Book Review: Animal Farm

[Amanda P. X. Sim]

My mum had been constantly telling me about this book which she read during her high school years that gave her a lasting impression till today. One fine day during my primary school years we found it at the bookstore, and she immediately bought it for me. The cover was plain and unattractive, with brightly coloured dots that formed the shape of a pig, and I wasn't exactly keen to read it but I did anyway. So the first time when I read this book I was probably about 11 years old, and although I could understand the literal meaning of the story perfectly, I probably did not get the hidden meaning behind it, and thus all it left was an impression of a not-that-amazing book that concerned a farm, and pigs were somehow, somewhat evil characters within the story. Fourteen years later, which was precisely two weeks ago, I reread it.

Title of the book: Animal Farm: A Fairy Story
Author: George Orwell
Series: -
Genres: Fiction (Political Satire)
Short summary of the story:
The animals in Manor Farm had gotten sick and tired of maltreatment by their human master Mr Jones, and under the influence of an old dying pig, they banded together and finally drove him out of the farm, then took over the entire farm themselves. It all began as a victory and what was believed as the way to freedom, as they lived by the saying that "all animals are equal", but slowly and eventually an elite group among them takes control, and in the end it appears that "some animals are more equal than others".
Good points / bad points:
The tale of the animals on the farm is actually a metaphor for the Russian Revolution, showing how ugly human nature can be with the use of propaganda, oppression, and corruption to gain power in politics. Written in a simple fairytale style, the book is easily understandable can be read in one sitting, but the essence of this British classic is so thought-provoking that it may leave you with an uneasiness about the reality around us, as it did for me.