Ray Bradbury: Fahrenheit 451 (Paperback, 2018, Harper Voyager)
Paperback, 227 pages
English language
Published Aug. 6, 2018 by Harper Voyager.
More than sixty years after its original publication, Ray Bradbury's internationally acclaimed novel Fahrenheit 451 stands as a classic of world literature. Today its message is more relevant than ever before. Now an HBO original film starring Michael B. Jordan and Michael Shannon.
Guy Montag is a fireman. His job is to destroy the most illegal of all commodities, the printed book, along with the homes in which they are hidden. Montag never questions his orders to destroy and to ruin, returning each day to his bland life and to his wife, Mildred, who is content to spend all day with her television 'family'.
But then Montag meets Clarisse, who shows him a past where people didn't live in fear and a present where the world can be seen through ideas in books and not just the screen of a television, and begins to question everything he has ever known. …
More than sixty years after its original publication, Ray Bradbury's internationally acclaimed novel Fahrenheit 451 stands as a classic of world literature. Today its message is more relevant than ever before. Now an HBO original film starring Michael B. Jordan and Michael Shannon.
Guy Montag is a fireman. His job is to destroy the most illegal of all commodities, the printed book, along with the homes in which they are hidden. Montag never questions his orders to destroy and to ruin, returning each day to his bland life and to his wife, Mildred, who is content to spend all day with her television 'family'.
But then Montag meets Clarisse, who shows him a past where people didn't live in fear and a present where the world can be seen through ideas in books and not just the screen of a television, and begins to question everything he has ever known. --back cover
I had read this book a long time ago and remembered it as a difficult read - my english was not quite on the same level as it is today. When re-reading it now i was blown away. An amazing story paired with wonderful storytelling. After reading "boring" contemporary novels this was delightfully refreshing
There are so many quotes that I have taken away from this book and that I will carry with me for the rest of my life. I think one of the main (or, most impactful) ones is 'if you drown, at least die knowing you were heading for shore' - such a beautiful way of saying die doing what's right. It reminds me of the quote from Stéphane Charbonnier who stated, 'I'd rather die standing than live on my knees' (he was later killed by Islamic terrorists who did not agree with the viewpoints he published). I know that many people reading this review might argue that I should have read this book earlier in my life (and they're likely right) but I want to attempt to rebut this by saying that I think, if I were to read Fahrenheit 451 at any younger age, I might not have been …
There are so many quotes that I have taken away from this book and that I will carry with me for the rest of my life. I think one of the main (or, most impactful) ones is 'if you drown, at least die knowing you were heading for shore' - such a beautiful way of saying die doing what's right. It reminds me of the quote from Stéphane Charbonnier who stated, 'I'd rather die standing than live on my knees' (he was later killed by Islamic terrorists who did not agree with the viewpoints he published). I know that many people reading this review might argue that I should have read this book earlier in my life (and they're likely right) but I want to attempt to rebut this by saying that I think, if I were to read Fahrenheit 451 at any younger age, I might not have been able to take away as much as I did reading it this time. I'm currently 19 years old, though Fahrenheit was actually one of the first books I ever purchased. It had a beautiful animated cover and came along with Brave New World (which had 3D glasses tucked behind the first page so that you could view the cover image from a different perspective); whilst I would have been able to read both books in my youth, I'm somewhat glad I didn't as I worry I might have ruined them, spoilt them for myself. F451 made me feel so electric with every single word, page, and character. With every single location, event, and detail. It took a little time getting used to the writing style but once I was into it, I was completely in. Sidenote, the detail of the vent in Montag's house was wonderfully done and felt so suspenseful.
'Stuff your eyes with wonder.'
