Questions About We

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Answered Questions (13)

Is it just me or did the unfinished sentences in the dialogue and disjointed nature of the prose absolutely diminish how great this book could have been? I know it's a classic, but I wonder if the original fluidity and essence of the story could have been lost in translation...

Sal The book is written in a dry manner on purpose. Our narrator is a mathematician, focused on logic, on numbers, on empirical data. The entire world of …moreThe book is written in a dry manner on purpose. Our narrator is a mathematician, focused on logic, on numbers, on empirical data. The entire world of a "soul," of feeling, of disregard for the State...it's all abstraction. There's nothing empirical about what he's experiencing, and he's not much of a poet. Look at the way he loses his mind after having his first dream.

The disjointed, unfinished thoughts are a brilliant way of describing experiences a narrator has no idea how to describe. There is no empirical data for him to utilize in his sentences, and he's far from the world of poetics or free description.

Aside from all of his logic, this is an adult who has only known a self-censored world, and in his disrupted sentences you see how ingrained his sense of society is. It's the sort of thing one would do without fully realizing it. He tries to battle through, but even when he might have the right words, his indoctrination breaks his line of rational thought.(less)

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Is it as good as I think it is?

Wojciech It is. Better than "1984" for sure.…moreIt is. Better than "1984" for sure.(less)

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Im unsure wether to give up on this and move on less than 100 pages in, the premise i find very interesting, and i want to know more, but the story telling is extremely frustrating. Is it the translation? or the style of the story itself? Loved 1984 and BNW, I want to like We but am struggling im afraid.

Christina It's one of the great dystopian classics and a great book in general - and it only gets better the more you read. It's definitely worth finishing.…moreIt's one of the great dystopian classics and a great book in general - and it only gets better the more you read. It's definitely worth finishing.(less)

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Ekaterina

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Would you recommend this to a 16 year old?

Maxine Yes. There is some racism and misogyny and "adult themes" are present in that sex is acknowledged though not named, but the context of the prescriptio…moreYes. There is some racism and misogyny and "adult themes" are present in that sex is acknowledged though not named, but the context of the prescription-based personally intimate relations, along with a very defined social order and groupthink as the whole of life in the State is the major theme of the novel. Any 16 year old who can watch the movie Avatar or The Matrix should be encouraged to read this book, especially with a bit of understanding of the time and place in which it was written.(less)

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