Book Blurb: "Aldous Huxley's tour de force, Brave New World is a darkly satiric vision of a "utopian" future—where humans are genetically bred and pharmaceutically anesthetized to passively serve a ruling order. A powerful work of speculative fiction that has enthralled and terrified readers for generations, it remains remarkably relevant to this day as both a warning to be heeded as we head into tomorrow and as thought-provoking, satisfying entertainment."
Review: I've been putting off writing this review for ages. Although it's been two weeks since I finished this book, somehow I've lacked the inspiration to write its review. I think this has to do with how underwhelmed I was by this novel. This might well be partly my own fault, as I went in with such very, very high expectations.
Brave New World will almost inevitably crop up in every list of books you must read/ best books ever written. Add to that the fact that I really enjoy my dystopian/post-apocalyptic novels, and I was really expecting to love this to bits... Not so in the end, I'm afraid.
It started of well, as I really enjoyed the first third of the book, when we are introduced to how the world now works. I was particularly intrigued by the whole concept of controlling the masses through forced happiness. Too much of a good thing, and all that. The descriptions of how humans now reproduce, and the reasons the government gives to justify it are enough to make anyone's skin crawl. Also, the things that shock the inhabitants of this world, really makes you (or at least, me!) think why it is that you are repulsed by the things that you are; do you really feel like that, or is it really all just conditioning?
However, after this frankly spectacular first third, things began to slow down. I found it hard to have any empathy for any of the characters, as they just seemed like empty shells. I guess that might have been the point, but I like to feel something for characters, even if that something happens to be hate. As it was (and this applies to all the characters in the novel), I just felt a bit...
Also, I found that things became quite predictable once the characters went to see the 'savages' in the reservation.
Although I think this novel had some amazing concepts (especially considering Huxley wrote it in 1931!) and some fantastic bits of writing, I feel these concepts could have been much more thoroughly developed. Unfortunately, the book lost me by the final third...
Favourite Quotes:
"Primroses and landscapes, he pointed out, have one grave defect: they are gratuitous. A love of nature keeps no factories busy".
"You can't consume much if you sit still and read books". - Which is why you should read, people!!!
"Happiness is a hard master–particularly other people's happiness." - Isn't it just? Embarrassingly true.
"Our Ford himself did a great deal to shift the emphasis from truth and beauty to comfort and happiness. Mass production demanded the shift. Universal happiness keeps the wheels steadily turning; truth and beauty can't."
Overall rating: 3/5
