• 1984

  • New Classic Edition
  • By: George Orwell
  • Narrated by: Simon Prebble
  • Length: 11 hrs and 22 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (56,070 ratings)

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1984  By  cover art

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

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great book overall

it has a few slow spots, like when Winston is reading the forbidden book, and the appendix, but otherwise great. narrator was wonderful.

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good read. Big Brother is watching CCTV Cell Phone

good read. Big Brother is watching CCTV Cell Phones which are watching your every move

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wow loved this book

A awesome book that is still relevant today. I am surprised how this shadows the current climate.

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Like seeing the future

very well done by audible. The scary part was seeing how the world has changed like George is looking into the future...

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Big Brother Trump

Scary how much this book relates to Trump and his blind worshipers. Well worth a read.

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Worth reading....and contemplating.

Simon Prebble does a wonderful job narrating this book. His voice, accent, and cadence gives so much life to this performance. The book itself is absolutely worth it's weight in gold. Its interesting to take a look at the world and notice the parallels between it and the world created in this book. Understanding all of the symbols and metaphors really gives a clear and chilling view of what the world is and possibly could become. I had to pause this book so many times to sit and reflect on a situation that I've wither experienced personally or have seen play out either with those close to me or in the media. I highly recommend this book to any and every one. Read it....then contemplate it.

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Fantastic Story!

Amazing book. Really puts modern politics into perspective. It also serves as a great guideline on what policies and practices we as citizens should reject.
10/10 Will listen again.

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this should be required reading for children!

love this book. have read listened and watched the movie many times! if you love liberty you should get this book!

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Amazing timeless Book

Seems more relevant than ever how society continues to move...won’t give anything away for those who have not actually read this book but, reviewing it as a audio book the narration is amazing as the tone was set early on. Believe it or not some narrators do miss the mark but Mr. Simon Prebble was spot on. This is not a book intended to be listened to on a higher speed, your mind has to be present or you’ll miss Orwell’s intended detail. Great job audible this is a MasterClass in both writing and narration.

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A beautiful warning

This is a amazing book. I remember reading this my senior year and not fully grasping what it was explaining (partly to me not liking the narrator). I decided to listen to this story again and to my surprise, it's wonderful. This book is a gracious warning to never let your government become too powerful, otherwise once it's there, it's very hard to break from it's grasp.

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