1984: New Classic Edition
Summary
Publisher: Blackstone Audio IncThis is another classic piece of literature that is very difficult to critique, so I will give you a brief rundown of what this book is about.
1984: New Classic Edition takes place in 1984, London, Oceania, one of three (Oceania, Eurasia and Eastasia) intercontinental super-states who divided the world among themselves after a global war. Oceania’s slogan is WAR IS PEACE, FREEDOM IS SLAVERY, and IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH. Ruled by “Big Brother” leader of the “party”, his Thought Police and 4 ministries, the Ministry of Peace (Minipax), the Ministry of Plenty (Miniplenty), the Ministry of Love (Miniluv), and the Ministry of Truth (Minitrue).
With telescreens everywhere even in you private home there is seldom a place where “Big Brother” can’t see or hear you. In this world we meet Winston who’s existence consists of living in a one-room flat on a subsistence diet of black bread and synthetic meals washed down with Victory-brand gin. In Oceania the truth is only what they tell you it is, and it is Winston’s job to alter the historical records so what was said to be the truth actually is. Thoughts against the party, witch Winston starts to have, are considered thought-crimes and are punishable by death.
I hope that I didn’t give too much away. I found my self frightened at times while listening to this. Thinking about how today’s media, commercials and politicians are always telling us the “truth”, what is the truth really?
Narrator Review
Simon Prebble’s very nice subtle English accent I think added a level of believability to the story. Mr. Prebble easily differentiated characters, added emotion to his voice beautifully, sometime making me think he was actually worried or frightened ect. As is my experience with Blackstone Audio titles they try to get the best possible narrator for the story at hand and Simon Prebble did not disappoint.
Download 1984: New Classic Edition Audiobook
Audible Editor Reviews
Why we think it’s Essential: The ultimate dystopia. 1984 has come and gone, but Orwell is still as poignant as ever. Simon Prebble’s narration, enriched with forboding music and effects, provides the perfect blend of seriousness and disaffection. Writ large in audio and rendered scarier than Stephen King on a late-night country-road drive, it makes you wonder all over again how right Orwell was. —Chris Doheny
What the Critics Say
- Nominee, 2008 Audie Award, Classic
“It is probable that no other work of this generation has made us desire freedom more earnestly or loathe tyranny with such fullness.” (New York Times, 1949)
Amazon.com Review
Among the seminal texts of the 20th century, Nineteen Eighty-Four is a rare work that grows more haunting as its futuristic purgatory becomes more real. Published in 1949, the book offers political satirist George Orwell’s nightmare vision of a totalitarian, bureaucratic world and one poor stiff’s attempt to find individuality. The brilliance of the novel is Orwell’s prescience of modern life–the ubiquity of television, the distortion of the language–and his ability to construct such a thorough version of hell. Required reading for students since it was published, it ranks among the most terrifying novels ever written. –This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Disclosure: Audio book downloaded from Audible.com
