In a grim city and a terrifying country, where Big Brother is always Watching You and the Thought Police can practically read your mind, Winston is a man in grave danger for the simple reason that his memory still functions. He knows the Party's official image of the world is a fluid fiction. He knows the Party controls the people by feeding them lies and narrowing their imaginations through a process of bewilderment and brutalization that alienates each individual from his fellows and deprives him of every liberating human pursuit from reasoned inquiry to sexual passion. Drawn into a forbidden love affair, Winston finds the courage to join a secret revolutionary organization called The Brotherhood, dedicated to the destruction of the Party. Together with his beloved Julia, he hazards his life in a deadly match against the powers that be.

A paperback edition that has been read a couple of times but is in pretty good shape.

Offering up this book as a bookray. Forum post announcing bookray.

Participants:

1. Rebecca84(Germany - Ship Europe Only.)
   
2. FabClaire(UK - Ship anywhere)
   
3. mellowdaisy (UK Prefers UK only but can ship Int.)
   
4. arisweeting (UK - Ship Int.)
   
5. Stoxasths(Greece - Ship Int.)
   
6. -Psyche- (USA - Ship USA only)
   
7. timollie5502 (Philadelphia, PA - Ship USA Only)
   
8. SheWhoReads(Georgia, USA)
   
9. 4-lele (Elmhurst, IL)
   
10. yogie( Sweden - Prefers ship within Sweden - Will Ship Int.)
    
11. Rawne(Nyborg, Fyn Denmark)
    
12. Frangipani04 (Lisbon Portugal - Ship Within Europe)
    
13. BOKWORMY(Lisbon, Corroios Portugal - Ship Anywhere)
    
14. juhturo (Budapest, Hungary - Ship Anywhere)<------ Bookray Completed
    
15. andthings (milton keynes, Buckinghamshire United Kingdom - Ship Anywhere)
    
16. KittyNic (UK - Wants to be last)

Bookray instructions (Copied from catsalive):
1. SIGN UP for this bookray by sending me a Private Message. Order of participants will be juggled between geography, date of request and shipping limitations. Late additions may be added to the end of the list.
2. When the person before you on the list finishes reading the book, they will send you a Private Message for your postal address. If you are experiencing an RBC (Reading Backlog Crisis) or no longer wish to read it, let them (and me!) know and I will move you down/off the list.
3. WHEN YOU RECEIVE THE BOOK please make a journal entry so everyone knows it has safely arrived. Bookrays should NOT be stressful, take your time and enjoy the book. Just make sure it gets mailed on to the next person.
4. WHEN YOU FINISH THE BOOK, make another journal entry telling us what you thought - did you like it? Did you think it was well-written?
5. CONTINUE THE BOOKRAY by sending a Private Message to the person after you on the bookring list and request their postal address. Please check back here for the latest distribution list. If the person doesn't respond within 7-10 days (use your judgement), please PM the next person, and then me, so I can update the bookring list.
6. END OF THE RAY, The last person on the ray could try and continue the ray or just give/mail the book to someone else who might like to read it, an RABCK perhaps, look at cliff1976.com wish list web site or release it into the wild.

A note about shipping:

As this is a bookray and the book will not return to me it does not matter how long it takes this book to make its way from person to person. So I would insist that when shipping this book please use the most inexpensive shipping method available to you, ESPECIALLY when shipping this book internationally.

In the mail to Rebecca84 via surface mail yesterday during lunch.

I received the book when I came home from my holidays. Thanks a lot and I'll tyr to read and send it away again as soon as possible.

It took me a bit, but I finally finished it. 1984 is a good book, but I unfortunately had too high expectations, I guess. The prose was good, the thoughts and possibilities made me think, but somehow, the characters didn't touch me at all. I didn't really care for them and son the ending wasn't as thought-provoking as it could have been.

Still, a good read and I am very grateful I could fuinally read this classic :)

Arrived safely this morning. Thanks very much.

Got another ring on the go, but will read this next.

I thought this was incredibly well written, and that the vision of the future was remarkably accurate in some ways - particularly the telescreens dominating people's lives! Like Rebecca84 I didn't care much for the characters and I was hoing for more from the ending. However, I don't think that should detract from what really is a very good book.

Thanks very much, and on with the ring!

Arrived with me this morning from FabClaire. I have always wanted to read this but never got around to it. I'm looking forward to it! Thank you!

Definitely a thought provoking read!

I wasn't too impressed with the writing style by today's standards, but when you consider when it was written much of it holds up today.

Like previous readers, I thought the characters may have been more rounded and I didn't care for them as well as I should have. Without giving too much of the end away, I would have liked to have seen a different ending but that wouldn't have meshed with the overall mood of the book I guess.

All in all an interesting read! I have PMed the next person on the list and will post it on as soon as I can.

I received it just a few days ago and I have already started reading it. It looks great!

It is here--I will read and pass along. Thanks!

RELEASE NOTES:

Being sent to next bookcrosser. This is a must-read for anyone!

Just arrived in the mail today! I have another ahead of it, but I will start it soon. Thanks for sharing - I've been wanting to read this one for a while now.

I have finished with this book.
While I'm glad I read it, I wish I hadn't finished it. The first section of the book was very interesting to me - the way it described life then, and the rules they now had to follow in The Party. But the second two section with the exerpts from 'the book' was totally boring to me... I skimmed most of it. And the third section with all the punishments... well, it's just not what I was expecting to read in that book.
I'm glad I'm done, and can check it off of my 'to read someday' list.

Sent on to the next person on 7/7/06.

Arrived today. Looking forward to reading it!

I haven't been able to summon the mental energy to finish this book. The part I've read has been very good, but I've been feeling a little down lately, and I just can't bring myself to read a book I know is going to be depressing and end badly.

I do want to finish it someday, just not right now. I'm currently more in the mood for brainless romances or light-hearted comedies. (Dear God, Big Brother is controlling my brain! Eeek!)

PM'ing 4-lele for a mailing address.

4-lele asked to be skipped, so I'm mailing this to yogie instead. I should get it into the mail on Tuesday.

Arrived in the mail today. Thanks heaps to both SheWhoReads and efs3000.
I will start reading this as soon as I've finished the book I'm currently reading!

Such a sad book! I absolutely loved it! It was a social satire that really got me thinking. As it says in the afterword by Erich Fromm, it's a warning.
Orwell wrote this a long time ago, and even though I can see where he's coming from, I do not think the society today is as inhumane as he thought it would be.
I'm very glad I got the opportunity to read this. Thanks!

I PMed Rawne earlier today, so I will send it as soon as I get the address!

Edit: Sent off to Rawne 25th of September

recieved the book yesterday, looking forward to start reading it... it is #2 on my to-read list so it shouldn't take too long...

RELEASE NOTES:

sending it to BOKWORMY today since Frangipani04 is out of town for some weeks.... have a nice read!

Thanks Rawne for sending it over and efs300 for sharing *-)

Found it well written, very futurist for the time it was written.

23/01 – Pmed next person on the list !

RELEASE NOTES:

On the way to juhturo in Hungary!

Enjoy it!

The book arrived today, I can hardly wait starting it!

10 10 and 10
I have finished the book - the book has finished me ... again. I've read it many times in hungarian but the english version was so powerful, completely different feelings. Many things about the Party and how it works and why became only now understable.

My mother read this book in the 80-s ... a smuggled typed version behind the iron curtain, when this all was not so irreal as it seems today. But after readnig the afterword too - I agree: 1984 is still happening...

will send to andthings as soon as I get the adress.

doubleplus goodread

DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER!!!

RELEASE NOTES:

After noone anwered to my PM-s I made a try on the Forums where I got only one reply - here you go!!! :o)

Arrived in the mail, along with the German version of "cliffs notes" style study guide book to match! Looking forward to this one. I have two bookring books ahead of it, though, but I'll get to it! I read this way back in highschool. I don't remember much about it, except that at the time I lived in BC and the Premier had commissioned a government body called the CRD that were passing bilaws like making it illegal to smoke indoors/in public places and I likened it all quite a lot to the Thought Police under Big Brother's control. I even wrote an essay blatantly comparing our Premier with Big Brother. I also remember disliking the book as I read it, because just reading it made me feel greasy and unclean... until I figured out that was a sign it was incredibly well written, to make me actually FEEL those things.

Like I said, I'm looking forward to reading it again.