Product Description

ANIMAL FARM is one of the greatest modern political fables. Having got rid of their human master, the animals of Manor Farm look forward to a life of freedom and plenty. But as a clever ruthless elite among them takes control, the other animals find themselves hopelessley ensnared in the old way. Orwell's chilling story of the betrayal of idealism through tyranny and corruption is as fresh and relevant as when it was first published in 1945.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #617614 in Books
• Published on: 2000-06-29
• Format: Audiobook
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 2
• Binding: Audio Cassette

Amazon.co.uk Review
Since its publication in 1946, George Orwell's fable of a workers' revolution gone wrong has been recognized as a classic of modern political satire. Fuelled by Orwell's intense disillusionment with Soviet Communism, Animal Farm is a nearly perfect piece of writing--both an engaging story and an allegory that actually works. When the downtrodden beasts of Manor Farm oust their drunken human master and take over management of the land, all are awash in collectivist zeal. Everyone willingly works overtime, productivity soars and for one brief, glorious season, every belly is full. The animals' Seven Commandment credo is painted in big white letters on the barn. All animals are equal. No animal shall drink alcohol, wear clothes, sleep in a bed or kill a fellow four-footed creature. Those that go upon four legs or wings are friends and the two-legged are, by definition, the enemy. Too soon, however, the pigs, who have styled themselves leaders by virtue of their intelligence, succumb to the temptations of privilege and power. "We pigs are brainworkers. The whole management and organisation of the farm depend on us. Day and night, we are watching over your welfare. It is for your sake that we drink that milk and eat those apples." While this swinish brotherhood sells out the revolution, cynically editing the Seven Commandments to excuse their violence and greed, the common animals are once again left hungry and exhausted, no better off than in the days when humans ran the farm. Satire Animal Farm may be, but it's a stony reader who remains unmoved when the stalwart workhorse, Boxer, having given his all to his comrades, is sold to the glue factory to buy booze for the pigs. Orwell's view of Communism is bleak indeed, but given the history of the Russian people since 1917, his pessimism has an air of prophecy. --Joyce Thompson

About the Author
George Orwell (Born Eric Arthur Blair) was born in India in 1903, but moved to England in 1907 and in 1917 entered Eton, where he began writing. He worked widely in journalism but fame came in 1945 with the publication of Animal Farm. Nineteen Eighty-Four appeared in 1949, a year before his death. Timothy West is one of Britain's most eminent theatre and television stars, and in 1984, he was awarded the CBE for services to the entertainment industry.

Customer Reviews

A fable/childrens story about betrayal
This is a fable or childrens story conceived by George Orwell when he saw a small boy driving a large horse along a road, Orwell felt that if the horse could only comprehend that it was more powerful than the boy it would do its own thing instead of his bidding.

On Animal Farm is the story of how different farm yard animals unite following an enlightenment about their fate and oppression. The animals agree to an egalitarian and "share and share alike" constitution by which to govern their new arrangements while defending themselves from the expelled farmer's attempts to re-establish the old ways of doing business.

The constitution is inscribed for all to see with "All Animals Are Equal" leading the list, slowly as the farm yards pigs rise to assume the position of leaders they abandon each of these value statements, radically revising them to justify a return to the old ways of doing business which characterised the original farmer who they threw out.

Like his other books Orwell was disappointed in his own lifetime with how the books where received and interpreted, of Animal Farm which he described as a "simple fable" Orwell stated if its simple message about betrayal where not understood then the book had been a failure.

This is an important point because Orwell had dedicated his energies to making political writing an art form (consider Penguin Great Ideas : Why I Write). In his time, and since, Animal Farm has been seen as a devastating criticism of egalitarianism, flawed values and even of the very hopes and optimism which give rise to change of government, particularly by revolution, like a cynical or conservative text book.

Orwell intended it to be much more straight forward, he supported the values which where at the heart of the Animals constitution, including that core commitment to equality, and considered the crucial moment in the storyline to have been consistently overlooked (that is the moment at which the Pigs decide no longer to share the harvest of apples, which the other animals do not suspect is the beginings of betrayal).

The story is a heart felt tale, populated by all sorts of characters who Orwell uses to characterise a range of human traits from nobility to the down right villainous, with a good pace and easily understood style of writing, it should appeal to adults or children alike. Likewise it should appeal to either the political/literary reader and general reader alike.

Good stuff
this books really useful to have if your studying animal farm. it includes quick and easy to remember summaries for each chapter as well as more detailed descriptions of each event in the book. it highlights useful quotations that will help you to earn high marks in the exam. the book begins with an introduction 'setting the background'. here it lists the events in animal farm and compares them to the events in the soviet union which really help to give an overall understanding of the book and what it means. further on in the book you can find character studies of each character in the book helping you to remember and really understand the purpose of each of them. the book also gives tips on how to improve your grade eg, how to use quotations. this book is overall very useful and i would recommend it to anyone.

Pigs run riot
I can't believe I managed to get into my thirties and have only just read this book! What was I waiting for? It is pure brilliance. I laughed and cried the whole way through.
A group of animals on a farm decide to stage a rebellion and overthrow the farmer so that they can run the farm themselves. They dream of more food and freedom from humans ("four legs good, two legs bad"). It all starts well, but certain pigs have other plans. All the animal characters were fantastic. Boxer the horse broke my heart, Napolean and Squealer the pigs, although evil, were brilliantly written.
I can't praise this book enough.