Animal Farm: 75th Anniversary Edition

By George Orwell

Book Overview

75th Anniversary Edition--Includes a New Introduction by T a Obreht

George Orwell's timeless and timely allegorical novel--a scathing satire of a downtrodden society's blind march towards totalitarianism.

"All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others."

A farm is taken over by its overworked, mistreated animals. With flaming idealism and stirring slogans, they set out to create a paradise of progress, justice, and equality. Thus the stage is set for one of the most telling satiric fables ever penned--a razor-edged fairy tale for grown-ups that records the evolution from revolution against tyranny to a totalitarianism just as terrible.

When Animal Farm was first published, Stalinist Russia was seen as its target. Today it is devastatingly clear that wherever and whenever freedom is attacked, under whatever banner, the cutting clarity and savage comedy of George Orwell's masterpiece have a meaning and message still ferociously fresh.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0451526341
• ISBN13: 9780451526342
• Release Date: April 2004
• Publisher: Signet Book
• Length: 176 Pages
• Weight: 0.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 4.1" x 7.4"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

I dont give five stars lightly...

Okay, why was this book actually so good? I was expecting a boring old classic and this is not it. Its crazy (Spoilers) how realistic it is to different governments throughout history. The way that they made all of these rules and fought fir change only to have changed nothing in the end is crazy! I think this is the kind of book that everybody has to read at least once.

No animal may drink alcohol "to excess."

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. Two striking parts of this tale 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 farmhouse as the pigs were playing cards with the men, and two aces of spades showed up. An argument ensues. Then the creatures outside looked in as they "...looked from pig to man and man to pig, and from pig to man again drew a realization..."

A really interesting spin on a political fairytale

This is my second time to read this and I enjoyed it very much again. I think I would give it a 4.5 out of 5 stars but rounded up. Definitely worth reading.

Good read

I’ve read this book twice and would read it again. It give you a look into how manipulation and intimidation can influence and control a whole population. And how, even when we know the truth we will still follow the mass….. crazy.

A classic

A classic that I somehow missed until now. I really enjoyed it.

Got the wrong version of the book. Story remains one of the greats!

The version I received was very different than the description. Print was too small. Ended up ordering a new one from Amazon. Read it to my child over the course of several nights. Story remains one of the greats and provoked a lot of follow up questions.

Very straight-forwarded

This books has a good message that can most definitely be dissected within the first two chapters. It never became hard to finish because when something predictable was to come about, it took a turn in the most unexpected of ways.

This book has Literally been a part of my life since childhood~Very Excited to reread as an Adult!

I was a so-called 'Gifted Child,' back in the 70s. In other words, I had learned to read by age 2 & 1/2. So I read Animal Farm, which was on my parents' bookshelves, for the 1st time at age 8, reread it at 10, then at 13, and again at 17. Ì saw it, as a young kid, as just a fun story about talking animals who got political, which I obviously didn't understand at the time. As I reread it, getting older each time, I began to understand the political ramifications of what the farm animals were coordinating & organizing. I am Very much looking forward to reading it once again, at 58; Literally a 1/2 Century since my 1st reading! I will Definitely update this review once I've reread it for the 5th time!

Incredibly timely and eye opening

This book was surprisingly relevant, especially if you live in the states. “Snowflake(s)” being the scapegoat? The changing of laws, and the blurring of the truth? I mean, come on. I bought an extra copy to put in my neighborhood library because this is such an important book.

Do Not Buy

Lie! The book that came was not this book. It was a cheap old crusty version of a reprint. Not 75th anniversary and not even the same cover.

You can connect it to real life events

It was a little difficult for me to read because of some of the old language. However, the further you go, the more this makes sense. I like how it reminds me of some events that happened in history.

It’s a classic

Definitely a classic and a must read at least once in your life - especially now .

Must read

I found the book to be refreshing and pretty on the nose for being written so long ago. The only thing I dislike is how short it is. This is one of those classic must read books.

Tragic, but still a great allegory.

This story really shows how revolutions can fail. The ending is tragic and it leaves you thinking about how an attempt at Utopia invariably ends badly. Excellent read, recommended for anyone interested in history, politics or fiction.

Rebelion en la granja

Este libro debe ser mandatorio para todos los estudiantes de bachillerato (preparatoria) es relacionado lo que esta pasando el Dia de hoy en todos los paises. Me encanto, me hubiera encantado leerlo cuando estaba en la preparatoria y también que mis hijos lo leyeran.

Animal Farm what a great success

If you didn’t read this in high school, read it now. If you did read it in high school, read it again. It’s powerful and resonates with our current reality. Fear, propoganda, religion. It’s a short but very striking read.

Excelente obra sobre que ilustra la Revolucion Rusa

El Sr. Jones no sabe lo que estaba a punto de ocurrir en su granja pero continuaba con su patron de explotacion hasta el dia en que los animales se levantaron para hacer justicia y buscar la igualdad. La trama gira en torno a la manera en la que los animales producen y llevan a cabo esta revolucion. Este es un clasico el cual estuvo prohibido y censurado en muchos lugares. Hoy podemos disfrutar de esta excelente obra de George Orwell. En esta edicion encontrara un prologo nunca antes publicado escrito por el autor, el cual es analizado en su contexto. Excelente obra facil de leer, entretenida y con un potencial historico extraordinario.

The power of words ...

"Animal farm" is to this day one of the best attempts to criticize a totalitarian regime through the means that literature provides: the power of words. George Orwell (1903- 1950) wanted to help others to realize things that for him were evident, and attempted to do so by writing a fable that can easily be read as a satire of the Russian Revolution. Orwell said in an article that "Every line of serious work that I have written since 1936 has been written, directly or indirectly, against totalitarianism and for democratic Socialism, as I understand it. It seems to me nonsense, in a period like our own, to think that one can avoid writing of such subjects. It is simply a question of which side one takes and what approach one follows". Orwell also pointed out that "Animal Farm was the first book in which I tried, with full consciousness of what I was doing, to fuse political purpose and artistic purpose into one whole". He succeded beyond his wildest expectations, even though at first nobody wanted to publish this work because it was too controversial. The plot of this book is relatively easy to grasp, and I think that is probably one of the reasons why it is so popular. Some animals decide to take over the conduction of a farm, because they believe there is too much injustice, and that they would improve the situation if they had the power to do so. They make a revolution, and end up evicting Mr. Jones, the owner of the farm. From that moment onwards, the farm is called "Animal farm"... The animals establish seven "commandments", that they are supposed to obey at all moments in the new "Animal farm": 1- Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy, 2 - Whatever goes upon four legs, or has wings, is a friend, 3- No animal shall wear clothes, 4 - No animal shall sleep in a bed , 5 -No animal shall drink alcohol, 6 - No animal shall kill another animal , 7- All animals are created equal. At the same time, all commandments can be comprised in a maxim: "Four legs good, two legs bad". Everything seems all right for sometime, and all the animals work together for the success of the revolution, obeying the commandments and striving for a new order of things. However, after a while the pigs begin to think that being part of the animal revolution is not enough: they want to dominate it. After that first realization things take a quick turn for the worse, and we cease to be in the presence of a "wannabe utopical society", having instead to be unwilling witnesses to the birth of a new totalitarian society. At that moment, the pigs even change some of the commandments. For example, the fourth commandment turns into "No animal shall sleep in a bed with sheets", and the sixth commandment says "No animal shall kill another animal without cause". Now, the commandments can be reduced to "Four legs good, two legs better". Finally, all the commandments will be replaced with one: "All animals are created equal, but some animals are more equal than others". All in

Simply, the best book I've ever read

I've read Animal Farm 3 times and each time I read it I get something more out of it. My 7th grade teacher made my class read it to illustrate communism. It worked great and showed us how tempting communism is and how easily it can spread. No matter how old you are, I suggest you pick up a copy of this book and read it.