Animal Farm

By: George Orwell

Narrated by: Benjamin May

Length: 3 hrs and 25 mins

Publisher's Summary

George Orwell's timeless and timely allegorical novel - a scathing satire on a downtrodden society's blind march towards totalitarianism.The book tells the story of a group of farm animals who rebel against their human farmer, hoping to create a society where the animals can be equal, free, and happy. Ultimately, however, the rebellion is betrayed, and the farm ends up in a state as bad as it was before, under the dictatorship of a pig named Napoleon. Today it is devastatingly clear that wherever and whenever freedom is attacked, under whatever banner, the cutting clarity and savage comedy of George Orwell's masterpiece have a meaning and message still ferociously fresh.

©2021 George Orwell (P)2021 Page2Page

Chapter 7 is full off mistakes that were not edited out

Just to get it out of the way, Chapter 7 is full of mistakes that were never edited out. The narrator mispronounces words and then practices them a few times before continuing reading. He also repeats several lines a few times.

But the actual book is great and besides Chapter 7, the narrator did a good job. Although it is not really his fault, rather whoever edited the audiobook.

Excellently horrific

I have been listening to Dr. Jordan B. Peterson for quite a while now, where he (Dr. Peterson) would frequently discuss the horrors of communism. This is my first own read and exposure to a book that talks about the same horrors in which Dr. Peterson has often discussed.
I must say that George Orwell is brilliant in drawing out the horrors of a slow decent into a totalitarian authority, through such magnificent storytelling. Though the characters seemed somewhat comical (that being the case with animals that is human-level intelligent, and trying to do human things); the creeping diabolical rise of tyranny was very well felt as I went through the story.
I felt that the narration was well done (except a few mistakes here and there). It included some pretty nice voice-acting of the different characters. For me, it brought the characters to life, as I went through the story. The audio book is very low cost, and well-worth every penny it cost.

This was eye opening.

This sent shivers down my spine and is the best allegory for communism I have ever read.

Great book, bad sound

The book was amazing and the narrator did a great job. The only complaint I have is with the sound. The sound goes from very loud to very quiet throughout the book, you have to continually change the volume setting even in a car.

A Classic of Imagination

Wow. Loved how original and imaginative this title is, and how prescient it still is today. A wonderful parody of human society where the animals revolt against their owners in hopes of creating a collective farm "for us by us". Animal Farm was a quick listen that really captured my attention with its detail and fun parallels between animal and human. In particular, I love how each animal performs a unique function and everything kind of "carries on" despite upheaval and power struggle. In particular, I liked how the pigs ascend the throne, with Old Major inciting the riot and Napoleon battling Snowball for overall leadership of the farm. Orwell does a fantastic job commenting on power corruption using the pigs to illustrate. Additionally, I loved the character of Boxer the work horse. "I will work harder" and "Napoleon is always right" become his guiding maxims, up until the day he works himself to death, just days before he should retire and enjoy a relaxing life of pasture.

Would read again, and will be fun to reference in the future.

Cliché I know, but... it's still so Relevant!

When this book is talked about, it’s always the same things I see mentioned, like “shockingly prescient” and “still relevant”. They are all true, while still being an enjoyable yarn that kept me entertained throughout.

While dealing wholly with communism and anti-authoritarianism, it seems amazing to me that certain groups can so completely misunderstand the message in this book. It’s anti-facist, and pro socialist, and I really don’t understand how that’s not immediately obvious. Some people will simply always hear what they want to hear, regardless of what is actually being said.

And that being said, this is still a well written and entertaining book that one could easily enjoy without dwelling on the any allegorical themes present in the book.

I think this also shows how incredibly easy it is to mislead groups of people. You don’t even have to be particularly good at it. Once you get the ball rolling, people will self-reinforce their own beliefs and ignore evidence.

In recent years I have seen all of the base and obvious tactics used by the pigs - one particular political party especially - complete with their own Napoleon is his bumbling ineptitude, with their various versions of Squealer out telling provable lies, but still having those lies believed without question by so many.

Is this still relevant? You bet it is. There will always be petty tyrants that rise to power on the backs of the common man’s labor, telling lies and making promises while they steal their wealth for themselves, and America is a hotbed for it in recent years, with the outlook being rather bleak and likely to get worse.

This book is brilliant in its simplicity, and just as potent as the day it was written. The narrator does a find job as well.

Highly recommend. In fact I'd recommend this more to people I know, but I suspect none of the people that could benefit the most from this would appreciate it.

A horror story about power structures and systems of oppression

Animal Farm is a story about what happens when the oppressed work for liberation within the system that oppresses them, rather than change the system itself.

Even though it’s famously a direct commentary on Stalin’s rise to power and his totalitarian regime, you don’t need to know any history at all to enjoy the book; it stands on its own as a good scary story, with a genuinely terrifying ending.

If you are looking for a classic novel that is short and easy to read, Animal Farm is a good place to start.

Classic story, excellent reading

A classic that everyone should read. it's short, but it needs to be listened to. The narrator was perfect and the story was intriguing.

Get what you pay for

Don't pay money for this title specifically (unless they spend the money to edit the narration). The story is great, and the narration is well performed, but is horribly edited. There's a section in the middle where the narrator re-reads a few passages and stumbles on a pronounciation of a word. This can and should be edited out.

modern & energetic narration. Compelling story.

Interesting classic story. I listened to it at 1.5x in one sitting and still didn't lose my interest. Good story. So political. Now I understand why this classic book's been recommended.

The narrator did a good job with all the voice dynamics. Easy to listen to. Just a bit of a hiccup in Chapter 7. He has a modern voice contrary to other narrators with old way of boring narration. I prefer modern and energetic narration. If you prefer the boring old fashioned one, move along.