Book Review: 'Farenheit 451' by Ray Bradbury

Book: 'FARENHEIT 451'

Author: Ray Bradbury

Genre: Speculative Fiction (or science fiction)



Excerpt:



Outside the house, a shadow moved, an autumn wind rose up and faded away. But there was something else in the silence that he heard. It was like a breath exhaled upon the window. It was like a faint drift of greenish luminescent smoke, the motion of a single huge October leaf blowing across the lawn and away.



The Hound, he thought. It's out there tonight. It's out there now. If I opened the window...



He did not open the window.



--Farenheit 451, page 48



Sypnosis: (taken from the back of the book)



Guy Montag was a fireman whose job it was to start fires. And he enjoyed his job. He had been a fireman for ten years, and he had never questioned the pleasure of the midnight runs nor the joy of watching pages consumed by flames...never questioned anything until he met a seventeen-year-old girl who told him of a past when people were not afraid. Then Guy met a professor who told him of a future in which people could think. And Guy Montag suddenly realized what he had to do...



Good things:



1. I really like Ray Bradbury's writing style because I think his is very like mine. It's not flawless (there's one part at the beginning where all the metaphors and similes are confusing) but its descriptive.



2. It was very thoughtprovoking to read about a society that cannot think for itself. I can actually see our world becoming like that in the future. It's a deep book.



3. Guy Montag's relationship with his wife was sweet--he loved her even though she has, like the rest of their society, basically lost all her common sense and ability to take things seriously.



Bad Things:



1. There was a good (well, actually bad) amount of language. Cussing, although I would definitely take it into consideration when reviewing a book, doesn't steer my overall opinion of the book too terribly much. However, the Lord's name is taken in vain noticeably often, and that does offend me.



2. There's a bit of violence. I'm totally fine with it, but I mentioned it in case anyone was not. Also, there's a part at the beginning where one of the characters has a drug overdose and has to get her stomach pumped. Once again, I was not offended by this, but it falls under 'drug content'.



Conclusion:



Although I might not suggest it to younger readers, 'Farenheit 451' is a very provoking book to read. It shows Bradbury's speculations about what society would become in the future (actually, for him it was the future, but for us it's the past--I believe it takes place in the 1990s) and it kind of dares us by saying, "Okay, this is what we could end up like. What are you going to do to prevent it?" It also teaches the crucial lesson that we can't avoid responsiblities by hiding behind entertainment and mindlessness.



Age Suggestion:



Approximately 13+ because the language and the fact that it's a pretty deep book.



Rating:



**** (4) out of ***** (5) stars



Yours without wax,



Izori