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 20th 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.