This review includes spoilers, you've been forewarned.
I loved the concept behind this story, but sadly the delivered story fell fairly flat for me.
I loved the concept behind this story, but sadly the delivered story fell fairly flat for me.
Firemen: those who burnt books. The story does go into why this profession even exists and it's even more intriguing.
But I really struggled with the book. It's a little over 100 pages and I felt like I was slogging the book after the first 1/4 of the story. I think the writing style also distracted me from the story too. I felt line nearly every sentence was laiden with a turn of phrase or clever simile - but the book is thick with this and it became very noticeable to the point of distraction.
The pace really threw me off too, it starts building up characters and before I know it, Montag is murdering his fire chief, battling murderous robot dogs, planting fake evidence against another fireman (and from what I could tell, a character we hadn't met) and then wondering off in the woods to meet the people who keep books in their heads.
It felt like there was a great story of a dystopia where happiness is swallowed up in a pill, potentially like Brave New World, but Fahrenheit 451, for me, falls way short of achieving that.
A shame. I really wanted to enjoy this story more.
5 Highlight(s)
And they'll be happy, because facts of that sort don't change.
Don't ask for guarantees. And don't look to be saved in any one thing, person, machine, or library. Do your own bit of saving, and if you drown, at least die knowing you were headed for shore.'
If you hide your ignorance, no one will hit you and you'll never learn.
'My God, how did this happen?' said Montag. 'It was only the other night everything was fine and the next thing I know I'm drowning.
But you can't make people listen. They have to come round in their time, wondering what happened and why the world blew up under them. It can't last.'