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  • 1984

  • New Classic Edition
  • By: George Orwell
  • Narrated by: Simon Prebble
  • Length: 11 hrs and 22 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (56,773 ratings)

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1984

By: George Orwell
Narrated by: Simon Prebble
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Publisher's summary

Blackstone Publishing presents a new recording of this immensely popular book.

One of the most celebrated classics of the twentieth century, Orwell’s cautionary tale of a man trapped under the gaze of an authoritarian state feels more relevant now than ever before.

George Orwell depicts a gray, totalitarian world dominated by Big Brother and its vast network of agents, including the Thought Police, a world in which news is manufactured according to the authorities’ will and people live tepid lives by rote.

Winston Smith, the hero with no heroic qualities, longs only for truth and decency. But living in a social system in which privacy does not exist and where those with unorthodox ideas are brainwashed or put to death, he knows there is no hope for him. He knows even as he continues to pursue his forbidden love affair that eventually he will come to destruction.

The year 1984 has come and gone, yet George Orwell’s nightmare vision in 1949 of the world we were becoming is still the great modern classic of negative Utopia. It is a prophetic and haunting tale that exposes the worst crimes imaginable: the destruction of freedom and truth.

©1949 Harcourt Brace and Company, renewed 1977 Sonia Brownell Orwell (P)2007 Blackstone Audio Inc.

Critic reviews

  • Nominee, 2008 Audie Award, Classic

"It is probable that no other work of this generation has made us desire freedom more earnestly or loathe tyranny with such fullness." (New York Times, 1949)

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What listeners say about 1984

Average customer ratings
Overall
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Must Read

One of the most powerful and brilliant books I've ever read and it kept me hooked the entire time.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

stunned and amazed

This book was not what I expected. I am in awe of how authors of yesterday were able to capture glimpses of the future in such detail. while not exactly spot on this book hits the target is such a way that I was left fearful and stunned. I would diffently recommend this.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Inconceivable philosophical aspect

I absolutely loved this book, there were some very philosophical aspects to it that I very much enjoyed. I loved the very idea of 'new' and 'old' speak.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

A true prophecy

Written in1947 WOW? This is our society today and it was so accurate in what we have become.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Great experience!

Great book and the reader was fantastic! Loved it! I listen to quite a few books and this one stood out. Very thought provoking and a must-read in today's political climate.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Glad we made it past 1984; What about 2014?

What did you love best about 1984?

The despair.

What other book might you compare 1984 to and why?

Brazil, Animal Farm and some other book that I forgot the title where everyone is given an alpha-numeric name. Not the Russian version, but the English version. All have the same level of hopelessness.

Which scene was your favorite?

The scenes in the room above the antique shop.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

no

Any additional comments?

This is the first time I "read" the audio book version of 1984. I saw the old and newer versions of the movie. I love the story, but the audio book seems more depressing. I now need to read something happier with some hope, like a good end-of-the-world story.

I had to skip through the 20+ minute appendix. When the story ended, I was ready to move on.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent...Once Again!

What did you love best about 1984?

The classic! You are painted into a world where nothing is what it seems and thinking can get you killed...or worse yet, reprogrammed.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A Perfect Read For The Times

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Big Brother is watching. Orwell may have gotten the date wrong but his vision of the future is poignant and so precise it is downright eerie.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Chilling

A great book, read by a passionate speaker. This reading left me with an awkward feeling afterward; like I was being watched. Will listen to again

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Before dystopian fiction became a YA staple...

Great writer, great writing, great execution, great book - 1984 is, well, Orwellian! Beware the thought police

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