What do you think?
Rate this book
Animal Farm 75th Anniversary Edition By George Orwell Foreword by Ann Patchett Introduction by Tea Obreht
Celebrating 75 years, this edition includes a new introduction by Tea Obreht. George Orwell's enduring allegory critiques societies' descent into totalitarianism. Animals revolt, aiming for utopia, but inequality persists. Initially targeting Stalinist Russia, its relevance endures, warning against freedom's threats.
Unknown Binding
3 people are currently reading
About the author
George Orwell
1,303 books51.2k followersEric Arthur Blair was an English novelist, poet, essayist, journalist and critic who wrote under the pen name of George Orwell. His work is characterised by lucid prose, social criticism, opposition to all totalitarianism (both fascism and stalinism), and support of democratic socialism.
Orwell is best known for his allegorical novella Animal Farm (1945) and the dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949), although his works also encompass literary criticism, poetry, fiction and polemical journalism. His non-fiction works, including The Road to Wigan Pier (1937), documenting his experience of working-class life in the industrial north of England, and Homage to Catalonia (1938), an account of his experiences soldiering for the Republican faction of the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939), are as critically respected as his essays on politics, literature, language and culture.
Orwell's work remains influential in popular culture and in political culture, and the adjective "Orwellian"—describing totalitarian and authoritarian social practices—is part of the English language, like many of his neologisms, such as "Big Brother", "Thought Police", "Room 101", "Newspeak", "memory hole", "doublethink", and "thoughtcrime". In 2008, The Times named Orwell the second-greatest British writer since 1945.
Orwell is best known for his allegorical novella Animal Farm (1945) and the dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949), although his works also encompass literary criticism, poetry, fiction and polemical journalism. His non-fiction works, including The Road to Wigan Pier (1937), documenting his experience of working-class life in the industrial north of England, and Homage to Catalonia (1938), an account of his experiences soldiering for the Republican faction of the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939), are as critically respected as his essays on politics, literature, language and culture.
Orwell's work remains influential in popular culture and in political culture, and the adjective "Orwellian"—describing totalitarian and authoritarian social practices—is part of the English language, like many of his neologisms, such as "Big Brother", "Thought Police", "Room 101", "Newspeak", "memory hole", "doublethink", and "thoughtcrime". In 2008, The Times named Orwell the second-greatest British writer since 1945.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 of 1 review
January 17, 2026
3.5 stars rounded up.
Summation: A utopia goes wrong. Set on a farm with talking and thinking animals.
Takeaway: Author shows that if the population being controlled by the higher-ups is stupid, afraid, and prideful then living a life opposite of this can help reduce the risk of being manipulated by them.
Potential Spoilers: The beauty of this book is that the author writes it in such a way that there are instances of unique humor, sad implications, and ambiguous meanings- all without being directly expressed. The reader can go back and find different nuanced meanings, questions, and messages that can be interpreted in different ways (e.g. what is Moses's real role? Did Benjamin have the most realistic outlook or was he just a pessimist that couldn't be proven wrong in a dystopian society? Did Boxer accept his fate or was he too weak to keep trying? Why were the animals so easily swayed, gaslit, and stupid? Would Snowball have led the animals better than Napoleon? Why were there only two battles? etc.)
Summation: A utopia goes wrong. Set on a farm with talking and thinking animals.
Takeaway: Author shows that if the population being controlled by the higher-ups is stupid, afraid, and prideful then living a life opposite of this can help reduce the risk of being manipulated by them.
Potential Spoilers: The beauty of this book is that the author writes it in such a way that there are instances of unique humor, sad implications, and ambiguous meanings- all without being directly expressed. The reader can go back and find different nuanced meanings, questions, and messages that can be interpreted in different ways (e.g. what is Moses's real role? Did Benjamin have the most realistic outlook or was he just a pessimist that couldn't be proven wrong in a dystopian society? Did Boxer accept his fate or was he too weak to keep trying? Why were the animals so easily swayed, gaslit, and stupid? Would Snowball have led the animals better than Napoleon? Why were there only two battles? etc.)
Displaying 1 of 1 review