Animal Farm (Paperback)

~ George Orwell (Author)
Key Phrases: seven commandments, farmhouse garden, Animal Farm, Comrade Napoleon, Beasts of England (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

ANIMAL FARM is perhaps the most famous satirical allegory of totalitarianism. Published in 1945, the book reflects events leading up to and during the Stalin era before World War II. Orwell, a democratic socialist was a critic of Joseph Stalin, and was suspicious of Moscow-directed Stalinism. In recent years, the book has been used to compare new movements that overthrow heads of a corrupt and undemocratic government or organisation, only eventually to become corrupt and oppressive themselves as they succumb to the trappings of power and begin using violent and dictatorial methods to keep it. Such analogies have been used for many former African colonies such as Zimbabwe and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, whose succeeding African-born rulers were accused of being as corrupt as, or worse than, the European colonists they replaced. In addition, the political deception and abuses of power of the Bush Administration fall into this category as well.

Product Details

• Paperback: 56 pages
• Publisher: CreateSpace (November 10, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1440455864
• ISBN-13: 978-1440455865
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.9 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #8,829 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars very clever satire on equality, January 4, 2009

By	Patrick Dunn - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Animal Farm is George Orwell's satire on equality, where all barnyard animals live free from their human masters' tyranny.

Inspired to rebel by Major, an old boar, animals on Mr. Jones' Manor Farm embrace Animalism and stage a revolution to achieve an idealistic state of justice and progress. A power-hungry pig, Napoleon, becomes a totalitarian dictator who leads the Animal Farm into "All Animals Are Equal / But Some Are More Equal Than Others" oppression.

This is my favorite allegory and the best political satire I've ever read. A most clever read. Check it out!

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars No animal may drink alcohol "to excess", May 7, 2009

By	bernie "xyzzy" (Arlington, Texas) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)

A fairy tale or a nightmare? It all began with a dream by Major, a Middle White boar, of equality, and freedom from oppression. Maybe not in our life comrade, but eventually.

The dream brings a song. Intolerable conditions lead to revolution. As time passes things change; not exactly as planned.

There are two striking parts to this tale that stand out. First when Boxer is sent to the hospital and Benjamin reads the side of the van "Horse Slaughterer." Secondly there was a party in the farm house as the pigs were playing cards with the men, two aces of spades showed up. An argument ensues. Then the creatures outside looking in as they "...looked from pig to man and man to pig, and from pig to man again drew a realization..."

Nineteen Eighty Four

14 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Funny how the screaming minority tries to make itself look like the majority., September 6, 2009

By	TruthSeeker101 (Minnesota) - See all my reviews

Listen, the print in this book is like any other book, and any book cover, blurb and editorializing that compares this with Bush is right on the button! I say. The way the Bush Administration played the game of being for the common people and then stole our freedoms and went against the Constitution with the so-called Patriot Act and Search and Seizure, they could wire-tap you, read your emails, all that stuff, and make the CIA illegally operational inside of the United States--all that and many other totalitarian abuses of power was all under Bush. I tell ya, Big Brother was watching you thanks to Cheney and the neo-cons! Just like also in Orwell's other classic, 1984! All this was going on while they were bankrupting us with their foreign wars which unfortunately Obama has to continue to deal with and unfortunately has not had the good sense yet to abort. The Bush Administration was interested in power and mind control, that's how they hoodwinked us with the bailout and the wars. Remember, Animal Farm is a strong and effective warning not just against communism but also against political deception and political power games of an absolute power nature and totalitarianism in general.