This is now my second reread of Orwell’s ‘1984’ and it still holds strong as my indisputable favourite book. Orwell is so masterful in his political commentary, he criticises totalitarian power in the most direct and impactful ways, yet plays with its inevitability and the bleak reality of the world Orwell creates is so realistic and hence so terrifying. I still get goosebumps in certain parts and his manipulation of the mind is so strong and language so effective, at occasional points it is even convincing that the party makes sense and then you remember what you are reading.
 

This time round I was reading with an especial focus on song and nursery rhyme for my dissertation, and the way Orwell weaves it in, the meaning of the occasions holding so much weight and significance while being such an overlooked element of the text with the political commentary taking the forefront, it is utterly masterful. 

Admittedly on the third read I did start to see a lot more flaws with the book. Plot conveniences and poor writing was seeping through the cracks which were too thin in my first reads of it and the writing of Julia as a character is truly awful. I did not realise how blunt Orwell is in places with quite frankly tragic writings of female characters. 

Nonetheless, the love affair between Winston and Julia is not the primary focus of the book nor impacts the core messages and ideas that Orwell is trying to portray, and for that I am still confident to give it the past and once again reward it five stars. It is brilliant every single time for the same and so many new reasons.

Review from First Reread (January 2023): 5 Stars
In my opinion 1984 is the dystopian novel. It is a work of utter genius, and in my reread of it not only was it even better, but I discovered so many more of the intricacies, corruption and political structure of the totalitarian dictatorship of Ingsoc. The second time round Orwell’s authorial voice and twists were still shocks, key changes in plot points still brought me chills, and I still sat with utter disbelief upon finishing the book and awe for Orwell’s storytelling. Writing in the post-war society of 1949, Orwell depicts a future imagination of the impact of fascism if anything alike to the ideologies of the Nazi party were to succeed. 1984 focuses on the gaining of complete control through concepts such as the police and surveillance state, manipulation of language and a state of total, each individually a haunting prospect of reality and together a fascinating means of control and devastating future world of which it is an impossibility to oppose. The most terrifying part being Orwell’s fears in 1949 beginning to come into play in modern society today. I cannot praise this book enough, and I strongly believe it will hold its gold medal among my favourite books for the foreseeable future, it’ll take quite some masterpiece to topple it.