Howdy! Welcome to Oldies But Goodies: the book review section featuring classics that you should read today! With the school year a few weeks in, it’s important to find a good book to start off the year with! Why not choose a classic to read? It’s a good way to start stimulating your brain and get you thinking! This week’s focus is on George Orwell’s Animal Farm. Keep in mind, I haven’t read this book for a few years, so the more specific parts of the plot such as the characters’ names and personalities might be a little different than they are in the book.

For those of you who are unaware of this book or have never heard of it, Animal Farm is a novel published in 1975 by George Orwell (who also wrote the book 1984). The book is fairly short, only weighing in at about 104 pages or so. As such, it’s a quick read, but there’s a whole lot more to it than just that. There are many interesting characters and a very creative plot that really hit a home run for it, and made it a well-known classic.

As for the story, it is a lot more than just a farm with animals in it. There’s violence, anarchy, and even some racism found in this book, and it’s all centered around a peaceful group of farm animals. It all starts with the animals having a meeting hosted by an old boar on the farm. He suggests that the farmer should be overthrown, as he is cruel and a slavedriver to the animals, and should be replaced with a society in which every animal contributes equally to it. After the revolution, Animal Farm is born. While at first, things go very smoothly, things began changing as the pigs (the most intelligent animals on the farm) rise to power. That’s about the all I can say without spoiling the greatest parts of the book. But there’s a little more that can be discussed here.

This story also contains a variety of characters that push the story along. There are the pigs: Napoleon, Snowball, and Squealer who are the prime members of Animal Farm. Napoleon and Snowball often butt heads about what is best for the farm and some interesting and gory things happen when they butt heads. Squealer is like the village crier in which he talks to other animals about what should go on in Animal Farm. There are also several horses featured including a strong, hard-working, likeable one named Boxer, a kind-hearted mare named Clover, and the overly fancy Mollie who seems to still like human customs. Other characters include the grumpy old donkey Benjamin and the farmer’s pet crow Moses. Each character is unique and adds to the plot in an interesting way, and not all of them make it out alive by the end!

If you still aren’t convinced, then here are a few little benefits from reading this book. Despite the fact that it is a classic, it isn’t written in an “ye olden English” style, as it came out in 1975. Another interesting little plus from this is that most students might end up having to study this book in a literature class, so getting a head start might not be such a bad idea. And last, but most certainly not least, there is the 50th anniversary edition. The PR Library doesn’t have the illustrated edition, but if you manage to get your hands on it, it’s a real treat. It features illustrations and other artwork to really add to the mood of the story.

If you enjoy reading about talking animals and feel in the mood for a dramatic, action packed story, Animal Farm is the novel for you. Even if you don’t like the violence aspect of it, you’ll still enjoy the characters, how they interact with one another, and the various plot twists! It also has a very deep message, but I’m not gonna tell you that! You’ll have to find out for yourself! So go visit the PR library to see if you can get a copy or visit the Crystal Lake Public Library. It’s a captivating and most certainly interesting read that is without a doubt, an oldie, but a goodie!

Additional Resources:

Ralph Steadman’s Rare Illustrations of George Orwell’s Animal Farm – Beautiful/Decay