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Fahrenheit 451 Paperback – January 10, 2012
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Guy Montag is a fireman. His job is to destroy the most illegal of commodities, the printed book, along with the houses in which they are hidden. Montag never questions the destruction and ruin his actions produce, returning each day to his bland life and wife, Mildred, who spends all day with her television “family.” But when he meets an eccentric young neighbor, Clarisse, who introduces him to a past where people didn’t live in fear and to a present where one sees the world through the ideas in books instead of the mindless chatter of television, Montag begins to question everything he has ever known.
- Print length249 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- Lexile measure890L
- Dimensions5.5 x 0.8 x 8.44 inches
- PublisherSimon & Schuster
- Publication dateJanuary 10, 2012
- ISBN-109781451673319
- ISBN-13978-1451673319
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From the Publisher



Editorial Reviews
Review
“A masterpiece . . . A glorious American classic everyone should read: It’s life-changing if you read it as a teen, and still stunning when you reread it as an adult.” —Alice Hoffman, The Boston Globe
“The sheer lift and power of a truly original imagination exhilarates . . . His is a very great and unusual talent.” —Christopher Isherwood, Tomorrow
“One of this country’s most beloved writers . . . A great storyteller, sometimes even a mythmaker, a true American classic.” —Michael Dirda, The Washington Post
About the Author
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
by
Ray Bradbury
March 12, 2003
What is there new to be said about Fahrenheit 451? I have written three or four introductions in the past thirty years trying to explain where the novel came from and how it finally arrived.
The first thing to be said is that I feel very fortunate to have survived long enough to join with people who have been paying attention to the novel in this past year.
The novel was a surprise then and is still a surprise to me.
I've always written at the top of my lungs and from some secret motives within. I have followed the advice of my good friend Federico Fellini who, when asked about his work, said, "Don't tell me what I'm doing, I don't want to know."
The grand thing is to plunge ahead and see what your passion can reveal.
During the last fifty years I have written a short 25,000-word early version of the novel titledThe Fireman, which appeared in Galaxy Science Fiction magazine, and several years later added another 25,000 words for its publication by Ballantine Books.
Occupying a house with a new baby daughter, we had to consider my trying to find somewhere that was a bit quieter to do my work. I had no money at that time to rent an office, but wandering around U.C.L.A. one day I heard typing in the basement of the library and went down to see what was going on. I found that there was a room with twelve typewriters that could be rented for ten cents per half hour. Excited at the prospect, I brought a bag of dimes with me and moved into the typing room.
I didn't know what the various students were writing at their typewriters and they hardly knew, nor did I know, what I was writing.
If there is any excitement to the novel at all, I think it can best be explained by the fact that every two hours or so during the next week and a half I ran up- and downstairs and in and out of the stacks, grabbing books off the shelf, trying to find proper quotes to put in the book. I am not a researcher and my memory is not all that accurate for things that I've read in the past, so the quotes that you find in the book were those wonderful accidents where pulling a book off the shelf and opening it just anywhere at all I found an amazing sentence or paragraph that could occupy a position in the novel.
This early version took exactly nine days and I spent $9.80 on it, not realizing that the book had some sort of long life ahead.
In the years since its first publication I have written a full two-act play and spent two summers in Connecticut writing an opera based on its text. The book seems to have a life that goes on re-creating itself.
If I try to find its genesis in the years prior to 1950 I would imagine one would turn to certain stories like "Burning Bright" and a few other tales that appeared in my early books.
The main thing to call attention to is the fact that I've been a library person all of my life. I sold newspapers until I was twenty-two and had no money to attend college, but I spent three or four nights a week at the local library and fed on books over a long period of time.
Some of my early stories tell of librarians and book burners and people in small towns finding ways to memorize the books so that if they were burned they had some sort of immortality.
The main surprise for the book occurred when I wrote the short story "The Pedestrian" in 1949.
I had been accosted by the police one night while I walked on a Los Angeles street with a friend. The police wanted to know what we were doing, when walking was our aim and talking occupied us.
I was so irritated by being stopped and asked about walking that I went home and wrote the story, "The Pedestrian," concerning a future where pedestrians were arrested for using the sidewalks.
Sometime later, I took the Pedestrian for a walk and when he turned a corner he encountered a young girl named Clarisse McClellan who took a deep breath and said, "I know who you are from the smell of kerosene. You're the man who burns books."
Nine days later the novel was finished.
What a wonderful experience it was to be in the library basement to dash up and down the stairs reinvigorating myself with the touch and the smell of books that I knew and books that I did not know until that moment.
When the first version of the novel was finished, I hardly knew what I had done. I knew that it was crammed with metaphors, but the word metaphor had not occurred to me at that time in my life. It was only later in time when I got to know the word and realized that my capacity for collecting metaphors was so complete.
In the years of writing my two-act play and the opera that followed, I let my characters tell me things about their lives that were not in the book.
I have been tempted to go back and insert these truths in the old text, but this is a dangerous practice which writers must refuse. These truths, while important, could ruin a work done years before.
In writing the play my Fire Chief, Beatty, told me why he had become a burner of books.
He had once been a wanderer of libraries and a lover of the finest literature in history. But when real life diminished him, when friends died, when a love failed, when there were too many deaths and accidents surrounding him, he discovered that his faith in books had failed because they could not help him when he needed the help.
Turning on them, he lit a match.
So that is one of the fine things that came out of the play and the opera. I'm glad to be able to speak of it now and tell you what Beatty had in his background.
After the book was published, in the following years I've had hundreds of letters from readers asking me what became of Clarisse McClellan. They were so intrigued with this fascinating, strange, and quixotic girl that they wanted to believe that somewhere out in the wilderness with the book people she had somehow survived.
I resisted the temptation to bring her back to life in future editions of my novel.
I left it to François Truffaut in his film version of Fahrenheit 451 in 1966 to give Clarisse a return to life, even though he had changed her name and given her extra years of maturity, which at the time I thought was a great mistake. But she did survive to the end of the film and at that time I decided that Truffaut was correct.
When I wrote the first version of the play I allowed Clarisse to survive among the book people in the wilderness. The same practice occurred when I wrote the opera.
She was too wonderful a character to be allowed to die and I realize now that I should have allowed her to appear at the end of my book.
That being said, the book is complete and untouched. I will not go back and revise anything. I have a great respect for the young man that I was when I sat down in that basement room with a bag of dimes and plunged into the passionate activity that resulted in the final work.
So here, after fifty years, is Fahrenheit 451. I didn't know what I was doing, but I'm glad that it was done.
Introduction for this edition copyright © 2003 by Ray Bradbury
Product details
- ASIN : 1451673310
- Publisher : Simon & Schuster; Reissue edition (January 10, 2012)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 249 pages
- ISBN-10 : 9781451673319
- ISBN-13 : 978-1451673319
- Reading age : 15+ years, from customers
- Lexile measure : 890L
- Item Weight : 2.31 pounds
- Dimensions : 5.5 x 0.8 x 8.44 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #140 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #2 in Classic American Literature
- #3 in Classic Literature & Fiction
- #28 in Literary Fiction (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
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About the author

In a career spanning more than seventy years, Ray Bradbury, who died on June 5, 2012, at the age of 91, inspired generations of readers to dream, think, and create. A prolific author of hundreds of short stories and close to fifty books, as well as numerous poems, essays, operas, plays, teleplays, and screenplays, Bradbury was one of the most celebrated writers of our time. His groundbreaking works include Fahrenheit 451, The Martian Chronicles, The Illustrated Man, Dandelion Wine, and Something Wicked This Way Comes. He wrote the screen play for John Huston's classic film adaptation of Moby Dick, and was nominated for an Academy Award. He adapted sixty-five of his stories for television's The Ray Bradbury Theater, and won an Emmy for his teleplay of The Halloween Tree. He was the recipient of the 2000 National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters, the 2004 National Medal of Arts, and the 2007 Pulitzer Prize Special Citation, among many honors.
Throughout his life, Bradbury liked to recount the story of meeting a carnival magician, Mr. Electrico, in 1932. At the end of his performance Electrico reached out to the twelve-year-old Bradbury, touched the boy with his sword, and commanded, "Live forever!" Bradbury later said, "I decided that was the greatest idea I had ever heard. I started writing every day. I never stopped."
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Customers find this dystopian novel thought-provoking, making them reflect on today's society, and appreciate its quick pacing and educational value. Moreover, they consider it a great piece of literature that's well worth the price, with one customer noting how it saves money and trees. However, the plot receives mixed reactions, with some finding it suspenseful while others say it's not good. Additionally, several customers express boredom with the book.
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Customers find the book highly readable, describing it as a great piece of literature that's enjoyable to read over and over, with one customer noting it's particularly important to read in these troubled times.
"...He is intrigued by the sense of wonder, emotion, and timelessness that books have to offer compared to the mind numbing talking heads that rule the..." Read more
"...It is considered one of his best works...." Read more
"...But Fahrenheit 451 IS a classic novel and after having read it I can see why...." Read more
"Important book. Everyone should read and own a copy, up there with 1984. Easy, fast, and a timely message for modern times." Read more
Customers find the book thought-provoking, particularly noting how it makes them reflect on today's society and remains highly relevant to modern readers.
"...Not only was it tremendous back in its heyday; it has stood the test of time, proving to be of use to us nearly 70 years later...." Read more
"...This book contains an unprecedented collection of timely wisdom from noted experts from the world of words just in time to bolster my efforts to..." Read more
"...Fahrenheit 451 taught me a valuable life lesson and to me that shows why this book deserves to be considered a classic." Read more
"...Easy, fast, and a timely message for modern times." Read more
Customers find the book educational, with lessons that are telling and insightful, making it great for students.
"...This, all while being so well versed in the knowledge and insights contained within them...." Read more
"...Great for anyone, and a great gift too!" Read more
"...This book is definitely a demonstration of the power of libraries...." Read more
"...I think it really goes to show the differing wisdoms of individual people...." Read more
Customers praise this dystopian novel as brilliant and prophetic, with one customer describing it as a prophetic moment of literary genius.
"...After all, the Bible is full of advice, and provides direction for moral and ethical enrichment...." Read more
"A must-read modern dystopian classic!..." Read more
"...Fahrenheit 451 was more than I expected it to be. The messaging behind this book was strong and is still relevant in our current world...." Read more
"...I believe that anyone looking for a fiction, dystopian novel, would take pleasure in reading this book as I did." Read more
Customers appreciate the book's pacing, describing it as a fast read with a plot that moves quickly, though some find it slow.
"...Everyone should read and own a copy, up there with 1984. Easy, fast, and a timely message for modern times." Read more
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Customers find the book offers good value for money, appreciating that it saves both time and trees.
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Customers have mixed opinions about the plot of the book, with some praising its suspenseful and unpredictable ending, while others find it unsatisfactory.
"...This is interesting to me because Fahrenheit 451 deals with the dangers of technology or rather the dangers of over reliance of technology...." Read more
"...Television displays gruesome, desensitizing violence for viewers’ entertainment. Pedestrians regularly get trampled by speeding vehicles...." Read more
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"...not only is it a very interesting story, but it also cautions us about the future. I give it 4 stars out of 5...." Read more
Customers find the book boring and depressing, with several noting they quickly lost interest.
"...nice for visualization and breaking the action, where very easy to get caught up in, which sometimes made it difficult to understand what was..." Read more
"...The main theme: the majority of people are so defective, stupid, callous, incurious, gullible, envious, etc that democracy (rule buy the people) can..." Read more
"...It could be said that the book is depressing, especially with the death of Clarisse, but her fate is left in question after an unknown visitor comes..." Read more
"...out of the English language in favor of meandering, violent, pointless garbage...." Read more
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Great dystopian novel!
Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on June 15, 2021Fahrenheit 451 is one of my all time favorites. It's written in the third person, placing you into the shoes of an objective narrator who has special access to the thoughts and world view of the characters within the book, especially that of the protagonist. The protagonist (Guy Montag) actually begins the story as a sort of villain really. His profession is that of a future based fireman, who don’t really put out fires like they used to. In fact, they professionally start fires. What a clever twist on Bradbury’s part.
These firemen are sanctioned by what one can only conclude to be a dystopian government to burn books, as well as the houses they are contained within. In this future world, the government has deemed books as dangerous, containing ideas that run counter to the narrative they wish to form and broadcast via televisions that cover entire walls within people’s homes. And the people want this, as they feel more comfortable with their government fed information. How dystopian indeed.
Reminds one of the behavior of the Roman Catholic Church during the Dark Ages. The two have book burning in common, as well as burning Bibles (in the case of the RCC, Bibles that didn’t subscribe to their criteria – even though they came from source material originating from the same authors). No offense to Catholics – some Protestant sects weren’t much better (like the early Anglicans who destroyed much of the Church’s property, including relics, as did Orthodox Christians during the Iconoclast Era).
Montag takes quite apparent joy in his job, causing a smile to overcome his face every time he gets to burn those devilish books. That is, until he becomes intrigued by a young neighbor girl named Clarisse. Clarisse is a female character that many feminists sadly overlook as to her importance in the overall arc of the story. Good on Bradbury for taking this approach, as you know what they say – “behind every great man, there’s an even greater woman”. This doesn’t always have to imply a spouse, mind you, and Bradbury exploited this fact while using Montag’s lame wife as a great contrast.
Clarisse is somehow able to tap into Montag’s emotional capacity to better understand what exactly his job is harming, and how his otherwise dull life (including dull wife who serves as a great example of the brainwashed zombie like people of his society) could become so much more enriched by. This confrontation with not only Clarisse – but himself – causes a sort of psychosis for our villainous protagonist. And thus begins his character development that makes the book really begin to take off and hook the reader into the protagonist’s story arc and growth.
At first, Montag struggles with his newfound understanding of the profound beauty of books. He is intrigued by the sense of wonder, emotion, and timelessness that books have to offer compared to the mind numbing talking heads that rule the day (sounds similar to our times with all the political talking heads telling how people should think, unlike books that allow people to draw their own conclusions). Yet he is still skeptical, resisting this newfound understanding as he continues in his line of work.
He challenges the notion of books being a net positive for society along the way, including challenging protectors of books along the way. All of this amidst some unknown war going on in the background of the story that is never really described in much detail. I assume that Bradbury himself had assumed (living in the days of the Cold War between the US and the USSR) that some kind of war of that magnitude coming to fruition was sadly somewhat inevitable.
As his change of heart is occurring, he struggles with his chief named Beatty (the antagonist of the story). Beatty is a walking contradiction, as he is full of knowledge pertaining to the books they burn. He is so well versed in their content by heart, yet seeks to eliminate books from existence on behalf of the government.
Unlike Montag who simply found pleasure in his destructive line of work, Beatty knows full well every reason and intention as to why they do and takes pleasure in doing so. This, all while being so well versed in the knowledge and insights contained within them. He overall sees them as dangerous, yet behaves as if the type of knowledge contained within books should be reserved for elites rather than the average citizen. This antagonist displays the kind of pretentious attitude that perfectly captures what it means to convey the notion of a dystopian society within a book of this genre.
After trials and tribulations in his struggle, Montag reaches a point where he is so moved by the message of a particular book, that he even steals it so that he can preserve it himself. As a Christian myself, I personally loved that this book just so happened to be a Bible. Why does Montag take such a personal infatuation with the Bible?
It may be that Montag’s society is so lost that when bombs begin to fall toward the end, whatever Montag had read might help him and others rebuild society for the better. After all, the Bible is full of advice, and provides direction for moral and ethical enrichment. Certainly a new society would need guidelines to rebuild and improve over mistakes made in the past.
Montag refers to the book of Job at one point in the story, as well as references made about Caanan. At the end, Montag even tries to recall parts of the books of Ecclesiastes and Revelation. The book of Revelation itself (arguably my favorite book of the Bible – I’m a fan of the dystopian genre after all) deals with the end of times. Although, perhaps Montag failed to recall this as quickly as he might because they are preparing to start a new life when the world appears to be ending.
The novel ends with Montag escaping the city in the midst of this new war. He escapes deep into the countryside, meeting a band of roving intellectuals who have elected to preserve significant works of literature in their memory. Reminds me of the Vaudois, the Waldenses and the Albigenses who preserved the original books of scripture in spite of the persecution they suffered from the RCC.
Not long after these roving intellectuals welcome Montag into their community, an atomic bomb falls on the city and reduces it to rubble. The next morning Montag leads the men on foot back toward the city with rebuilding in mind. The novel’s conclusion functions to bring the prevalent violence to its logical conclusion, which is that violence infiltrates nearly every aspect of the world our protagonist finds himself in.
The firemen violently destroy people’s property and lives. Television displays gruesome, desensitizing violence for viewers’ entertainment. Pedestrians regularly get trampled by speeding vehicles. Finally, war takes these forms of violence to a new extreme, destroying society and its infrastructure altogether. The novel’s ending depicts the inevitable self-destruction of such an oppressive society in such an effective, and rather melancholy fashion.
As stated in the beginning of the Fahrenheit 451 book review, this book is one of my all time favorites. It’s no wonder as to why I give it a 5/5 rating. Bradbury’s use of language is lyrical, yet not overly forceful. He paints a picture of a world in which we as a society should wish to avoid – in a multifaceted way.
When it comes to dystopian books, this is truly a classic – and for good reason. Not only was it tremendous back in its heyday; it has stood the test of time, proving to be of use to us nearly 70 years later. I absolutely love Fahrenheit 451, and I believe you would too if you love dystopian fiction and have happened to somehow not have read it yet (it happens – later is better than never though!).
- Reviewed in the United States on June 9, 2018An awareness of a film remake of Fahrenheit 451 got me digging into this story once again; it was written 65 years ago when I was in the 6th grade and books said it all! Bradbury said that this was the only science fiction book he had ever done and that it was based on reality, what he described as ‘the art of the possible’. I couldn’t remember from the first time I read it how he had dealt with the ideas of book burning and discontent so I went back and reread his original so that I might get to the heart of digital books today.
This 1953 novel emerged from his concerns over the threats of the McCarthy era and the historical role that book burnings have played in suppressing dissenting ideas. It describes the dehumanizing of a society where books are outlawed because of the disagreement that they spread. The job of censoring these works and destroying such knowledge was that of the firemen who would burn them. It is considered one of his best works. At the time, he described it as a commentary on how mass media may reduce interest in the reading of literature. The 60th Anniversary Edition of ‘Fahrenheit 451’ was an exciting find for me because in it the original story is supplemented with an assortment of commentary from other admirers and from Bradbury himself.
Books were only one type of receptacle where we stored a lot of things we were afraid we might forget. There is nothing magical in them, at all. The magic is only in what books say, how they stitched the patches of the universe together into one garment for us. — Ray Bradbury,
Guy Montag is the main character, who has been a fireman for ten years. The story’s focus is on his questioning of his inner thoughts and the dialogue that he is having, or doesn’t have, with his boss Captain Beatty, his wife Mildred, his intriguing and now missing neighbor, Clarisse McClellan, his new-found friend Faber, a retired English professor, and ‘five old men’ that surfaced. Two other items bring their unique coloring to the story, the Salamander fire trucks, complete with fire throwers, and the Mechanical Hounds.
I was delighted with Neil Geiman’s Introduction; his words reaffirm the timelessness that the story brought to me. I was born between Bradbury (1920) and Geiman (1960) and I went back to reread the book, already questioning how a story that was written in the past about the future could truly hold up for today’s generation in a world that’s already been dramatically shaped by time and technology in ways that they weren’t even aware of. In he 1950’s, Bradbury already saw computers possibilities in simple terms and saw that nothing but good would be coming from them. He believed that, in a sense, computers were simply books, were all over the place and that computers would be as well.
A familiarity exists in the conversations and the silences of the story that is easily recognized as the firemen discuss their work, their lives and the complexities of their relationships; those surroundings seem timeless. The images of Mildred’s ‘family’ in the parlor are quite similar to the multiscreen environments that typically surround us today. Look around you; computers and smartphones count! The relationships that we still have with books goes without saying; they’ve been with us for centuries. The idea that all books could become criminal has always been an absurdity to the masses but the historical role that book burning has played as a means deleting or controlling differences and dissidents is real. ‘Fahrenheit 451’ is a novel first, a fiction, a story about a dedicated fireman, Montag, who believes that all books cause conflicting ideas and must be destroyed. He is part of a zealous effort to purge their existence from society. After meeting Clarisse, he begins to question how his beliefs have been shaped and his curiosity inspires his quest for meaning in words. By story’s end he has become the revolution and a hero for the future of books… just like Bradbury!!
I was struck by Bradbury’s comments in Coda (1979) of how he waged a lifelong battle with well-intentioned readers or the actions of cubby-hole editors, fearful of contaminating the young, blatantly changing his words or suggesting that he do. In one instance, he discovered that, bit-by-bit, some seventy-five separate section had been censured from Fahrenheit, causing the entire book to be reset. His point should be obvious; there is more than one way to burn a book and the world is full of people running about with lit matches!
This book contains an unprecedented collection of timely wisdom from noted experts from the world of words just in time to bolster my efforts to promote storytelling in today's younger generation, not the least of these are from Bradbury’s own perspectives.
Bob Magnant created the Fingertips Series on iTunes to promote the reading, writing and reviewing of books in the digital age. He has written multiple Apple iBooks and is the author of 'Domestic Satellite: An FCC Giant Step' and 'The Last Transition...', a fact-based novel about Iran. He writes about politics, globalization, the Internet and US policy and lives near the beach in Jupiter, FL.
Top reviews from other countries
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Omar RodríguezReviewed in Mexico on August 7, 2024
5.0 out of 5 stars Imperdible.
Es un libro sencillo, corto, se lee en unas horas, pero a mí me impactó mucho y se me quedó muy grabado. Es un clásico y una distopía imperdible. La edición está linda, de calidad.
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Özay ŞenReviewed in Turkey on September 3, 2023
5.0 out of 5 stars Distopya Şaheseri
Ray Bradbury'nin yakın gelecekteki korkulara ilişkin kaleme aldığı baş yapıtı.
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Amazon KundeReviewed in Germany on November 13, 2016
5.0 out of 5 stars Absolute Leseempfehlung!
Bereits während meiner Schulzeit sprach mein Englisch-Lehrer davon, wie aktuell immer noch Bücher wie "Brave New World", "1984" und "Fahrenheit 451" seien. Die ersteren gehörten bei uns zum Literaturkanon für den Leistungskurs, doch Fahrenheit 451 ist mir erst jetzt, 6 Jahre später, endlich in die Hände gefallen.
Zeitweise ein wenig noch durch die vorangehenden Dystopien gedanklich beeinflusst, ahnte ich zunächst, es handelte sich um eine Variante von "1984", nur mit Feuerwehrleuten. Nun, nach dem Lesen, kann ich jedoch sagen, dass es zwar durchaus Parallelen vom Aufbau her gibt, doch die Welt an sich ist eine gänzlich andere. Man erfährt bspw. nie, in welchem Land der Protagonist lebt und auch über den Staat an sich erfährt man kaum etwas, abgesehen davon, dass er Denunziantentum fördert und die Menschen sich sehr von der telemedialen Reizüberflutung lenken lassen. Interessant finde ich, dass gewisse Dinge, die heute bereits wie selbstverständlich zum Alltag gehören, für Ray Bradbury bereits 1951 denkbar waren. Insofern kann man ihn durchaus als Visionär seiner Zeit betrachten.
Die Geschichte selbst verlief dann nicht ganz so wie erwartet, doch gerade die unerwarteten Wendungen haben ihren besonderen Reiz. Es ging mir an vielen Stellen so, dass ich mir dachte "gleich ist es aus mit dem Protagonisten", doch dann kam es ganz anders. In Bezug auf die heutige Zeit ist neben der alltäglichen Nutzung der digitalen Medien auch die Form der Kriegsführung interessant, die in Bezug auf die Berichterstattung sicher auch den einen oder anderen Verschwörungstheoretiker an unsere Welt erinnern dürfe: die gewöhnlichen Menschen bleiben vom Kriegsgeschehen gänzlich unbehelligt und leben - ähnlich wie in "Brave New World", nur dass es hier nicht ganz so offensichtlich wird, bis auf ein oder zwei Andeutungen - ein Leben unter Drogeneinfluss.
Im Mittelpunkt steht der Spaß des Einzelnen, eigenständiges Denken wird nicht gewünscht. Daraus ergibt sich dann auch der Beruf des Protagonisten.
Im Großen und Ganzen bin ich sehr zufrieden, mich auf dieses Buch eingelassen zu haben, wenngleich ich anfangs aufgrund der geringen Seitenzahl von 158 Seiten skeptisch war. Dieses Buch kann ich nur jedem wärmstens empfehlen, der seinen (nicht nur literarischen) Horizont erweitern und Denkimpulse erhalten möchte. Es steckt mehr Zukunftsvision in diesem Buch als es Bradbury seinerzeit bekannt gewesen sein dürfte.
- GerardReviewed in the Netherlands on May 4, 2025
5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect product
Quick delivery, well packed, products as displayed, very pleased!😁
- S. LornieReviewed in the United Kingdom on July 1, 2020
5.0 out of 5 stars Simple and well paced!
It's not everyday that I get easily sucked into a book to the point that I actually read the thing in one sitting. I am admittedly one of those people who struggle to read for long periods of time. But there has been a few odd occasions where my primitive little brain has a spark go off and I sit there for a few hours until I'm done. The most recent books that encouraged this behaviour was Fahrenheit 451, a book Amazon recommended after a similar quite binge of 1984.
Fahrenheit 451 is a book written by Ray Bradbury. The novel was originally published in 1953 and from what I've read, this is generally considered his most famous and most popular book. The story is about a dystopian future where books have been completely outlawed. They have been known to bring out the worst in people by producing unhappiness and stupid behaviour. To combat this problem, the "firemen" are tasked with finding each piece of literature. When they find it, they immediately destroy it and the housing of those who owned them. We follow one of the "firemen" called Guy Montag. This poor fellow becomes disillusioned with his job after becoming friends with a young rebellious teenage girl. She encourages him to question everything, teaches him to start enjoying the simple things in life and this results in Montag committing himself to preserving all forms of literature.
The plot of the book is reasonably simple and is very easy to understand. I thought Ray Bradbury did a great job making poor Guy sympathetic. The world in which he lives, it truly sounds depressing, full of mindless humanoids staring at television screens and void of uniqueness (just like 2020). The book doesn't take long to introduce you to the important characters. Each character is quite unique and has just enough detail to help move the plot along at a very quick pace. Before you know it, everything is (literally) up in flames and the story becomes a bit of a rush.
I really enjoyed the world in which Fahrenheit 451 takes place. It's very clear that this novel could have been more in depth and it would certainly have been interesting. I would love to know more about the political structure of this version of America, as an example. With no offense to Bradbury intended, It makes me wonder what a more talented writer could do with this material. It's a very good concept, it has great characters and a very interesting setting. It has the potential to be so much more than it is. But as good as that sounds, if we got that kind of detail, It would quite simply murder the pacing of the book. A quality I quite enjoyed. Sometimes less is more. It at least encourages us to use our imagination more. That's never a bad thing.
Fahrenheit 451 is a very easy book to read and if you've just read 1984 like myself, you'll want to pick this one. It's not quite as well written from a technical stand point as say 1984 but it's very imaginative story that I really enjoyed. I highly recommend a copy of this book.