— 3.5 stars —

Well, I needed time to digest everything I’ve read and overall, I didn’t really liked it. The thing is, yes, it wasn’t my favorite book, but I’m glad I read it.
But let me explain.

The writing was confusing. It felt like a lot was said, for few interesting things. The lack of description of the world in which Montag lived was unsettling. In my opinion, it made everything so much closer to us, so much more relevant than it should be. And sometimes, the way events are explained in the book made me angry and sad.

But it left me with hope. Why? Because there are people who actually read books, even in a world where, according to Chief Beatty, « people chose to stop reading them ». There are people who absorb and learn those books. Yes, they still burn them, but they also protect them within their own minds to teach and pass it on to future generations.

It seems like the society, at the end, is on the verge of being reborn.

The bombing, creating this clean slate, this tabula rasa, almost feels like the start of something new. Yes, the government is still in power. Yes, bombing one city is not going to change a lot of things.

But for me, the symbolism remains the same, and the books and stories will be passed on as they used to be, through the voices of people.

The characters were also really interesting.
- Montag: the example of the awakening of someone's consciousness. Thanks to Clarisse, he realized, but mainly accepted that something was wrong with his job and what he was asked to do. The rebellion that started to grow in his mind and actions before this meeting intensified to become something life changing for him.
What strikes me the most about him was that he didn't seem to be the typical "hero". For me, he always seemed to be excessive in his actions, and some of them where definitely not the wisest. He seemed to have no control of himself sometimes.

he burnt a man alive, and I think killed two other guys before, or knocked them out. I can't remember right now...

- Beatty: the man who uses his knowledge of books to prove his point. I really liked this character, though I found him to be very contradictory.
- Clarisse: pure and innocent in a world where being like her is dangerous

and can get yourself killed. I was really sad that she really died (or disappeared)

- Mildred & Faber: for me, they are the representation of two people in the society. Faber is the guy who wants to rebel, but doesn't go as far as he probably wished he would. He stays as much as possible under the radar, waiting for someone else to take action. Mildred, on the other hand, is the representation of the conformism. She'll do anything to not draw attention on her, or to avoid problems at all costs. She represents the normalcy that the society has established: denounce the sinners, do as you're told to.
- and finally the bookmen: for me, they're a lot like Faber, but slightly different. They know that what they're doing is not right. They live "outside" the society, creating they're own system. But they still live in conformity. They don't own books literally, but they still own them within their minds.

It has a strong message, which needs to be heard.

« I saw the way things were going, a long time back. I said nothing. I'm one of the innocents who could have spoken up and out when no one would listen to the "guilty", but I did not speak and thus became guilty myself. »

Reading is important, but so is speaking up when there's something wrong, and even more: don't wait for someone to do it. Do it yourself, because if you don't, you'll be guilty as well. As individuals, we have the power to change things. It might not seem enough, but we need to do it. Because at some point when we'll all come together, a small spark can become an intense fire.
Or, if you prefer, it only takes a small spark for a fire to be born.

This book was scary by his relevance today, confusing on many aspects (at least for me), but also captivating, because I had to force myself to put it down and think about what I had just read. This is why it wasn’t my favorite, why I didn’t really like it, but still, I’m really glad I read it.

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◆ buddy read with the Rosende Reads book club.

[I apologize if there is any grammatical mistakes. English is not my first language and I'm trying to better myself by writing a lot in English]