Book info

• Title Animal Farm
• Author George Orwell
• Year 1945
• Genre Classic

When the downtrodden animals of Manor Farm overthrow their master Mr Jones and take over the farm themselves, they imagine it is the beginning of a life of freedom and equality. But gradually a cunning, ruthless élite among them, masterminded by the pigs Napoleon and Snowball, starts to take control. Soon the other animals discover that they are not all as equal as they thought, and find themselves hopelessly ensnared as one form of tyranny is replaced with another.

Thoughts

This is a classic book, that I picked up partly because it was on my big read list and partly because it’s such a part of culture and referenced on so many occasions, that I felt I was missing out. I’m not sure I was, really. It’s short and to the point, a clear shot at communism that is barely masked by satire.

I was interested to start with, wondering how it would all turn out, but in the end it felt like it was dragging on, despite the book’s brevity. The twist at the end is a good finish, although as such a classic I knew what was coming before I got there.

I’m glad I read it, because now I don’t feel like there’s a gap in my knowledge, but I’m not sure it’s made a huge difference to me at all.

Rating: 3 / 5