Animal Farm

Reader reviewed by Jordan

If you like history feauturing Stalin and Hitler, this book is for you. This book is about them, but in fiction, with the main characters being animals. They are to represent Stalin anf Hitler, and rule over the rest of the animals. If you like that kind if thing, then this book is for you.

Not for the easy read type.

Reader reviewed by wendy

this is one of the well known classics. this book, by george orwell is a book that gived=s us the basic idea of power and how it can easily be misused.

in this book, the animals of manor farm have a rebellion agaisnt heir owner, mr jones. they win and mr jones is thrown out of manor farm, which the rename animal. as animal farm begins, all is well and every animal does its part but certain animals, the pigs, tend to think they are better off than the other animals and tend to take charge of everything. it all ends up going to the pigs head, one particular pig to be more specific, and animal farm is doubed one of crulest farms cause of how their workers, the other animals, are treated.

i would recommend this book to kids going into highschool. its very interesting and had to understand but you'll get the hang of it.

Reader reviewed by Bria

I loved this book. It has one of the best lines every written, all animals are created equal but some animals are more equal than others. I know this line from memory. This battle between good evil is a most read, because good did not win. Evil did. There is a war going on right now and it almost mirrors this book. Both leaders go in with good intentions but fail. I had to read this for school, and I am glad I did.

Reader reviewed by Zac

This novel may cause you to look at your pets with an air of fear. The farmer and his wife never knew the barnyard animals would overtake their farm, but it happened. The band of creatures, led by the pigs, devised a plan for the attack upon the humans. And as their scheme is accomplished, they must now learn to run a functioning farm that provides them survival.

Reader reviewed by nelka35

George Orwell call it a fairy tale, and it is, in a way, written in that style - but it is a political satire, and the style and simplicity of the story make it all the more powerful. Knowing who it was written about(Stalin, Trotsky, and the whole system) is not necessary to understand the book; understanding that this is a description of a political system is. We are responsible for what happens in our society - we are the society. And our actions - and, more often, inaction - have an effect.

Reader reviewed by linda

Ever wondered what farm animals are really like when their masters aren't watching? Well this book will tell you all about their shocking lives. This beautifully writen story is about the struggles of farm animals after they rebel and kick their master out of the farm. They form a community, spreading their ideals of compassion and equality between animals throughout the land. Things begin to turn ugly though once the pigs take control, slowly the equality diminishes and the pigs begin yearning for human comforts, changing their ideals, and in the end they learn to walk on two feet and do business with the humans (their enemies).

Reader reviewed by Janet

Hailed as a classic, Animal farm indeed hooks you from the first chapter on, but the feeling at the ending can only be properly described as creepy and eerie. George Orwell wrote the political satyr in relation to Joseph Stalin, the then dictator of Russia. Using animals on a farm, he stages a rebellion much like the overthrow of the royal family in Russia. He chooses to use pigs to portray Stalin and his henchmen, who rise to the top of the social pyramid. In the end, the pigs succumb to the corrupt lure of power and become dictators, ruling over all the other farm animals, much like Stalin did. The farm is even worse off than before, and the pigs are shown at the very end to have become human-like, symbolizing their greed for both wealth and power.

Reader reviewed by Flak Monkey

"Animal Farm" by George Orwell was never required reading for me when I was in school, so it took me some time to finally get around to reading it. I found it to be a complete and enjoyable read that had me hooked from the very first sentence. It is an excellent exercise in symbolism and creative imagination. While the book may be a very short read, it brings a whole lot to the table by giving you an interesting take on how history can be reenacted in the most imaginative ways.

The animals on Mr. Jones' farm have had enough of what they deem to be slavery. They're tired of being ordered around by humans while they see no benefits in their daily work. This is all sparked by a dream that the boar, Major, had about a unique place where animals called the shots and never had to be ordered around by humans ever again. He tells them a revolution is very much needed. When Major dies, the animals act quickly and are able to overthrow the alcoholic farmer and his thugs from his very own farm. The pigs are in charge now, as they claim that they are much smarter than the others and know how to lead. What seems to be paradise quickly transforms into another form of slavery altogether enforced by propaganda and threats from the pigs. And yet, the animals do not know any better, as they are deceived by the new system that gives them the illusion that they are better off than they were with Mr. Jones calling the shots.

The book is greatly inspired by real events that went down during the era of communism in Russia, using animals as the actual people. While it helps to know about that time period, the book is written so well that it is easily understood even if you only know a little about what happened during that time. The use of animals was a very creative way to tell this story, as it gives you a big incentive to actually care for these characters. Had this just been about real people, then it would've just sounded like anything you could find in your history books. Orwell finds a much more interesting way of tackling the topic. He gives life to every one of his characters and they all elicit some kind of a feeling from you. There are times when the book is funny, and then there are times when it is just downright chilling (the last chapter will stay in your head for more than a few hours).

George Orwell's "Animal Farm" is a genuine masterpiece that quickly hooks the reader from the very beginning. It's an extremely easy read as well as an enjoyable one--not enjoyable in the sense that this is a "happy tale," but enjoyable in the sense that you really feel like you're reading something great. If you haven't had the chance to check it out, make sure you add this to your reading list. It is something that should be read by everyone at least once in their life, even if they don't end up enjoying it as much as others. I loved every single word that was written in the extremely creative read. This is an important classic in literature that shouldn't be missed for any reason.

Reader reviewed by Emily

Animal Farm is a metaphor for the Cold War, which was an extremely complex time in our world's recent history, and still affects us very much today. Consequently, the book itself is very complex and would only be worth reading after at least a basic understanding of the Cold War. I personally read the book in sixth grade for English class, and the general consensus (myself included) was that it was confusing and pointless. Of course, I now understand that this is not the case......Animal Farm is a work of genius, but I would not advise anyone to read it before high school.

Reader reviewed by Diana

Animal Farm is a satire of the Russian Revolution of 1917.
On the outer level its the story of a band of farm animals revolting against their owner and starting their own farm, free of human life.
If you choose to look deeper into the story you can see countless refrences to the Russian Revolution. There are many refrences to historic battles that occured during this time and each character in the novel depects an influential person of the time.
If you enjoy history or just want a whimsical read Animal Farm is defently worth your time!