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Animal Farm  By  cover art

Animal Farm

By: George Orwell
Narrated by: Ralph Cosham
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Editorial review


By Seth Hartman, Audible Editor

ANIMAL FARM IS STILL THE GOLD STANDARD OF POLITICAL SATIRE

Like many American public school goers, I was introduced to Animal Farm at the ripe old age of 13. While I was, by all accounts, a novice when it came to world history, it didn’t take me long to realize that there was something special about this book. While the setting of a farm was certainly familiar territory to me, this was no nursery rhyme.

With other books to his name—most notably, 1984—George Orwell made no bones about his political opinions. Using adorable farm animals, this scathing allegory depicts an interpretation of the Bolshevik uprising and ensuing Russian Revolution. While revolution can bring hope, Orwell shows the darker implications of political upheaval and the reality of changing regimes. Ultimately, this book is about a futile quest for equality amidst political turmoil.

It is really difficult not to feel optimistic when a group of subservient creatures manages to take out the tyrannical farmer. However, Orwell illustrates that it takes more than revolution to establish a fair system of governance. The power vacuum that is created in the farmer’s absence can be felt by all of the animals, and it doesn’t take long for someone to step up. In a not-so-subtle piece of parallel imagery, the pigs are the animals that manage to seize control of the farm after the uprising takes place. While they seem to rule with a more pro-animal outlook than the farmer did, it doesn’t take long for the true colors of their leader, Napoleon, to show.

Above all else, Animal Farm is a cautionary tale. George Orwell seems to be of the opinion that no governing body is capable of providing true equality to its subjects. Unfortunately, there haven’t been too many real-life governments that have pulled this off. While this book is specifically satirizing Soviet communism, many of the issues presented within these pages still apply to this day. Now that I am a few years older with more historical knowledge under my belt, listening to this book again has given me an even deeper look into Orwell’s twisted world. Ralph Cosham's smooth narration doesn't hurt either, adding an extra dimension to the book.

I think it is so important that Animal Farm remains a staple title for young students to read. While some may interpret Orwell’s vision as purely anti-communist, history has made it clear that the messaging within is more widely applicable. I would never accuse this book of being a light read, but the whip-fast pacing and biting satire make it an incredibly enjoyable one. Long live Orwell!

Continue reading Seth's review >

Publisher's summary

George Orwell's classic satire of the Russian Revolution is an intimate part of our contemporary culture, quoted so often that we tend to forget who wrote the original words. It is an account of the bold struggle that transforms Mr. Jones' Manor Farm into Animal Farm, a wholly democratic society built on the credo that All Animals Are Created Equal. Out of their cleverness, the pigs Napoleon, Squealer, and Snowball emerge as leaders of the new community in a subtle evolution that bears an insidious familiarity. The climax is the brutal betrayal of the faithful horse Boxer, when totalitarian rule is re-established with the bloodstained postscript to the founding slogan: But Some Animals Are More Equal Than Others.
To supplement the full text version of George Orwell's Animal Farm, listen to the SparkNotes Guide for Animal Farm.
©1946 Harcourt Brace and Jovanich, Inc. (P)1991 Blackstone Audiobooks

Critic reviews

"A wise, compassionate, and illuminating fable of our times....The steadiness and lucidity of Orwell's merciless wit are reminiscent of Anatole France and even of Swift." (The New York Times Book Review)

Featured Article: 40+ Thought-Provoking George Orwell Quotes


George Orwell transformed literature with his piercing social commentary and allegorical style. His works have become so entrenched in popular culture that the term "Orwellian" is used to describe totalitarian and authoritarian societies. Orwell also wrote nonfiction books and essays that similarly express his gift for satire and controversial views on government. Throughout his writing career, he never feared tackling challenging topics, no matter how subversive.

What listeners say about Animal Farm

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    4 out of 5 stars

Great book!

One of my favorite books of all time, this book is an absolute classic. Makes me wonder what would have happened if Snowball (Trotsky) had been put in charge instead of Napoleon (A.K.A. Stalin).?.

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Wonderful

Wonderful depiction of a socialist government. Brainwashed animals like brain washed people ....
A very well written story.

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The more things change . . .

Orwell's classic is sharp sighted. Society, economy, and politics all wonderfully and pointedly welded into a tale where subtext is more important than the tale itself.

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A classic relevant to the world today.

the story is written exquisitely and read so well. I enjoyed hearing the unabridged book as the characters came to life (pun) and took form. The story is relevant to yesterday and today. A lesson for all.

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Classic

I’ve been wanting to revisit this classic for awhile. Very apropos for the current times. I found the play on memory and leadership messaging by Squeler especially revealing.

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wow....

this has always been on my to read list. Finally read it and wow if this isn't relevant to today's world I don't know what is.

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Great Everything

I love the narrator, love the story, and continue to adore George Orwell's magnificent imagination.

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Basically 1984: the allegory.

This book was, for lack of a better term, just an abridged version of 1984. That's not to detract from it, though. Both were excellent in their own way, and I enjoyed both equally. It was significantly shorter than I remember it being in high school though, but every bit as good. It's a deep dive into (what I believe to be) communism and (dys/u)topian societies. Bad living conditions lead to rebellion, the leaders seem altruistic at first only to impose more and more rules and altering history to a point where the citizens are eventually worse off than before. An excellent book and a must read.

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Orwell saw the future

We all had to read this book as HS students, but I'm sure we didn't grasp why the teacher made us read it at the time. You really don't understand this book until you have lived a little and experienced the real sociology of society and its leaders. This story is simply how tyrannical societies are built. If its the evolution of Marxism to Communism or McCarthyism bleeding into modern day politics, Orwell nailed it on the head. Or maybe he just remembered that a forgotten history is doomed to repeat itself.

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Applicable.

Teach this in schools. A cautionary tale of big government, totalitarianism and the like. Orwell has written a bedtime story that we should recite to our children.

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