Fahrenheit 451 [Full Review]

Fahrenheit 451 [Full Review]

"It was a pleasure to burn."

I don't actually know how to begin this review; it's hard to describe this book in a mere review on the blog. I could actually consider this book atop my favorite books after The Palace of Dreams for Ismail Kadare, if not even before it.
I'll try to sum up the review and not spoil many things.

The plot:
Book burning. Guy Montag is a fireman whose job is to burn books.
The plot was the first thing that tugged me in to buy this novel in the first place. If you don't know, it's amongst the top dystopian novels of all time. The very, very first page of the novel was the most beautiful thing ever, why it's different than any other novel I've read so far, is because from page 1 in chapter 1 to page 165 of the last chapter, everything was intriguing, catchy, confusing, dark and conspiracy-soaked.
The fact that the novel was relatively short, was another reason for having enjoyed it; everything was to the point, I didn't feel bored for a second, it was very fast-paced that I could hardly hold my breath.
Finally, the open ending in the novel is something to admire, since I could barely see a reasonable ending for everything inside it, I have to say it was perfect.
I was robbed of the feeling of finishing this novel, because it didn't end, it's how our lives are and it will never end until we choose to end it. I loved that.

The language:

• I was waiting impatiently to get to this part; the language in this novel was pretty simplistic, sometimes I'd find difficulty in the descriptions because of my English, but it wasn't something major.

• The descriptions: they were outstanding, beautiful and very inspiring, it made me really admire the imagination of the author.

• The metaphors: I was somehow confused by the amount of things he said that gave hints to other things, I got to understand some parts only after reading some of the reviews online. Despite this puzzlement, I was enjoying the indirectness in his words, the way he wanted us, the readers, to think, because of the fact that we are readers reading about book burning, so we must have our own justifications.

• The repetitions: That's the one thing I completely utterly enjoyed. Some repetitions were so vague, some seemed pointless, but overall, every repetition meant something. Every line looked like the previous but somehow different. They pretty well fit the insanity in the plot, and the outstanding dullness in the protagonist. And finally, I was inspired. Really inspired.

The dialogue:
I pretty much liked all the dialogues of Montag, the protagonist, with Clarisse, Faber and Captain Beaty. Every one of them held something true, in this life, felt in reality, fed on conspiracy and dystopia. Some things were beautifully said (I'll point them out in the quotes at the end of the review), some descriptions were perfect. The book burning theory and the paradox of being a fireman to start fire not put it out is simply..all about our life.


This novel indirectly talked about everything governments are oppressing people to not contemplate, that's why I definitely recommend it to each and every one who doesn't appreciate books, to everyone who wants to read more, and while reading it live with your imagination to make it real, what would you do?

Quotes:

• "Let you alone! That's all very well, but how can I leave myself alone? We need not to be let alone. We need to be really bothered once in a while. How long is it since you were really bothered? About something important, about something real?"

• "A book is a loaded gun in the house next door"

• "If you hide your ignorance, no one will hit you and you'll never learn."
  

• "Forget them. Burn all, burn everything. Fire is bright and fire is clean"

• "If you don't want a man unhappy politically, don't give him two sides to a question to worry him; give him one. Better yet give him none. Let him forget there is such a thing as war."

• "I don't talk things, sir. I talk the meaning of things.I sit here and know I'm alive".

• "that's the good part of dying; when you've nothing to lose, you run any risk you want."

• "Those who don't build must burn."

• "Well, that's one way to get an audience. Hold a gun on a man and force him to listen to you. Speech away."

• "live as if you'd drop dead in ten seconds"

• "oh God, the terrible tyranny of the majority."

Those are not all the quotes I loved. But I'll say enough for now.

My rating: 5/5 (first time to ever rate something as perfect)