Even though he lives in a world where happiness – and mindlessness – is the central focus, Bernard Marx is unhappy. Because he was born an intelligent alpha, but has the physical stature of a much lower-classed citizen, he has never been the focus for women, has often been mocked, and finds himself discontented with everything around him. He decides to go to New Mexico, where he can meet savages, people who exist as they did before the World Controllers took over. Perhaps the people he discovers there will teach him to be happy and cure him of his mindless existence.
I’m a big fan of dystopias like this. I loved The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood and 1984 by George Orwell, among others. I didn’t have the exact same reaction to this book, and I found my answer in the introduction.
This world is eerily creepy; genetic engineering is certainly better than it was when Huxley was writing, and so his opening sequence, where guests are taken through a child-making factory as the embryos are divided and conformed to certain expectations, then brainwashed to love their status in life, is extraordinarily effective. I had a lot of hope for the rest of the book as I was reading it, but almost as soon as we were introduced to the characters, my hopes virtually fizzled.
For one thing, Huxley hasn’t decided whether or not it’s capitalism or communism that is horrible, and this is what the introduction clarified for me. Neither of the two theories portrayed in the book is highlighted as more prominent or more satisfying. Both existences are virtually meaningless, and so rather than making me worried about the future of the world, I just ended up conflicted and dissatisfied with what has been created here.
Worse, I didn’t have anyone to root for. The characters wind up unhappy wherever they are. The worst part is when Bernard comes back from the reservation and becomes totally content; in other words, he’s just shallow. He doesn’t have any real dispute with his world except that a mistake meant he didn’t fit in properly. So there is no real focal point for the reader to target, no one to sympathize with and hope for their escape. As a result, the world, which could have been so affecting, falls totally flat.
As a result, I definitely didn’t like Brave New World as much as I’d hoped. I’m glad I borrowed it from the library and didn’t spend money on it.
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I have always wanted to read this book and was even planning to buy it but now I guess I need to rethink and may be borrow the book from the library. Nice review
.-= Shweta´s last blog ..Forever In Blue by Ann Brashares =-.
I read this so long ago that I have virtually no memory of it and what I do remember might actually be 198, which I read and remember enjoying a little more. I can say that I haven’t ever really felt the need to go back and read this one, so I will leave it at that for now.
.-= Nicole´s last blog ..Dragon House, by John Shors =-.
I think my sister had to read this in high school, but somehow I’ve never read it. It sounds interesting.
.-= Kathy´s last blog ..Review: Live For Your Listening Pleasure =-.
I was supposed to read this for my freshman English course in college and couldn’t get into it. It’s one of the very few required reading assignments I never read. Sometimes I think I should go back and try again, but I haven’t worked up the enthusiasm to try. I’m sorry it fell flat for you, Meghan.
.-= Literary Feline´s last blog ..Christmas Came Early This Year =-.
I read this a long time ago too. I think those older dystopic novels don’t hold up very well – so much of them are focused on the capitalism-communism struggle, which doesn’t affect us anymore, and also I think we are more sophisticated in general now. But every once in a while, one holds up great. For example, I love On the Beach – I think it still works. I actually remember the movie (the Gregory Peck/Ava Gardner version is the best) more than the book.
.-= rhapsodyinbooks´s last blog ..Review of The Private Patient by P.D. James =-.
One of my friends in high school LOVED this book. She loaned me her copy, but like you I just couldn’t get into it. I’ve been thinking about giving it another try, but maybe not…
.-= heidenkind´s last blog ..Reading by Type =-.
I had to read this in high school and I don’t remember being really taken by it. Unfortunately, I don’t remember the details.
.-= Beth F´s last blog ..Review: Sweeping up Glass by Carolyn Wall =-.
I didn’t really care about this one one way or the other. I was alright.
.-= carol´s last blog ..Deep Kiss of Winter by Kresley Cole and Gena Showalter =-.
I’ve been listening to this one on audiobook, and haven’t gotten very far, so I decided to take a break from it and pick it up again after the new year. I have just been waiting for some main characters to take the stage. So far it seems like it’s just a description of the world.
.-= Alyce´s last blog ..Not What I Had Envisioned =-.
I listened to the audiobook of the first chapter and I just couldn’t keep going. Maybe some day I’ll pick it up and read it, but it sounds like it isn’t the best dystopia out there.
.-= Rebecca Reid´s last blog ..Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman by Richard Feynman =-.
One of the things I like about Brave New World is that nobody is happy. The new order has caused the few holdouts (the reservation) to react so drastically that neither society is a place you would want to live. It makes the book much more dark and pretty much completely lacking in hope.
.-= Amanda´s last blog ..Friday Fun! (Merry Chrismukkah!) =-.
I really like dystopian fiction as well, but didn’t love this one. Then again, I haven’t read it since the beginning of college!
.-= S. Krishna´s last blog ..The Girl Next Door – Elizabeth Noble =-.
I tried to listen to this a few months ago and it didn’t grab my attention, so I returned it to the library. My husband says I need to read it, so eventually I’ll give it a chance. After your review and my own experience, I’m not in any hurry!
.-= Stacy´s last blog ..Last Lines Quiz =-.