Audiobook Review: Animal Farm -- George Orwell

 [för svenska se längre ner i inlägget]

SUMMARY:

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 elite among them, masterminded by the pigs Napoleon and Snowball, starts to take control.—Adlibris

REVIEW:

Animal Farm is probably the best book in the world. I have read this book so many times! ... For me, this book is the gold standard for good literature. As many already know is Animal Farm a satirical allegory of the events of the Russian Revolution (1917) to Stalinism just before World War II.

The book is short and concise (I am one of those who complains about long books; in my experience, books that have more thousand pages generally bad). The language is crystal clear, fresh and full of humor. What I love about this book is that I get the feeling that George Orwell really has thought of every word in the book. There are no unnecessary scenes, no unnecessary dialogue, no abundance (perhaps not so incidentally, in true communist spirit). Furthermore there are no boring passages, the action is always fast-paced and the humor is of the best British quality! Another thing I love is that Animal Farm has so many lines that are worth quoting!

"All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others."

"Only old Benjamin professed to remember every detail of his long life and to know that things never had been, nor ever could be much better or much worse - hunger, hardship and disappointment being, so he said, the unalterable law of life."

"Besides, in those days they had been slaves and now they were free, and that made all the difference, as Squealer did not fail to point out." 

My favorite character in the book is probably the old, cynical donkey, Benjamin.

This is the first time I’ve listened to Animal Farm. Previously, I have tried to listen to Jane Austen’s novels in audiobook format, but it felt really awkward. With this in mind, I was a little skeptical of this audio book. But it worked: Timothy West is a skilled reader and I want to listen to more books read by him. J

It is the first time I listen to Animal Farm in audio book format. Previously I tried to listen to Jane Austen's novels, but I found that I preferred to read them instead. With these experiences in mind, I was a little skeptical of Animal Farm as an audio book. But it worked; Timothy West is a skilled storyteller and I want to listen to more books read aloud by him.

OMDÖME:

Animal Farm, eller Djurfarmen som den heter på svenska, är antagligen världens bästa bok. Jag har läst den här boken så många gånger! … för mig är den här boken guldstandarden för bra litteratur. Som många redan vet är Animal Farm en satirisk allegori av händelserna från den Ryska Revolutionen (1917) fram till Stalinismen just innan andra världskriget.

Boken är kort och koncis (jag är en sådan som klagar på långa böcker, i min erfarenhet är böcker som har mer tusen sidor generellt dåliga). Språket är kristallklart, fräscht och fullt av humor. Det jag älskar med den här boken är att jag får känslan av att George Orwell verkligen har tänkt på varje ord i boken. Det finns inga onödiga scener, ingen onödig dialog, inget överflöd (i sann kommunistiskt anda)—men det finns inte heller långtråkiga passager och handlingen är alltid fartfylld, dessutom är humorn av bästa Brittiska kvalitet! En annan sak som jag älskar är att Animal Farm har så många repliker som är värda att citeras IRL!

• "All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others."

• "Only old Benjamin professed to remember every detail of his long life and to know that things never had been, nor ever could be much better or much worse - hunger, hardship and disappointment being, so he said, the unalterable law of life."

• "Besides, in those days they had been slaves and now they were free, and that made all the difference, as Squealer did not fail to point out." 

Min favoritkaraktär i boken är nog den gamla cyniska åsnan Benjamin.

Det är första gången jag lyssnar på Animal Farm i ljudboks format. Tidigare har jag försökt lyssna på Jane Austens romaner, men jag kom fram till att jag föredrog att läsa dem istället. Med dessa erfarenheter i bakhuvudet, var jag lite skeptisk till Animal Farm som ljudbok. Men det funkade; Timothy West är en skicklig berättare och jag vill lyssna på flera böcker upplästa av honom. 

Bloggat om Samma Bok:

Poplitt, Bokfetischist

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Liknade Böcker:

•  Lord of the Flies av William Golding (allegori, politisk, kommunism)
• The Master av Margarita av Mikhail Bulgakov (satir, politisk, kommunism)
• The Crucible av Arthur Miller (allegori, politisk, McCarthyism)