1984

New Classic Edition

By: George Orwell

Narrated by: Simon Prebble

Length: 11 hrs and 22 mins

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)

1984

The reading is perfect. I'm talking not only about pronunciation, which is perfect as well, but rather about the expressiveness that makes you shiver at times during the listening to this audiobook.

Incredibly depressing.

Are the concepts in this book left or right leaning? To fully appreciate it, you need to let go of your political views and witness this story of unrelenting oppression. Fear that anyone should experience such a hell and think about what aspects of your own political ideals might lead us there. It's not the left or the right that will lead us to such a hell; it's the blind and credulous hatred of the other. Are you for the library of your fellow man or are you only for the party?

Read..... if you dare!

First. This audio book was very well done. The voice actor was one of the best I've listened to among the many novels I've bought form audible.
Almost too good. The story is brought to life almost painfully at times. You WILL enter the world of 1984. At the end you will, as I did, spend time thinking about similarities between the world of 1984 and today. Good luck to us all!

Best version of this

What did you love best about 1984?

The story is of course a classic and becoming more relevant every day especially in the USA. The advent of smart TV's and the ability for the cameras to be used subversively to spy on people, (telly-screens) the liberal snowflake 'free speech only if you agree with us" (thought police) the sneaky editing of books and historical information as it is uploaded to the internet ( Winston's job) really exist,

Who was your favorite character and why?

obvioulsy Winston because you can relate to it

What does Simon Prebble bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

This is the icing on the cake. It is Simon's narration that brings this book to life.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yres, definately

Any additional comments?

Listen to it and get absorbed in it but understand there are lessons to be learned

There’s a Reason Why This is a Classic

Great book and especially relevant now. Those who control the past control the future. Big Brother controls all forms of media, television, news, movies, music... sound familiar? Wow! It’s like George stepped into a time machine and gave us a warning of what could happen if we allow it. How do you stop it? Scream out to the world, “2+2 IS 4, it will never be 5. WE will never let it be five!” Then hold on to our morals and values. Never allow anyone, not even someone we trust who we believe knows more than us, to go against the values inside us we know to be good and right and true. I loved this book and appreciated it so much more as an adult than I did in high school. Enjoy!

Amazing the parallels to today's culture

The foresight to what is happening today and maybe it has always been happening. But it is uncanny how accurate the book is. He may have been just a few years off. If you are a bit curious, you won't be disappointed.

Not what I remembered, even scarier

George Orwell definitely had a gift of seeing into the future. I've watched both the BBC TV version starring Peter Cushing, and the John Hurt version, and both are good, but incomplete. I'm not sure if I just have a more vivid imagination when listening to the book, or if Simon Prebble just added something to the story to take it to the next level, but the audiobook was superior in comparison to the film/television adaptations. Highly recommend that anyone that hasn't read or listened to this book do so immediately.

This was a fantastic book

The narration by Simon Prebble took an awesome story and made it fantastic! This is well worth a credit. I was totally engrossed and couldn't wait for my train journey to continue listening everyday.

Deserves its classic status

The novel is brilliant and still relevant, 60 years after it was published and 25 years after the date of its title.
The narration is excellent and helped make me a convert to audio books.

A classic that is still very applicable

Where does 1984 rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This would be in the top 10.

What did you like best about this story?

I enjoyed how the story is still very applicable and reminds us of the dangers inherent with any leadership that has control over vital parts of society like language and news.

Which scene was your favorite?

I most enjoyed the interrogation where the interrogator said he could float above the floor if he wanted to and implied that not only would he believe it, but so would the person being interrogated (I don't recall the characters' names).

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

My extreme reaction was that of fear. When reading through this, realizing that it could be so easily done if the people aren't united and paying close attention is terrifying.