The story itself is a very simple, straightforward one with very few twists and surprises in the plot, but this is the least important element of the novel. The really important thing is that George Orwell's idea of a dystopian (or "Orwellian") society is not so far off from what society has really become. It really helps readers to reflect on what their country was and what it's become. How free are we really?

This is by far my favorite book. It's ahead of its time and it's timeless (as any real art is). It's scary to think about the society structure pictured in this masterpiece. What's more scary is that it is very realistic and it may actually be true. I recommend this book to anyone.

A perfectly bleak picture of the future where reality is whatever the controlling power says it is. The language that Orwell introduced in this book is so influential in our politics that it's worth reading to see how Orwell's ideas permeate our society today.

1984 is a defining book about a tyrant whose goal is to control all and have a so called “peace” everywhere. Winston is like an everyday person who strives to achieve his goal as a worker. He finds himself as a slave to “Big Brother” when actually he is equal to “Big Brother”. This sensational feeling Winston gets every time he sees everyone’s suffering makes him want to change the way his life turns. He along with Julia, try to save everyone from his reign. This is also shown in everyone’s daily life with how people control us and manipulate us even though we are their equal as a boss to employee or father to son. People choose what they want to do with their lives, not bad choices where others can help but good choices which cause good things to happen. The choice that Winston has made has caused him to see the good in everything and people have a right to be who they want to be. Julia is more like a saint that showed Winston his error in following Big Brother for all those years. Winston had seen signs like a doll which was destroyed from a war. This relates to the Spanish civil war that Orwell had fallen into and he had brought up and amazing book. This science fictional book demonstrates tyranny is not an answer for survival, its freedom of “good” choice that will help people reach happiness. Once again and finally see what they have been missing for so long.

This book is fantastic! I couldn't put it down.

Orwell used logic and knowledge of his present to tell us of our future. This book disturbs me as it's implications are coming true today.

A phenomenal, far-seeing work. Only Orwell in the 1940s could describe the potential descent into Big Brother/Big Government in 2012. Breathtaking...and deeply troubling.

Beautifully written!

Loved this book. The whole concept of Big Brother, double think and other dark features of the book, kept you interested and intrigued. If thought about we can see that in todays life and government, Big Brother and Double think is here..just not to that extreme extent. Wonderful novel.

Big Brother, the Thought Police, Hate Week, Newspeak - all are disturbing components of this dark, frightening tale of a dystopian, futuristic society made popular by George Orwell. I prefer 1984 over other dystopian novels such as Fahrenheit 451 or Brave New World because of the considerable depth it devotes to explaining why and how this society came to be which I found lacking in the others. The psychology behind the hunger and dangers of supreme power in the hands of a few and the evil corruption it so inevitably breeds is so strongly elucidated and in such a diabolical fashion, it makes for a compelling read. The most frightening aspect is some of the concepts can be seen taking form in today’s society….