the plain, unassuming book, small and thin, with warped covers and cheap paper, that was part of everybody's library in the years after the war. Its story was self-illustrating, so to speak, for it was pictorial in a way that meant no actual set of pictures could capture and hold its meaning. It immediately established itself in the reader's imagination, and in the reader's political discourse. The book will survive all its editions.

Book review: Animal Farm by George Orwell

George Orwell is a name that needs no introduction if you’re a fan of literature and Animal Farm is one of, if not his most, famous books. Animal Farm centres around animals rebelling against humans on a farm and rising up as part of a revolution.

Please note that this article contains affiliate links. This means if you choose to purchase Animal Farm via one of these links, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you to support the blog. These links do not affect my final opinion of the product.

Animal Farm was written in 1945 by George Orwell and as noted above tells the story of a group of farm animals who decide to overthrow the humans that run the farm with the aim of living a better life. However, in typical George Orwell form, things don’t go exactly as planned and there are huge political connotations throughout the book.

One day Old Major, a boar on a farm in the middle of England calls all of the animals of the farm together and tells them that the reason they live in a life that constantly sees them producing and working to only have their produce taken is away is because they are ruled by humans. They then quickly rebel against Mr Jones, the owner of the farm, driving him out and beginning their own rules on the farm. Everything starts out very well, they set clear rules and guides so that everybody is treated fairly, eats well and contributes an equal amount. However, things begin to change as intelligence, importance and hierarchy are brought into force.

Animal Farm is a book that’s been studied in British Schools for decades due to its social suggestions and political education. George Orwell does a fantastic job in this book of exploring how societies collapse into a dictatorship slowly but steadily via careful planning and building of trust. Animal Farm gives us a simple selection of subjects – animals from a farm. It then uses well-known traits about these animals – horses are strong, pigs and dogs are smart, sheep and ducks are dumb etc to give us an idea of how these people would be represented in society. These animals are literal and metaphorical clones of human beings within society. Along with this, we see Orwell write a story that shows us how certain animals (people) make it to the top of their power tree and then use their intelligence and control to stay there via propaganda and lies.

I loved the plot of this book. It was a true joy to follow the adventures of these animals – how they all dealt with one another and how the story progressed so far in so few pages (it’s only a novella). You’re gripped the whole way through as you can see where you’re being taken but Orwell is doing such a great job of explaining things to you that you’re finding it a joy to be taken there.

Characters – 4/5

I’m not really sure how to rate the characters in this book as none of them fit into my usual brackets of being “good” characters. Plus, as with Orwell’s other books, there isn’t a vast amount of dialogue between the characters. It is written with a very passive voice, often writing about the events happening rather than actually having the characters take part in the event as part of the plot. However, Orwell has a brilliant way of writing this where he combines intelligent language but simple prose so it’s very accessible but also intelligent enough to not feel like you’re reading a children’s book.

However, as discussed above, they each have their own characteristics that make them more suited to the new Animal Farm regime or less suited. The Pigs, deemed the most intelligent, essentially end up running the farm as they are accepted to make the best decisions of the masses. Boxer is a horse, he’s hard-working, quiet and well-loved by many for his dedication. There’s Leonard, a boar who becomes the leader, enforcing new rules as he slowly gains the trust of his fellow farm members. There are some really interesting characters here who you feel could represent people you know or political figures from history. Either way, Orwell has done a great job of simply making each of these characters different. However, I have dropped it one point as this isn’t a character-driven book and so many of them weren’t overly fleshed out.

Animal Farm summary – 5/5

Animal Farm is a wonderful book. It’s the first time I’ve read it and I can see why so many people hail it as such a fantastic piece of British literature. I can also see why it’s been studied in British academia – it’s a book about the power of propaganda and social control. It’s a book that puts into simple terms how your personality, intelligence, ethics and even physical build can affect where you end up in life and your importance to society. We’re very lucky in Britain to live in a society that isn’t centred around those mentioned above to allow you to progress in whatever profession or lifestyle you wish to progress in. However, it’s worth noting that Orwell noted that this book reflects events leading up to the Russian Revolution of 1917 and then on into the Stalinist era of the Soviet Union so its messages are very real.

I’d recommend Animal Farm to anybody who is in political propaganda, anybody may well be into a bit of fantasy (it’s a book about animals forming a society) or people that simply want to read an absolute classic of literature.

Review: Animal Farm by George Orwell

When I compiled my list for the Classics Club , I included a couple re-reads. I wanted it to be all new—the idea being to cross things off my TBR list—but there were a few books I wanted to read again. I first read Animal Farm in high school, immediately after 1984 . My initial impression was that it was an off-brand 1984 with fewer layers, more obvious themes, and a gimmick with talking animals. I forgot it soon after reading, but every time someone said they preferred it to 1984 , I wondered if I was missing something. So I decided to read it again. Oh, and it’s short. I needed to balance The Lord of the Rings , Vanity Fair , and two giant books by Dostoevsky.

Animal Farm is a satiric fable in which the animals on Manor Farm forcibly overthrow the humans on their farm. They believe they can run the place more efficiently and more equitably than any human. They’ll eat better, be treated better, and work less, plus the intangible benefits:

But they were happy in their work; they grudged no effort or sacrifice, well aware that everything they did was for the benefit of themselves and those of their kind who would come after them, and not for a pack of idle, thieving human beings. (59)

Despite the animals’ hopes, the longed-for utopia never comes to pass as the pigs seize power and entrench themselves in the farmer’s house, bending rules more and more to their own benefit.

High School Opinion

It was hard to take the animals seriously. The idea of animals manipulating farm tools with hooves and paws seemed too ridiculous. It felt like the allegory/satire was being prioritized over any semblance of story.

Current Opinion

Using animals makes the book more timeless than it would be otherwise. While Stalinist Russia was one of the original targets of Orwell’s satire, it applies to other totalitarian regimes. This book is aging well—surprisingly well. If it felt overly tied to a specific time period or country, it wouldn’t be as affecting.

I do still think that using animals forces the story to be simpler than it might otherwise be. The animals’ hierarchy is determined by the ability of each species to become literate. The pigs have the most power because they read and write most fluently. Though there’s an early effort to educate everyone on the farm, there’s a hard limit to each species’ ability to learn and retain information, so the pigs ultimately rule over an uneducated populace. The strength of any satirical novel lies in its ability to map onto and critique the real world; these limits on literacy help drive the plot, but I don’t know what it’s meant to mean that the working animals are incapable of learning. It would be one thing if they weren’t allowed to be educated, or discouraged from learning to read—but that they’re incapable?

Orwell does such a stunning job of showing how the pigs change the rules, hide their cushy lifestyle from the other animals, and engage in double-speak that it’s not necessary to make the animals unintelligent. In fact, it might have made his point more strongly if some of the animals were intelligent, but still fooled because all of them want so badly to believe that their lives will improve. It’s their hope and misplaced faith that gives the book any emotional resonance at all—otherwise, it would be a fairly shallow study.

It bothered me that Animal Farm lacks a central protagonist. The story felt generic and unfocused.

Animal Farm is stronger for not having a central protagonist. A lot of novels that poke at a society’s flaws have a protagonist that challenges the system. It’s a solid format because it lets the author insert their own commentary in a natural-sounding way, and gives the reader someone to cheer for, but it’s an old format. No single animal is the sole focus of Animal Farm, and seeing the animals be systematically ground down makes the novel’s point clearer than any protagonist’s speech.

Writing the story from a distance also allows Orwell to present each new power grab by the pigs in an interesting way. He writes things so that they’re clear to the reader but obscure for the other animals. At times, he finds a way to inject a little humor by writing this way, and a little levity never goes amiss.

The fate of one particularly hard-working animal is too upsetting to talk about.

Overall: 4.2 (out of 5.0) While there’s not much in Animal Farm that’s subtle, it’s very well written. There’s an odd charm to it, and even some humor. While it sometimes feels like simplified 1984 , it’s a much more palatable story. I don’t know that I’ll ever re-read 1984 —Room 101 shook me as a kid when every book/movie I’d read/seen previously made me think the ending would be different.

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Book review: “Animal Farm” by George Orwell

“Oh, I read that — in high school, I think,” the waitress said as she saw me with George Orwell’s 1945 novel Animal Farm .

“Yeah, I might have even read it in grade school,” I said. “It’s different reading it now. Back then, it was all about Communism. Now, it’s about….well, everything.”

Animal Farm was less than two decades old when I read it sometime in the early 1960s, but it was already a classic. That was, in part, because it was heavily promoted by our elders as a total indictment of the Soviet Union and its totalitarian form of Communism.

There’s no question that Orwell, who died in 1950, patterned the events in his short novel on the Russian Revolution and on the resulting government that evolved into a top-heavy, brutal regime based on lying and terror. It seemed made-to-order for the rabid anti-Reds in America in that era, and Orwell’s fable-like simplicity in telling the story meant it was assigned to an entire generation to preteens and teens.

I suspect, however, that, had he lived longer, Orwell would have been chagrined at how his novel had been pigeon-holed as an anti-Communist tract — because it isn’t.

How power corrupts

Orwell’s simplicity of language isn’t a dumbing down of the story to make it palatable for children. There is genius in the way he walks the reader through the tale, and, if it seems easy to read, that, I’m sure, is because Orwell wanted everyone, including adults, regardless of their education, to be able to take it in.

It is a modern fable, a parable, a story to teach a lesson. And the lesson is about more than Russian Communists.

It’s a lesson about how power corrupts, no matter the situation.

In the novel, the animals on Manor Farm revolt against Farmer Jones and win possession and control of the farm. And, the next day, they gather on a knoll from which they can see their shared domain:

Yes, it was theirs — everything that they could see was theirs! In the ecstasy of that thought they gamboled round and round, they hurled themselves into the air in great leaps of excitement. They rolled in the dew, they cropped mouthfuls of the sweet summer grass, they kicked up clods of the black earth and snuffed its rich scent.

Echoes any revolution

Over the next hundred pages, the pigs who led the revolt — Napoleon and Snowball, and their spokesman Squealer — gather more and more power unto themselves. The two leaders have a falling out, and Snowball is chased away, lucky to survive with his life. The Seven Commandments that were promulgated in the aftermath of the rebellion are increasingly adjusted to the benefit of Napoleon and the other pigs, and their dog allies.

One of the most shocking developments is the line of animals who are forced to confess to crimes against the farm and are immediately executed. Then, Boxer, the steadfast, salt-of-the-earth workhorse, breaks down with age and overwork and is sent off to the knacker’s to be killed and turned into glue.

The story fits the first half century of the Soviet Union, but it also echoes what happens in any rebellion, whether the French Revolution or the American Revolution or ones still to come.

The idealism at the beginning of a revolt has to do with equality, but that equality will soon fade away as those with power use their power. As Napoleon eventually tells the other animals in the form of a new commandment that replaces the earlier ones:

“ALL ANIMALS ARE EQUAL BUT SOME ARE MORE EQUAL THAN OTHERS.”

As Animal Farm details, those in power keep control by using their power for that purpose. They also use propaganda and terror and statistics and high ideals and outright lies.

Orwell’s novel is not just a fable. It is also a warning to the multitudes of any nation that those in power will do whatever they can get away with in order to stay in charge.

Oh, you may say, it hasn’t happened here in the United States in the way Orwell as written. It won’t happen here. It can’t happen here.

Of course, it has been happening, as anyone paying attention can attest to.

One last note: There’s no happy ending to Animal Farm .

Patrick T. Reardon

Written by : Patrick T. Reardon

For more than three decades Patrick T. Reardon was an urban affairs writer, a feature writer, a columnist, and an editor for the Chicago Tribune. In 2000 he was one of a team of 50 staff members who won a Pulitzer Prize for explanatory reporting. Now a freelance writer and poet, he has contributed chapters to several books and is the author of Faith Stripped to Its Essence. His website is https://patricktreardon.com/.

Yipee ki-yay, motherbooker

Swearing, rants, reviews, on every level, book review – animal farm by george orwell.

I might as well start off by saying something potentially controversial. I much prefer Animal Farm to 1984 . George Orwell’s classic dystopia may have a much more exciting narrative but his Russian Revolution fable just hits harder. For a start, it’s written better, it doesn’t waste time getting its message across, and follows a clear structure. 1984 is a rambling and slow story with underdeveloped characters. Is it more exciting? At times. Does it have a powerful message? Yes. But was it as successful a whole as Animal Farm ? No. 1984 is undoubtedly a classic but it feels a little indulgent. It’s always kind of bewildered me that 1984 has always been the more popular one. It feels like dystopian fiction just gets more of a pass.

When you really look at it, Animal Farm does almost exactly what 1984 does but in a much cleaner and accomplished way. Instead of looking to the future, Orwell looks to the past. The novella uses farm animals to depict the events leading up to the Russian Revolution of 1917 and the Stalinist era of the Soviet Union. When the animals of Manor Farm finally have enough of their owner, they come together to overthrow him. Once he’s gone, the pigs start to paint a picture of a wholly equal society and things start off well. Tensions begin rising between the two wisest pigs, Napoleon and Snowball, and the happy society begins to fracture. How long can the animals live together in harmony?

Okay, so there’s no real surprises with this book because we know how Stalin worked out for the Soviet Union. It’s not as if the twists will really shock you but that’s not really the point. This is a story with a powerful message and it works so well. The farm structure reflects Rusian society so perfectly and it really lends itself to the overall message. The way that the hierarchy works within the animals is really clever and the whole concept grabs you from the beginning. And that ending? If the opening line to 1984 is one of the most well-known in literature, the closing lines of Animal Farm have also got to be up there. It punches you in the gut and will leave you with a chill up your spine.

Now, let’s talk about those characters for a second. Can anyone say that they really cared about anyone in 1984 as much as anyone in Animal Farm? I felt like I knew more about the sheep and chickens than I did about Winston and Julia. When you have a character like Boxer, the longer novel can’t stand up. Maybe it helps that the characters are representing historical figures but so what? They are all so perfectly rendered here and you really get to grips with them. You understand who they are and where they’re coming from.

It might sound impossible but turning these characters into animals only makes them seem more human. The tyrants of 1984 are evil, there is no doubt, but there is an emotional connection missing. Their actions don’t have that personal touch because you aren’t fully engaged with the main characters. In Animal Farm there is an added tragedy to the proceedings. We understand these characters and we care about them. It only makes the awful actions of the pigs more emotional for the reader. Not only does this change the way they read but the way the story gets across. The animals really help project Orwell’s argument onto the real world. It is easy to see their behaviour as human behaviour and, therefore, take heed of the message. 1984 is too far removed from reality for that to happen.

I’ll never understand the epic popularity of 1984 . I would happily reread Animal Farm every year but I’d have to push myself to reread 1984 that often. Every line in the shorter book is practically perfect and is there for the right reason. The writing is superior, the pace works, and the whole message is much clearer. There is more balance and lightness in this novel that makes it a much more enjoyable reading experience. I guess its true, “all Orwell books are equal but some are more equal than others”.

Book Review: Animal Farm

Orwell wrote this book to examine the early years of the Soviet Union and the real result of the Russian Revolution. He uses Manor Farm as the setting and uses the farm animals as characters to convince the reader how the leaders of a country could put in place a system that would not be the utopia they promise. These promises may turn out to create a situation much worse than existed before. Orwell wanted a farm where “All Animals Are Equal.” Unfortunately, “Some Are More Equal Than Others.” The reader will recognize some of the characters as representing historical figures such as Stalin, Marx, Lenin, and Trotsky. If you are interested in economic and political systems and how they impact the citizens, you will not be able to put this book down! Animal Farm is one of my favorite books.

Animal Farm by George Orwell

Animal Farm by George Orwell was first published in 1945 and will be celebrating its seventieth birthday next year. It is still a keen area of debate whether it remains relevant for readers of this generation - I certainly believe it is, and the fact that it is still studied as part of the United Kingdom’s English Literature curriculum would add further credence to this opinion. I re-read the novella last night and found its themes and messages just as powerful, moving and relevant as they must have been seven decades ago.

George Orwell was – and still is - one of Great Britain’s most famous writers and it was Animal Farm, and the dystopian nightmare Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949) which first brought him worldwide respect. Animal Farm is set in a farmyard where the animals decide to seize the farmer's land and create a co-operative that reaps the benefits of their combined labours. However, some animals see a bigger share of the rewards than others, and the animals start to question their supposed utopia. Little by little, the rules begin to mysteriously change, and the pigs seem to gain power little by little, making the animals question what society they were striving for in the first place and whether their new-found freedom is as liberating as they might have hoped.

Animal Farm is one of the greatest socio-political works of all time but there is no need for the reader to pick-up on - or understand - any of the allusions to Lenin, Marx, Trotsky or Stalin as the story can be enjoyed as the simple, moving and enlightening parable it essentially is, a story that clearly shows humankind at its best and very worst. For me, it highlights the demons within every human – jealousy, greed, laziness and cruelty born of fear.

The parable successfully shows how the dream that communism in theory could be so easily turns into the nightmare that totalitarianism again and again has proven to be. I have always found anthropomorphism within the animal kingdom to provide an excellent framework within on which to build very serious themes – William Horwood’s Duncton Wood deals with religious intolerance, Watership Down deals with the never-ending struggle between tyranny and freedom. And for some reason, a loyal horse betrayed can become one of the most tragic and sympathetic figures in literature.

Animal Farm is moving, bitter and a warning from history – one of which will of course be ignored, for that is what humans excel at, repeating the errors and misjudgements of the past. It will only take 2-3 hours to read from cover to cover and as I believe it can now be sourced legitimately for free from sources like Project Gutenberg it is a book that anyone could and should read.

10/10 Animal Farm is moving, bitter and a warning from history.

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Review by Floresiensis

43 positive reader review(s) for Animal Farm

Junaid from England

A brilliant and timeless analyse of the mechanics of bureaucracy, ultimate betrayal of the hopes of the people. Let's pray it remains in the curriculum, for this story talks about power and control in general, not only in a communist system. The worst we could do against this book is to keep on saying "it is only about totalitarianism and the history of the USSR"... Not only, not only

The book Animal Farm an engaging and educational must read. I thought it was very interesting how he portrayed the the cycle of revolution turning into tyranny. He describes how easily good intentions can be subverted into tyranny. This book indirectly describes communism and the government and how you can never make everyone happy. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. Orwell's writing is pessimistic and visual. I recommend this book.

Someone from California

Everyone should read and it is base on a true story. EVERYONE SHOULD READ ANIMAL FARM!

Bita from Iran

One of the greatest book I have ever read. Just a writer can write this kinda book that has a powerful imagination and Mr Orwell was the right person for that. It was months that my friends recommended it to me but I thought that it will be weird and I won't like it but when I finished the book I got that I was wrong whole time.

Arnav from India

Mr. Jones owns a farm in which the animals are treated harshly. This leads to a widespread rebellion of animals and then they overthrow the humans. The main objective of this rebellion is that the animals should lead a life of their own.

Ali from Pakistan

I have recently read the novella "Animal Farm", and I found it as influential as it must have been for the readers who were looking for the masterpiece of English literature. I am amazingly impressed by the plot, and its allegorical flow of theme. All in all, it gets into your and impels you to complete it as soon as one may. Interestingly, I read it for my academic course but it is on the top of the masterpieces I have read it so far. It explicitly indicates what political leaders of modern world brag for, but when they access to the realm of power their hypocrisy is reveled and they leave no stones to fill their buckets with the blood and sweet of the masses.

Thalia from England

I studied Animal Far for my English class and it was an amazingly fascinating book to read, it does well to portray how difficult it must have been to live in the Russian Revolution and it makes me feel very lucky to live today.

Heather from Canada

I am not even finished the book however it is such a joy to read! Knowing the reason why Orwell wrote this book and relating it back to history was so symbolic! Even though some may say that it is difficult for kids under 15, I am under 15 and it is not difficult for me. If you really spent the time devouring every word, this book is such a joy to read. It portrays what happened then and translating it to a perspective we can all imagine as. Animal Farm is an excellent book and everyone must read it at least once in their life!

Anon from UK

A must read book for everyone.

Paul Mendy from Gambia

Very nice book

John from Canada

I I read this book in 1965, and it is still in my library it is an eye opener to readers.

Jeff from Jamaica

I love the book!!!

Sourov Datta Bijoy from Bangladesh

Animal Farm is a great a depiction of the Russian Revolution of 1917 and the USSR. It shows how the leaders manipulates public over their believes (sometimes which are wrong).

Professor from UK

Animal Farm is an engaging eye-opening book that highlights the issues about betrayal, greed and inequality in human society. The book is based on the Russian revolution and shows how we are tricked into believing the ideas set by leaders.

Fatemeh from Iran

Such an interesting and symbolic book! I really enjoyed reading this amazing book.

Ibrahima Sanoh from The Gambia

the book shows how humanity is and the book is very nice and sensible.

Rads from United Kingdom

This is the greatest satire of the darker face of modern history which highlights deep issues about trust, betrayal, tyranny and corruption. Orwell's chilling fable is remarkably accurate and gives is one of the best allegories out there to read. It is a book worth reading by anyone who understands its context and structure. This 94-page book is the best book I have ever read and I am glad I read it! A MUST READ!!!!!!

Dali from Africa

So goood!!!!!!!!!

Missu from Canada

Difficult reading, great discussion.

Sky from United States

This book was assigned to me in my senior English class. This book was nothing I was anticipating. I was promised a book with talking animals. I came to find out that it was much more. This book is much bigger than that once you learn the purpose driven behind it. George Orwell uses the animal fable effectively to show the issues of injustice, and inequality in human society/human nature. He tells a story of The Russian Revolution through Animal Farm. He express his opinions on the circumstances, while also exposing the corrupt system in communism. He does an incredible job at this. The theme i received from this story was the corruption in the Soviet Union. I received this through the many issues and conflicts throughout the stories, especially the ones that had to do with the over use of power. All in all, it was a good story with many surprises. Solid 9/10

Ezekiel from South Sudan

Animal farm which was written seven decades ago is still relevant in to day generation. It is a story where animal characters represent humans. Animals fought for freedom and equality which they achieved by seizing the farm land from Jones. At long run the cause of struggle for the like of Snowball was betrayed by tyrant (Napoleon).

Cris from England

I think that this book was outstanding, because it thoroughly describes how communism was acted, in a childish way. I recommend everyone to read this book!!

Joel from Africa

A Book for the Ages Animal Farm is a timeless piece of literature which feels like a modern masterpiece. It tells a deeply engrossing story with many dramatic twists within its relatively small number of pages. This story deals with themes of corruption and utopias in a satirical but immersive way. The fact that Animal Farm is based on the Russian Revolution is no secret, but the use of animals as an analogy provides a different perspective to this historical event. This animal representation is done so masterfully that it works perfectly as a standalone story, without the reader needing any prior knowledge on the topic. Overall, Animal Farm takes creates a unique story and breaks many common conventions to create a compelling narrative. Animal Farm follows the rise and fall of an animal rebellion against the farmer, Mr. Jones. The opening speech given by Old Major creates a vision for the revolution and presents a promising future for the farm. As the story progresses, Jones and other farmers work to fight this revolution in the “Animal Farm.” Along with this conflict, the foundation of this new society where “all animals are equal” (Orwell 14) begins to crumble. At the beginning of the story, the ideas of the revolution seem justified, but the progression of Animal Farm leads to the realization of how flawed this new society actually is. This downfall is coupled with an internal battle for power and control. It is deeply interesting to follow the characters as they each find their own way to cope with this changing environment. Ultimately, this is a story of corruption which explores this concept to its full extent. Animal Farm will hit home with an older audience. This is especially true for those who have experienced similar problems of manipulation and corruption as those seen in the story. Although the animals in Animal Farm represent different groups and people in Russia during the communist revolution, the hunger for power is still largely present in the world today. An adult audience may more easily realize the connection to the story’s development and to other leaders throughout history. The true brilliance behind Animal Farm lies in its intelligent use of satire. George Orwell’s approach of representing millions of people as single characters creates an enjoyable story about a serious event. Although many other stories use animals as main characters in their story, few books do so as masterfully as Animal Farm. Each character’s limitations, roles, and skills fit the animal they are. This technique works as a great way to introduce obstacles for each animal to overcome; adding further depth to the plot and conflict within the story. The most positive aspect of this story is the unconventional plot. Almost all stories set up an obstacle and follow how the “good guys” overcome it. In Animal Farm, this is the case, but only for the first few chapters of the story. After the farm rises against Mr. Jones, the main conflict is resolved and the true conflict arises. Animal Farm is not about a revolution; rather, it is about the internal struggle in a society where “all animals are equal.” The major question this book strives to answer is if such a society is even possible. Following each character as the farm continued to fall further into turmoil proved to create a compelling and a thoroughly enjoyable tale. Overall, I would give Animal Farm a rating of four and a half stars out of five. My only gripe in reading Animal Farm is that the book ended early. The powerful and shocking conclusion had me wondering how the animals would react to this turn of events and if any of them would finally realize the weight of their situation. Nevertheless, the story kept me intrigued all the way through with a good pace and engaging conflicts. The themes of betrayal and power-hungry leaders fit brilliantly with the communist history Animal Farm is based off of. The events and nature of characters continue to hold true when compared to leaders today. These connections between the real world and the book make the story more enjoyable. Each character felt unique and added something to the story’s plot. This is a great book that I would definitely recommend picking up. Long live Animal Farm!

Aabha Sangmin from India

A very good satire. You can enjoy it as a simple story but if you are really interested in the contemporary world politics then this book should be in your book shelf. How the utopian dream of the animals struggling for a communist society where they can enjoy equal rights and freedom shattered and ultimately led them to live a miserable life under a totalitarian ruler under the constant fear of some unknown enemy is very precisely described in the book and you can have an insight of the condition of Russian people under Lenin and Stalin's rule through the book.

Ngozika from South Africa

The book is very interesting and fun to read. I even got 100% for my book review. I AM ONLY IN GRADE 5. Best book ever.

Jerry from China

One of the best books I've ever read about. It profoundly exposed the disadvantage of totalitarianism and has a unique view (though pessimistic) on what's gonna happen next in our view. Just one more thing, Orwell is not criticizing communism or socialism, he's actually a supporter of it.

AnupA Khanal from Nepal

I never got bored reading this book. Totally moving and completely different than other works.

Shalvi from India

It's a most interesting book to read, which tells about and compare the Russian revolutionary. It also shows the difference of equality between animals who has more compare to take extra response from other's animals. its a subjugation, intimidation and the simplicity of masses of what actually happens in a socio- life. This book directly describes how easily good intentions to be the tyranny. we can also say that- it is totally based on distopiniasim and the history of the Russian revolution. All the characters were based on this revolution and it is a good book for everyone.

Zibani from Botswana

This is a very addictivve book. In a good way. I loved it.

Peter Byrne from Australia

I absolutely loved every page of it! I just couldn't put it down, very engaging! Recommend it to anyone who is looking for a book to read, it's just amazing! 😘

Ahmad from Egypt - Giza

I like this book so much. It's an amazing book about revolution, like in Egypt.

Samip from Nepal

This book is the exact reflection of the political system throughout the world. This is what the politics really is..... all about obtaining power. Mostly in context of the developing country like ours this is the case. We ignorant people are easily deceived by the sweet talks of the politicians. By listening to them we believe that maybe this time actual progress might take place, maybe this time the people might actually be benefited but no ..... each time they back off from their promises and we feel like jokers for actually believing them . All they care for is power. All they want is personal benefit. They have no concern for public interest. For power they can do anything. Walking over the few corpses and injuries will also not matter to them and this book shows it.

Mupela from Zambia

I honestly think he wrote into the future meaning our world today we are being sweet talked into believing the false ideas set by many leaders his book is an eye opener

Elisa White from US

Tavish from India

Sweta from India

The best book I have ever read.

Karim from Ireland

Its a really good book. It is a perfect book for a class to read together. When I read it it was amazing.

Suranjith from Sri Lanka

Scary in view of the situation we find ourselves in now

Kabiito from Uganda

Animal farm is a book recommended for everyone at school and in society because it is a true reflection(The absolutism of power, greed, subjugation, intimidation and the simplicity of the masses) of what actually happens in the socio_political spheres of life.

Harri from UK

Good book for teens not so much for younger children.

Isba from Pakistan

The best piece of literature.

Rapha�l from France

A brilliant and timeless analyse of the mechanics of bureaucracy, ultimate betrayal of the hopes of the people. Let's pray it remains in the curriculum, for this story talks about power and control in general, not only in a communist system. The worst we could do against this book is to keep on saying "it is only about totalitarianism and the history of the USSR"... Not only, not only.

9.6 /10 from 44 reviews

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Animal Farm

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Animal Farm by George Orwell- Book Review

Title: Animal Farm by George Orwell- Book Review Book: Animal Farm Author: George Orwell Genre: Political Satire First Published In: 1945 Pages: 115 Major Characters: Napoleon, Snowball, Boxer, Benjamin, Mr. Jones, Squealer

I knew George Orwell because of his book 1984, which is very popular. But I recently learned that Animal Farm, written by him, is also an excellent book. So, I chose this book and read it just a few days ago. And you know what, it was one of the best choices (of reading books) I have ever made.

Animal Farm is a satirical novella written by George Orwell, which was first published in 1945. It’s a story of farm animals who were suffering from the oppression of their owner. The farm consisted of different animals like pigs, dogs, cows, horses, hens, goats, etc. None of them were happy with their ruler, Mr. Jones.

The cows gave galleons of milk, but all were taken by human, leaving nothing for calves. Hens gave hundreds of eggs, but all were sold in the market, leaving none for hatching. Horses bore foals, but they were sold in the market instead of letting them happily live with their parents.

Everything from plowing the land to fertilizing the soil, guarding the house to carrying heavy weight was done by animals, but they rarely had anything to eat. In contrast, they were beaten and oppressed by the humans. So, that’s why they decided to come together, overthrow human rule and be their own ruler. That’s how the story begins.

I must tell you it’s one of the best humor books I have read. I just couldn’t stop laughing in between reading. I felt sad for the animals because of the suffering they were going through, but then their stupidity made me laugh.

It’s true, Animal farm is the story of animals, but on a deeper level, it’s a political satire on corrupted rulers. Though the story fits many political scenarios, Orwell wrote it to depict the Russian revolution of 1917.

The book describes the history and complicated events in such a simple and interesting way. The characters and events are very well designed, which cleverly replicates those of the Russian revolution.

It’s one of the finest stories I have read, and I enjoyed it from beginning to end. If a child reads the book, they will read it as a fairy tale, but if it’s an adult, they will read it as a humiliation of the Russian revolution. I can’t stop praising this book.

Time Magazine chose this novel as one of the 100 best English language novels, and it was seen on the Modern library list of Best 20 th Century Novels. In 1996, Animal farm won the Retrospective Hugo award.

The story is very compact, consisting of only 115 pages, which you can finish within a day. It has third-person narration, and the language is quite easy to read; even beginners can read this. I would say you must read this novel if you love to read fiction, as this will make you fall more in love with books.

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Animal Farm Review
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Book Review: Animal Farm by George Orwell
Animal Farm by George Orwell captures the themes of oppression, rebellion and history repeating itself. Animal Farm begins like an ambitious children's tale: After Mr. Jones, the owner of Manor Farm, falls asleep in a drunken stupor, all of his animals meet in the big barn at the request of old Major, a 12-year-old pig.
Animal Farm Review: a socio-political work
Dialogue. Conclusion. Lasting Impact on Reader. 4.6. Animal Farm Review: A Socio-Political Work. George Orwell's 'Animal Farm', in a broader sense is the socio-political work of all time. Still, it can be read as a simple story of animals. The novel (novella) highlights the human weaknesses jealousy, greed, laziness, and cruelty through ...
Animal Farm by George Orwell
Last modified on Wed 20 Sep 2017 05.56 EDT. This book is set in a future when animals are much cleverer than now. And because of their cleverness, the pigs started a revolution against the humans ...
A Summary and Analysis of George Orwell's Animal Farm
By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University) Animal Farm is, after Nineteen Eighty-Four, George Orwell's most famous book.Published in 1945, the novella (at under 100 pages, it's too short to be called a full-blown 'novel') tells the story of how a group of animals on a farm overthrow the farmer who puts them to work, and set up an equal society where all animals work and share the ...
Animal Farm by George Orwell
George Orwell, Russell Baker (Preface), C.M. Woodhouse (Introduction) 3.99. 3,890,757 ratings96,516 reviews. Librarian's note: There is an Alternate Cover Edition for this edition of this book here. A farm is taken over by its overworked, mistreated animals. With flaming idealism and stirring slogans, they set out to create a paradise of ...
Animal Farm Book Review
Our review: Parents say ( 15 ): Kids say ( 125 ): The story and language are very simple, but Orwell is unnervingly precise in the way he depicts each step on the road from revolution to tyranny. ANIMAL FARM has been popular and highly acclaimed since its publication in 1945.
Animal Farm: A Fairy Story by George Orwell
Animal Farm: A Fairy Story by George Orwell - review. Cara, a young reader, shares her thoughts on this classic allegory of power and corruption. Find out why she thinks this is the most thought ...
Animal Farm
Books that Changed the World recommended by Amanda Craig. I could recommend you Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men, Orwell's Animal Farm or Kafka's The Metamorphosis, all of which clock in at around 100 pages in length. But perhaps these are too obvious, as they are often set texts in high school.
ANIMAL FARM
Read it. Share your opinion of this book. A modern day fable, with modern implications in a deceiving simplicity, by the author of Dickens. Dali and Others (Reynal & Hitchcock, p. 138), whose critical brilliance is well adapted to this type of satire. This tells of the revolt on a farm, against humans, when the pigs take over the intellectual ...
'Animal Farm': What Orwell Really Meant
George Orwell (1903-1950) was the author of Animal Farm and 1984, among many other works of fiction and journalism. dwight macdonald was an editor of Partisan Review and the founder, during World War II, of the magazine Politics, which he edited at the time of his correspondence with Orwell. Peter Davison edited the twenty volumes of Orwell ...
Animal Farm by George Orwell
Key Facts about Animal Farm Title: Animal Farm, though initially known as Animal Farm: A Fairy Story When/where written: Orwell started writing the novel in 1944; Published: First published in England on 17 August 1945 and in the U.S in 1946 Literary Period: Modernist period Genre: Political satire; AllegoryPoint-of-View: Third-person through an anonymous writer
1946 Review of George Orwell's 'Animal Farm'
The thoughtful reader must be further disturbed by the lack of clarity in the main intention of the author. Obviously he is convinced that the animals had just cause for revolt and that for a time ...
The New York Times: Book Review Search Article
'Animal Farm' at 50 Date: April 14, 1996, Late Edition - Final Byline: By Arthur C. Danto Lead: Arthur C. Danto's most recent books are ''Playing With the Edge: The Photographic Achievement of Robert Mapplethorpe'' and ''After the End of Art: Contemporary Art and the Pale of History.'' The leading figures in ''Animal Farm'' are clever pigs, one of whom, Napoleon, has the propensity for evil ...
Book review: Animal Farm by George Orwell
George Orwell does a fantastic job in this book of exploring how societies collapse into a dictatorship slowly but steadily via careful planning and building of trust. Animal Farm gives us a simple selection of subjects - animals from a farm. It then uses well-known traits about these animals - horses are strong, pigs and dogs are smart ...
Animal Farm: Full Book Summary
Animal Farm Full Book Summary. Old Major, a prize-winning boar, gathers the animals of the Manor Farm for a meeting in the big barn. He tells them of a dream he has had in which all animals live together with no human beings to oppress or control them. He tells the animals that they must work toward such a paradise and teaches them a song ...
Animal Farm
Animal Farm is a beast fable, in the form of a satirical allegorical novella, by George Orwell, first published in England on 17 August 1945. It tells the story of a group of anthropomorphic farm animals who rebel against their human farmer, hoping to create a society where the animals can be equal, free, and happy. Ultimately, the rebellion is betrayed and, under the dictatorship of a pig ...
Review: Animal Farm by George Orwell
The fate of one particularly hard-working animal is too upsetting to talk about. —. Overall: 4.2 (out of 5.0) While there's not much in Animal Farm that's subtle, it's very well written. There's an odd charm to it, and even some humor. While it sometimes feels like simplified 1984, it's a much more palatable story.
Book review: "Animal Farm" by George Orwell
"Oh, I read that — in high school, I think," the waitress said as she saw me with George Orwell's 1945 novel Animal Farm. "Yeah, I might have even read it in grade school," I said. "It's different reading it now. Back then, it was all about Communism. Now, it's about….well, everything."
Book Review
I much prefer Animal Farm to 1984. George Orwell's classic dystopia may have a much more exciting narrative but his Russian Revolution fable just hits harder. For a start, it's written better, it doesn't waste time getting its message across, and follows a clear structure. 1984 is a rambling and slow story with underdeveloped characters.
Book Review: Animal Farm
Review. Orwell wrote this book to examine the early years of the Soviet Union and the real result of the Russian Revolution. He uses Manor Farm as the setting and uses the farm animals as characters to convince the reader how the leaders of a country could put in place a system that would not be the utopia they promise.
Book Review : Animal Farm, George Orwell
About the Book. My Rating : 5 / 5 Published In : 1945 Plot : Animal Farm is an allegorical novel by George Orwell, which is set in a world where animals are much cleverer than now. And because of ...
Animal Farm by George Orwell
The true brilliance behind Animal Farm lies in its intelligent use of satire. George Orwell's approach of representing millions of people as single characters creates an enjoyable story about a serious event. Although many other stories use animals as main characters in their story, few books do so as masterfully as Animal Farm.
Animal Farm: Book Review
Animal Farm is a satirical novella written by George Orwell, which was first published in 1945. It's a story of farm animals who were suffering from the oppression of their owner. The farm consisted of different animals like pigs, dogs, cows, horses, hens, goats, etc. None of them were happy with their ruler, Mr. Jones.
Book Review
Yesterday afternoon, I finished reading Animal Farm by George Orwell. George Orwell was the pen name for Eric Arthur Blair, an English novelist, essayist, journalist, and critic. The book was first published in England on August 17, 1945. Animal Farm is a dystopian satire that depicts the negative features of a society, as opposed to a utopian ...
Bookreviewanimalfarmbygeorgeorwell (docx)
LACSON, ANGEL MAE 11 STEM READING/WRITING Book Review: Animal Farm by George Orwell Summary of "Animal Farm" "Animal Farm" is an allegorical novella by George Orwell that satirizes the corruption of revolutionary ideals and the pervasiveness of power struggles. The story follows the animals of Manor Farm who, inspired by the ideology of Animalism (reflecting Communism), overthrow their human ...
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