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Fahrenheit 451 Paperback – January 10, 2012

4.6 out of 5 stars 55,218 ratings

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Nearly seventy years after its original publication, Ray Bradbury’s internationally acclaimed novel Fahrenheit 451 stands as a classic of world literature set in a bleak, dystopian future. Today its message has grown more relevant than ever before.

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.

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Editorial Reviews

Review

“Brilliant . . . Startling and ingenious . . . Mr. Bradbury’s account of this insane world, which bears many alarming resemblances to our own, is fascinating.” —Orville Prescott, The New York Times

“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

Ray Bradbury (1920–2012) was the author of more than three dozen books, including Fahrenheit 451, The Martian Chronicles, The Illustrated Man, and Something Wicked This Way Comes, as well as hundreds of short stories. He wrote for the theater, cinema, and TV, including the screenplay for John Huston’s Moby Dick and the Emmy Award–winning teleplay The Halloween Tree, and adapted for television sixty-five of his stories for The Ray Bradbury Theater. He was the recipient of the 2000 National Book Foundation’s Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters, the 2007 Pulitzer Prize Special Citation, and numerous other honors.

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
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 out of 5 stars 55,218 ratings

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Ray Bradbury
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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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1,595 customers mention "Readability"1,464 positive131 negative

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

330 customers mention "Thought provoking"312 positive18 negative

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

120 customers mention "Education value"99 positive21 negative

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

118 customers mention "Dystopian novel"118 positive0 negative

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

117 customers mention "Pacing"93 positive24 negative

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

"...personal connection, the dangers of technology, and instant gratification...." Read more

"...Technology is advancing quickly and everyone needs to have the latest; entire walls made of one television screen...." Read more

"Very timely!!!" Read more

91 customers mention "Value for money"91 positive0 negative

Customers find the book offers good value for money, appreciating that it saves both time and trees.

"...Cheaper than elsewhere, arrived quickly, and in perfect condition." Read more

"As described and great value. Paperback books with beautiful cover and detailed designs...." Read more

"Very nice condition for very cheap!!" Read more

"...nicest copy of Fahrenheit 451 that exists on the market for an accessible price...." Read more

232 customers mention "Plot"143 positive89 negative

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

"...This story gives you a sense of uncertainty, and has many plot twists...." Read more

"...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

79 customers mention "Boredom"0 positive79 negative

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

Great dystopian novel!
5 out of 5 stars
Great dystopian novel!
This book is set in a future society (through the lens of the American 1950’s) where a fireman’s job is not to stop fires, but to start them. We follow our protagonist, Guy Montag, as he contentedly goes to work everyday and burns books. Sometimes, if there are many books, he and his fellow fireman burn the entire house down, and they do it without question. One day, that question is posed by an eccentric young girl named Clarisse, who challenges Guy’s notions of why he lives the way that he does. He begins to realize that everything in his life is censored to keep him from thinking. The reasoning is ostensibly that hard and difficult thoughts and ideas (like those held in books) make people unhappy, as it forces them to think. As an added example, his wife spends all day at home with her “family,” which is really just a wall of televisions that keep her entertained and thus unthinking. I found it poignant that even in the early 50’s, television had been identified as a tool for media barons to spread mass influence, especially when you consider the addiction that television and media has become in today’s age. So, Guy pushes back against the system in control (by reading a book) and he is subsequently pursued as an outsider. His life is turned upside down, he flees, and by the end of our story, he finds himself amongst the rebels. These “rebels” are former college professors and intellectual thinkers who have been cast out of the system and now live in the forest as homeless men. Their mission in life, and how they show their resistance, is by remembering. They remember the knowledge of old, things that used to be held in books, and their hope is to someday bring humanity’s collective intelligence back to the forefront of society. What I really liked about this book was the thought put into the characters. Sure, Guy is your average guy, as his name suggests, and his wife is cast as the sucker of the system, refusing to be enlightened and instead choosing to live in blissful ignorance (at one point in the book, Guy is raising his concerns about not being happy in their shallow lives, and his wife responds “I’m tired of listening to this junk” and promptly turns from Guy back to her television program.) But I found it impressively accurate that the initial crack in the facade came from youth. At a certain age, people seem to come to a form of societal acceptance, and I loved that it was essentially a child who came along and finally asked the all important question: “Why?” It made me wonder, what do we adults lose by forgoing our ability to continually ask this question, both of ourselves and the world around us? Another character I liked was the fire captain Beatty. Every dystopian novel needs an antagonist and this is Beatty’s role. However, while it makes sense that the haggard professors comprise the resistance, Beatty is also an educated man having read many pieces of literature and views the information in books in an opposing light. He has found them to be endlessly contradictory, and thusly tools of unhappiness, and has found comfort in his mission to destroy them. I found it fascinating that the author showed learned characters who, when presented with the same world-choices, made opposing decisions. I think it really goes to show the differing wisdoms of individual people. Two people can read the same book, and while one can love it and the other hate it, both can be correct, because it is (in most cases) a subjective medium. Now, framed as the antagonist, some might say that Beatty took the ‘easy’ way out. But would it also be appropriate to suggest that in a world overflowing with chaos, he accepted the path of least resistance? Would there be merit in a condemnation of his choice, or should we opt for mercy? Or neither, and should we, as both readers of fiction and also members of our current society, accept his decision and the reasons behind it? I don’t have answers to these questions, and I think it wise not to try and decide. Instead, I think we should all periodically ponder them, especially as we find ourselves making similar decisions in our own lives, and watch others close to us do the same. Society doesn’t move forward when we force our opinions onto other. True merit is born of the perpetual quest for understanding and always asking why?
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Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on June 15, 2021
    Fahrenheit 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!).
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  • Reviewed in the United States on June 9, 2018
    An 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.
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  • Omar Rodríguez
    5.0 out of 5 stars Imperdible.
    Reviewed in Mexico on August 7, 2024
    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 Şen
    5.0 out of 5 stars Distopya Şaheseri
    Reviewed in Turkey on September 3, 2023
    Ray Bradbury'nin yakın gelecekteki korkulara ilişkin kaleme aldığı baş yapıtı.
  • Amazon Kunde
    5.0 out of 5 stars Absolute Leseempfehlung!
    Reviewed in Germany on November 13, 2016
    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.
  • Gerard
    5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect product
    Reviewed in the Netherlands on May 4, 2025
    Quick delivery, well packed, products as displayed, very pleased!😁
  • S. Lornie
    5.0 out of 5 stars Simple and well paced!
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 1, 2020
    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.