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  • 1984 – George ORWELL

    I have FINALLY finished 1984! There are a number of reasons for my tardiness:

    • it was by ‘bus book’ so stayed in my work bag and was only read on my journey’s home on the bus from the two days a week I go into the office
    • I had COVID and did not go into the office for two weeks
    • I had a week’s holiday in the Lake District
    • Some of it was a bit tough to get through/concentrate on whilst on the bus

    So, there was all that going on!

    I was surprised by a number of things. Firstly how much of the book I had forgotten since I studied it for A’level, even though that is over 40 years ago). Secondly, how complex some of the themes are, and how I am sure that I couldn’t have appreciated them when I was studying this book when I was 17. Thirdly, how many of the themes/premonitions that Orwell had in 1949 have come to pass and are relevant in 2025.

    It was also fascinating to read it having recently read ‘Julia’ which is a book from Julia’s perspective (see my previous review). I think having had an understanding of Julia’s experiences, albeit this did not come from Orwell’s brain, was useful, and it made me wonder what difference it would have made to studying ‘1984’ if ‘Julia’ had already been written.

    To be honest, some of ‘1984 felt a bit tedious – the excerpts from Goldstein’s book were rather too long for me. I struggle with theoretical text and found it challenging to persevere through these parts, but would have felt very guilty if I’d skipped over them. Having said that I did find the appendix on ‘Newspeak’, the new language in 1984, interesting – so perhaps I am just a conundrum!

    I had a feeling of apprehension, possibly even dread, whilst reading this. Remembering what happened to Winston in room 101 made me anxious to get to this point in the story. However, the dread of it was worse than the actuality and it wasn’t as distressing as I remembered it to be. It shows what powerful feelings books can evoke, though, as 40 years after reading this, the emotions were still there.

    Having forgotten the descriptions of Winston’s time in the Ministry of Love, it was interesting to read this section and also gain more understanding regarding Winston’s relationship with O’Brien, which was a complex one. The fate of Winston following his release from the Ministry of Love was weirdly touching even though I was not sure I liked him much by the end of the book. All the hopes Winston had of being involved in changing society were dashed, but he didn’t even appreciate this as he was irreparably damaged by the torture he had experienced.

    Overall, I’m pleased that I re-read it and managed to persevere during the challenging sections. However, I think it had more impact on me reading it now, due to everything that is happening in the world at the moment. There is more than a ring of truth in Orwell’s view of how the future would be.

    If you’ve not read this book yet, then I would recommend giving it a try, keeping in mind that this was written not long after the end of the Second World War – almost 80 years ago. What insight and perspective Orwell had in his imagination – with so much accuracy in his predictions.

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  • Julia – Sandra Newman

    I couldn’t resist buying this when I saw it – a novel from Julia’s perspective from 1984. 1984 was one of the set texts for my A’level English course as it was 1984 when I took my exams. (Yes I realise I am very old!) I haven’t read 1984 and was then in a dilemma of whether I should re-read it, or start straight on with Julia. My head has rules that if a new series of a book or film comes out, I have to reread/rewatch the beginning.

    Having searched my bookshelves and not finding a copy of 1984 anywhere, I decided to order it and start on Julia whilst I waited for it to arrive. To be honest the first part of the book felt a bit depressing as so much of the political description is comparable to current events. However, this was my ‘bus book’, ie one I keep in my rucksack to read when I go into the office two days a week. With waiting at bus stops and the actual journey itself I could read for about an hour or so each time which was not enough time to get too miserable! Reflecting on this, I think it was the knowledge of knowing what happened to Winston and Julia – had I been reading it without any prior knowledge I think it would have been a very different read.

    However, once I had finished the section set in the Ministry of Love I became hooked on Julia’s experiences, her processing of what she had experienced and her subsequent actions. It is one of those books that if someone asked me what I thought, I would answer, ‘I’m still processing it’ as I need to think about the ramifications of the ending and how I feel about it.

    So yes, it was a book that I initially struggled with (if the current world was peaceful and optimistic I may have found it easier), but then the story took me along to the point where I couldn’t put it down and have had to read the finale on the sofa and not on the bus!

    So, 1984 will be my next bus book. It’ll be good to see things from Winston’s perspective and remind myself of all the parts that I’ve forgotten in the past 40 years

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  • Keanu Reeves is not in Love With You

    Becky Holmes wrote this book following experiences she had on-line during COVID lockdown. I first found Becky on Twitter with her hilarious tales of men who were pilots/oil rig workers and ‘celebrities’ who made contact and then made up tales of disaster and woe to try to persuade her to send them money.

    Becky wrote hilarious and a tad risque replies to these messages, that the majority of the people who had contacted her were completely oblivious to her sarcasm. She sent photographs of her at airports, in boats and on helicopters, telling her ‘lovers’ that she was on her way to meet up with them. The panic that this caused some of these scammers was palpable!

    However, there is a serious side to this. People who are at a vulnerable time of their lives are at risk of engaging with someone who is interested in them, makes regular contact and professes love. These people aren’t stupid or gullible. They are victims of fraudsters and Becky effectively explains this.

    Definitely worth a read to gain an understanding into this murky work, and also to see the funny side when Becky plays these criminals at their own game.

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  • Don’t Forget Me Here…. 5*

    I have a huge lump in my throat and pain in my heart. This book is an emotional rollercoaster and I have felt so many emotions – shock, disgust, anger, frustration, shame, and love.

    Of course I knew of Guantanamo Bay from the news – or I knew the portrayal I was fed by the media. I knew it was meant to be bad but I had no idea the extent of it. Shamefully I though that it had closed under Obama but the truth is there are still people ‘living’ in Guantanamo Bay.

    This is a book that very much put me in mind of ‘Man’s Search for Meaning’ by Viktor Frankl who survived Auschwitz. The way the captives helped each other, survived horrific experiences and fought to keep their home and sanity. Both authors eloquently shone a light on both the cruelty and kindness of other human beings.

    This is a book that will stay with me. I feel heartbroken for Mansoor, or Prisoner 441, and the pain and unnecessary suffering that stole 14 years of his life. It’s a book everyone should read.

  • Don’t Forget Us Here: Lost and Found at Guantanamo – Mansoor Adayfi

    Just starting this book. Do not think it’ll be an easy read but already caught up in Mansoor’s plight.

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  • Into the Darkest Corner – Elizabeth Haynes

    I’m trying to remember when I first read this book and it must be, maybe 10 years ago. I was working for Victim Support at the time and the memories I had of reading it at the time were overwhelmingly of the domestic abuse/coercive control (although that wasn’t a term we used then).

    However, rereading it now I am picking up so much more on the OCD side of the story. This is a really insightful portrayal of OCD – the relentlessness of it, how overwhelming it is and the resulting exhaustion.

    I am also surprised that I didn’t remember the location of the early parts of the novel – where I grew up with whispers of memories coming into my head from the mention of streets and places.

    It is an absorbing book that touched the scars of my experiences of domestic abuse, OCD and unhappy memories of early life. However it is powerful in terms of the portrayal of both OCD and domestic abuse in that both are often misunderstood and judged by those without direct experience. This book portrays the stark reality of both.

    Aside from that it is a tense cliffhanger of a read that demands to be read to the end without a break. Definitely one that leaves echoes long after the last page has been turned.

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