"Fahrenheit 451" First Impressions *no spoilers* > Likes and Comments

stormhawk is back as our discussion leader for this month. Be gentle everyone. And have fun with my favourite obligatory category.

I read Fahrenheit 451 years ago and I've seen the novie more times than I can count. I really enjoyed the film more than the novel, and I think this was because the film was less violence themed than the novel.

In my case is more of a fifth or tenth impression. I chose to "read" Fahrenheit as an audiobook this time around, mainly because I couldn't find my copy in the bookpile and there isn't a Kindle Edition.

However, I thought it was the perfect way to experience the book, much as it was to have spoken, rather than printed credits on the movie.

In my view, this is one the of the most tightly-written sci-fi's of all time. Just an opinion ;).

I was so impressed with Bradbury's vision of tv -- the reality tv and perhaps internet forums/chats seemed to have some resonance with what Bradbury was saying/trying to portray.

back in high school, the on-level kid a got to read this and 'wizard of earthsea', while we had to suffer through hardy and faulkner. I was right jealous, but somehow in the intervening years never got around to reading this one.

I was flipping through the first pages at a stoplight on the way to work this am (stormhawk, I'm likewise lamenting the lack of a digital edition!), and ended up pondering the opening quote, "if they give you ruled paper, write the other way," most of the rest of my commute. a few chapters in, and it's beautiful. unexpected, because other than his fantastic short stories, I typically dislike bradbury (dandelion wine, ftf).

My first exposure to Bradbury was through his short stories. The Martian Chronicles and The Illustrated Man are still two of my favorite collections. He has a way of telling stories that evokes my own childhood memories of growing up in Illinois, hearing, as I think it was Mr. Dark in Something Wicked This Way Comes who said, "The sounds of young boys thirsting to be men." His tales were always darker and richer than what I was being made to read in junior high school.

Dandelion Wine didn't hit me in the same way, it's not one of my favorites, either.

But oh, heck, now I need to reread all of those others, again.

Valjeanne wrote: "I read Fahrenheit 451 years ago and I've seen the novie more times than I can count. I really enjoyed the film more than the novel, and I think this was because the film was less violence themed th..."

I think I will have to re-read Fahrenheit 451 again some time, as I do not remember the violence.

Michelle wrote: "ended up pondering the opening quote, "if they give you ruled paper, write the other way," most of the rest of my commute. a few chapters in, and it's beautiful"

Thanks for bringing that up, Michelle - that's always been one of my favorite quotes, bu I never realized it was Bradbury's.

It has been many years since I've read this, but it was one of my favorites back in high school.

I always find myself comparing this novel with Brave New World by Aldous Huxley and 1984 by George Orwell. Along with Ray Bradbury, all these men were tuned into the darker veins of human nature, from personal to political, but I think Fahrenheit 451 subscribes to the more chilling belief that we will simply "devolve" into passive consumers of our own free will (the same school of thought shared by Huxley).

I look forward to re-reading this and seeing what new little bits jump out at me this time round.

The "ruled paper" quote is from Juan Ramon Jimenez. It appears after the table of contents, but before the title page of The Hearth and the Salamander. Thanks to wiki, I now know that he was a Spanish poet and won the Nobel Prize in Literature for 1956, and died two years later.

Fahrenheit is my only experience of this poet. I don't read a lot of poetry, and Spanish poets even less. But "When they give you ruled paper, write the other way," is precisely the kind of contrarian advice I would expect from a poet. Unpredictable folk. They should be burnt along with the books. But only after we run out of mimes. Or may we start with mimes who write poetry in their spare time?

ummm.

I need more coffee. Back later.

First Impression; A book about mass censorship but reveils little nuggets of why books are so important.

stormhawk wrote: "The "ruled paper" quote is from Juan Ramon Jimenez. It appears after the table of contents, but before the title page of The Hearth and the Salamander. Thanks to wiki, I now know that he was a Span..."

Thanks, stormhawk!

I'm reading this book for the first time (though I have read almost all of Bradbury's short stories.) So far, I'm bowled over by how beautiful the language is. Bradbury sculpts words, like statues out of marble.

Julia wrote: "Bradbury sculpts words, like statues out of marble."

What a beautifully expressive way of putting it. I love Bradbury for his use of language. He understands the enchantment of words!

Deep, insightful, thought-provoking and prophetic, my favorite Bradbury novel.

What Jackie said I agree with, but for some inexplicable reason I've read few of his other books.

Last month I read thisRay Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451: The Authorized Adaptation after finding it on my library's new shelf. It's a beauty, of course.

Well, young lady, you head right on out to that bookstore and/or library and start reading!

My favorites are The Martian Chronicles, Something Wicked This Way Comes, and The Illustrated Man.
And a whole bunch of the other ones, now that I think of it. Those stories about The Family, that are kind of creepy and Addams-family like ... I should probably just buy the hugest possible short story colelction ...

(In fact, I just re-purchased all three of the books I mentioned above. I know I have them. They're in boxes in which I carefully packed them for moving and haven't opened since I don't have enough space for my books. But I was inspired to reread them, and they aren't on Kindle ... so ... what's a woman to do?)

I'm way behind on this one but just got the book out of the library. I had read it long ago, but all I really remember is the movie. I've just read up to about page 56, but what amazes me is the beauty of his prose. His writing is so poetic! Now that I'm reading this, I vaguely remember that beauty from the Martian Chronicles.

I, too, love the way that Bradbury plays with words.

The first paragraph alone is phenomenal;

"It was a pleasure to burn. It was a special pleasure to see things eaten, to see things blackened and changed. With the brass nozzle in his fists, with this great python spitting its venomous kerosene upon the world, the blood pounded in his head, and his hands were the hands of some amazing conductor playing all the symphonies of blazing and burning to bring down the tatters and charcoal ruins of history. With his symbolic helmet numbered 451 on his stolid head, his eyes all orange flame with the thought of what came next, he flicked the igniter and the house jumped up in a gorging fire that burned the evening sky red and yellow and black. He strode in a swarm of fireflies. He wanted above all, like the old joke, to to shove a marshmallow on a stick in the furnace, while the flipping pigeon winged books died on the porch and lawn of the house. While the books went up in sparkling whirls and blew away on a wind turned dark with burning."

I just had to post it, it's a beautiful way to open the book. My first impression was that Ray Bradbury was an absolute wizard of words, and that this book was going to be amazing.

Ray Bradbury was always a poet, even if he didn't start writing poetry with shorter lines and the occasional rhyme until later in life.

I decided to do the audiobook because one of the options was narrated by Tim Robbins. The other one is terrible but I'm enjoying this one.

Oh do report back, please, when you're done. I don't think I've ever fully appreciated this book, and an audio might just help me....

Will do :) I'm enjoying it. He doesn't do the female voices well so far. Sometimes an actor you like can make all the difference.

I must say I hate Fahrenheit 451 with fiery passion. I gave it four tries before abandoning it for good and the longest I ever got was around halfway, which was a strugle.

Finally at fourth go, as I got stuck yet again, I decided to skip to the end to see if it was more interesting than everything I had read so far and in my opinion it wasn't, so I decided not to finish the book and just leave it be forever. Why waste more of your time reading something you find boring and annoying when you can read a better book instead? I must say I regret giving this book so many chances when it just got more boring each time.

This is why I've never wanted to read anymore Bradbury's books, but few days ago I changed my mind and desided to give "Martian Chronicles" a chance and borrowed it from the library. Now I just need to start it, but I'm afraid it might be as boring and tedious as Fahrenheit 451 is.

I struggled with MC but it was mostly because I saw a tv movie when I was a kid and they didn't match up. It's more of a series of short stories that involve Mars. The stories don't link up though. It didn't work for me but a lot of people like it. I'm enjoying 451 so far. Good luck.

I love MC as a kind of poetry, but I can't stand it as SF. And the sexism and provincialism bother me. I would *not* recommend it for ppl who hate F451.

Try Dandelion Wine instead. It doesn't have much more of a plot than MC, but the episodes do link and take place in exactly the same setting.

Cheryl, I'm at 25% of the audiobook and I'm loving it. Tim Robbins is doing a really wonderful job. I think the text would be a lot more depressing but he's giving it a lot of life and some humor. I'm finding myself listening to it at 1x and making excuses to listen to it, neither of which I usually do.

Oh that does sound wonderful. Off to add that to my wishlist. (But do let us know when you write the review plz. :)

I will :)

Im about hàlf way done, and find it thought provoking

Cool - keep us posted. Are you reading a print edition?

The monthly reread! What do you think of the beginning?

"It was a pleasure to burn." IMHO, one of the best opening lines ever, right up there with "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times."

Finally started reading it, goes quite fast. 41%, kindle edition.
As it was one of the inspirations for the movie "Equilibrium" which I like a lot, I am instinctively keeping an eye out for scenes or lines that might've been the inspiration.

Michele wrote: ""It was a pleasure to burn." IMHO, one of the best opening lines ever, right up there with "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.""

Totally. I was really looking forward to it this time.

Tomas wrote: "Finally started reading it, goes quite fast. 41%, kindle edition.
As it was one of the inspirations for the movie "Equilibrium" which I like a lot, I am instinctively keeping an eye out for scenes ..."

I noticed this this time! I didn't know before rereading.

Necroposting to say I’m reading this for the first time. I haven’t read any Bradbury since high school, and I’m glad to be reading a classic. It’s quite densely poetic, and unexpectedly surreal in its depiction of Montag’s inner monologue.

I am reading from the Simon & Schuster novel edition with the Neil Gaiman introduction. As usual, Gaiman can make an old or a familiar topic fresh all the television watching and how it have been a contributing element to the degrading and then the burning of books.

Ray Bradbury is one of my favorite authors. I’ve only read Illustrated man, The October Country, and just recently Fahrenheit 451. But his writing impresses me.
I also read the version with the introduction by Neil Gaiman. I was out taking a walk this evening and viewing all the houses after dark and remembered Gaiman saying how before technology you knew that people were home because their lights would be on and they would be interacting and reading and now in the present with technology you knew people were home because their lights would be off because they were all watching TV.

It is certainly an insightful story, who'd have thought people would really start banning and burning books...