Product Description

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 hopelessly ensnared in the old ways. Orwell's chilling story of the betrayal of idealism through tyranny and corruption, is as fresh and relevant today as when it was first published in 1945.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #40935 in Books
• Published on: 1998-09-03
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 112 pages

About the Author
George Orwell, real name Eric Blair, was born in 1903 in Bengal. He served with the Indian Imperial Police, and later came to Europe, doing a series of ill-paid jobs which led to his writing Down and Out in Paris and London. He fought in the Spanish Civil War for the Republicans, but in later years became disillusioned with the aims of Communism, which led to the writing of his two most famous political satires Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty Four, which were immensely popular. He died in 1950.

Customer Reviews

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.

"Four Legs Good, Two Legs Bad."
Just before he dies, Old Major, an old pig, shares a dream he had with the animals of Manor Farm. In the dream, he saw a future where animals were no longer the servants of man but enjoyed the profits of their own labor.

His dream became reality much sooner then he imagined, however. Shortly after his death, the animals spontaneously revolt against the farm's owner, Jones, a mean drunk.

With the humans gone, the animals start working the farm together, anxious to enjoy the rewards. They also form their own government, a complete democracy where every animal has a say. They create seven commandments that they will all live by to make the newly renamed Animal Farm an even better place to live.

It isn't long, however, before the pigs begin to take a place of leadership because of their superior intelligence. Two in particular, Snowball and Napoleon, rise to the top and always take opposite sides on every issue.

The first year, things go smoothly. But the second year, things begin to fall apart and a leader emerges, slowly gaining more power. Will the other animals go along with the changes?

Having heard about this classic all my life, I finally decided it was time to become acquainted with it. I can see why everyone talks about it so much. It is a powerful allegory about the dangers of Socialism. And, while some of the commentary directed squarely at the USSR may be lost on today's readers, anyone familiar with the history of that country or the other communist countries in our history will certainly get the point. It's amazing how accurate George Orwell was years before things got bad in Russia.

While it did take me a few minutes to truly get the ending, it was very chilling.

The best part is, the book is fun, too. The story moves quickly and the animal characters are so well drawn it's hard not to get pulled in to the story. I was hooked and couldn't wait to see how it ended.

Some classics are boring and hard to get through. This isn't one of them. Don't fear the classic label, but pick this up and read it today. You'll be glad you did.

An interesting and entertaining read.
I really enjoyed animal farm, it really made me think about the life we live. At times I found myself laughing out loud and then questioning myself to why I was laughing and what I was actually laughing about. This book is special as it is a book that can be enjoyed at many different levels. Initially the book was described as a fairy tale, hiding it's true connection to Russian history. Certain real historical events correspond directly with events in the novel. These correlations are very clever and interesting. The novel is set on a farm. The animals are anthropomorphic, although they still behave in ways characteristic of their species. The book isn't very long and easy to read, it left me with the desire to find out more about the undertones of the book as well as other books by George Orwell.