One of the aspects of "Julia" that I liked was the portrayal of system fallibility and how things can sometimes not go as planned. In "1984" the Party was this awful, super-effective totalitarian regime that seemed to have control of every little aspect of society. In Newman's book, this isn't the case. Take, for example, the dreaded Room 101.The "101" process is seen to be time restricted and hurried, which I imagine would be the case when so many people are being interrogated, and Julia has a kind of triumph in there, in contrast to Winston's total defeat. However, I'm not entirely sure about the ending, and wonder if the book should have finished when Julia was discharged from the Ministry of Love, rather than continuing.
Great review! I just finished Julia today and was shaken by it. I also felt it improved upon 1984. I read that one a few years ago, but want to go back now and give it another look.
Absolutely dire book. The idea of finishing 1984 having a happy ending tells me she didn't understand the universe. It was written as if a Tumblr fanfic.
I want to read Julia, but feel like I need to reread 1984 and I did not enjoy 1984. Strangely, Orwell’s flat style numbs my brain. I think it’s because I knew too much about 1984 when I read it and dystopian literature really isn’t my thing. As a result for me it had a story I vaguely knew, was a genre I didn’t like, and writing that I didn’t find interesting.
You could probably get away with finding a TH-cam video that recaps 1984. I reread 1984 before reading Julia and knowing details like she hurts her hand really added to the story for me... But I don't dislike Orwell's style.
I'm going for the whole trifecta. Currently reading "We" by Yevgeny Zamyatin, then I'll re-read 1984 (although I remember it as being a bit of a drag to get through), then I'll read Julia.
This sounds quite interesting! It's been awhile since I've read 1984, so I'd probably want to read that again before this. I hadn't heard of this book yet, but it's now on my TBR!
I stopped watching at the spoilers, but this sounds excellent!! I actually never had to read 1984 for school and so I've always been curious and meaning to read it at some point. Sounds like whenever I do get to it, I would enjoy pairing it with Julia.
Thats why i did inadvertently. I re-read 1984 before even knowing that Sandra Newman's nivel existed. I saw a couple of problems with Julia the novel, but i prefer nit to mention here to avoid spoilers.
@@GunpowderFictionPlot Yeah but for me it kind of killed the whole point of the story. Oceania is supposed to be this all-powerful totalitarian superstate but it turns out it's incompetent to a point where one wonders how it existed for all those years. Heck, they're all in a hurry to protect mothers but they leave their leader behind in the hands of the enemy? Add to that Julia accidentally bumping into characters at the most convenient time possible and that last part really takes some huge suspension of disbelief. Like the random encounter with Diana Winters. WTF was that?
Shakespeare is commonly studied in high schools, so that isn't a point for 1984 being simply written. I studied 1984 alongside Julius Caesar back in 1982/3. That said, I really enjoyed Julia, and am re-reading 1984 now too - it really does add to the original text. The only quibble I have is the ending, which while enjoyable, does somewhat detract from the point of 1984. I'm not certain it needed a hopeful ending tbh - it could have ended leaving things open, for the reader to decide, without being a lesser book.
This is a very good point. I think I'm comparing my own reading development to all teenagers, who are an uncommonly intelligent subsection of our population. I like the ending, I thought it challenged 1984 - but I wasn't sure it was hopeful.
Thanks for that! Really want to read it but feel like I have to reread 1984 first which was really interesting intellectually but not so much emotionally.
I preferred the writing style of newman's julia its gripping and faster paced for more inclusive audience. I did struggle reading Orwell book and found it slow in the middle mainly due to it being written over 70 years ago. Don't get me wrong i found the original a visionary masterpiece but this new book answers so many questions
Julia avoids the two most 'difficult' parts of 1984: the lengthy passage from Goldstein's book read aloud to her by Winston which she slept through, and the long sections of discussion/interrogation between Smith and O'Brien. This section can be read as a discussion on philosophy (eg: the nature of truth and reality) between a highly intelligent man, O'Brien, and a fairly stupid man, Smith. The omission of these sections by Newman makes the book easier to read and understand than 1984. It makes the story more closely follow the narrative that most people think 1984 is about: the evils of totalitarianism etc. But Orwell's book is about more than that. For instance, O'Brien refers to 'solipsism'. I suspect most readers just skip over that. But if it's not Important, why is it there? I enjoyed Julia, but contend she has turned 1984 into a much simpler story. Many readers will appreciate that, I have some misgivings.
I would agree that she has taken a lot of the philosophic conversations out, but she has added other things in - I enjoyed those conversations in 1984, but I'm not sure they're relevant to Julia.
The publisher who is nearest at hand to me says among the many authors in her submission box, male writers - almost to man - tend to err on the side of utilitarian style with fewer descriptions and a keen eye for plot whereas female writers tend to lean a bit more toward description and a keen eye for character (not sure how that will change as non-binary voices become more prevalent). Might that phenomenon be consistent between writers here?
I’m almost finished with 1984, had a flick through the pages of Julia at waterstones today but didn’t really like the writing style… it feels a bit immature. A shame because I feel like Julia could’ve been done much more succinctly and less brazenly obvious as a conterargument to how Orwell wrote her. I never like how Julia was written or treated in the original but I just don’t rly know if this new rendition is written very well…
I lately re-read 1984 and had my eye on this novel. So now I think I'll give it a go, because I really wasn't happy about the misogyny in the original.
Perfect timing! Yes, Orwell was a bit flawed wasn't he? What I find most disappointing about the misogyny is that it seems to be consistent across his novels and rather than making a point indicates a lack of awareness in the author when he was writing the novel.
No, the book is garbage. and there is nothing street smart about julia. If there was she wouldn't have been doing what she was doing and wouldn't have gotten herself into a situation where she was so easily caught
You don't think Proust or Dickens is more flowery than Lispector or Wolfe? I don't think gender influences how flowery an author writes, I think it's foolish to suggest otherwise, Shakespeare alone should dispell any belief that men don't write flowery.
That's fair enough, but there's some very creativity retelling out there, Ulysses, Home Fire, An Orchestra of Minorities, to name but a few. There's a lot of originality in Julia too.
Looking forward to reading this but it’s been a couple decades since I read 1984, so want to do that again first & don’t know if it’s best to read em back to back or give ‘em room to breathe individually and put some time between ( but not 2 decades). Blahdiggityblah 📖🪱💚
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One of the aspects of "Julia" that I liked was the portrayal of system fallibility and how things can sometimes not go as planned. In "1984" the Party was this awful, super-effective totalitarian regime that seemed to have control of every little aspect of society. In Newman's book, this isn't the case. Take, for example, the dreaded Room 101.The "101" process is seen to be time restricted and hurried, which I imagine would be the case when so many people are being interrogated, and Julia has a kind of triumph in there, in contrast to Winston's total defeat. However, I'm not entirely sure about the ending, and wonder if the book should have finished when Julia was discharged from the Ministry of Love, rather than continuing.
Great review! I just finished Julia today and was shaken by it. I also felt it improved upon 1984. I read that one a few years ago, but want to go back now and give it another look.
Absolutely dire book. The idea of finishing 1984 having a happy ending tells me she didn't understand the universe. It was written as if a Tumblr fanfic.
But the ending was not happy. The government was overthrown, but nothing changed!
@@GunpowderFictionPlot Julia riding off into the sunset with the resistance? Tonally, completely off kilter with the Orwellian vision.
I want to read Julia, but feel like I need to reread 1984 and I did not enjoy 1984. Strangely, Orwell’s flat style numbs my brain. I think it’s because I knew too much about 1984 when I read it and dystopian literature really isn’t my thing. As a result for me it had a story I vaguely knew, was a genre I didn’t like, and writing that I didn’t find interesting.
You could probably get away with finding a TH-cam video that recaps 1984. I reread 1984 before reading Julia and knowing details like she hurts her hand really added to the story for me... But I don't dislike Orwell's style.
I feel this. I won a copy of Julia, but don’t really look forward to re-reading 1984. 😅
I'm going for the whole trifecta. Currently reading "We" by Yevgeny Zamyatin, then I'll re-read 1984 (although I remember it as being a bit of a drag to get through), then I'll read Julia.
I reread Brave New World and The Prince when I reread 1984. It really gets you in a certain mood doesn't it.
I reread 1984 and then straight to Julia and it was amazing. Absolutely loved what Newman did.
This sounds quite interesting! It's been awhile since I've read 1984, so I'd probably want to read that again before this. I hadn't heard of this book yet, but it's now on my TBR!
Definitely. My experience of Julia was greatly improved by rereading 1984 so it was fresh in my mind.
I'm in the middle of this book right now and thoroughly enjoying it. Stopping at the spoilers but I agree with your overall evaluation.
I'm glad to hear you're also enjoying it. 😊
I have just read 1984 and Julia is on my Feb tbr. Excited now. Thanks Scott
I hope you enjoy it. 😊
I loved it. Do you think it is a contender for the Women’s Prize?
My copy of Julia was just delivered today. I bought a new copy of 1984 as well, which I will read again first.
I have just finished this book and really enjoyed it. Thank you for reviewing it.
hope to return sooner rather than later.
Sounds well worth reading. I'll have to reread '1984' first, though. It's been years since I read it, and I'll need a refresher.
I stopped watching at the spoilers, but this sounds excellent!! I actually never had to read 1984 for school and so I've always been curious and meaning to read it at some point. Sounds like whenever I do get to it, I would enjoy pairing it with Julia.
Perfect pairing.
Sounds like an interesting book! I need to reread 1984 then pick this one.
Absolutely!
Thats why i did inadvertently. I re-read 1984 before even knowing that Sandra Newman's nivel existed. I saw a couple of problems with Julia the novel, but i prefer nit to mention here to avoid spoilers.
Parts 1 and 2 of the book are a masterpiece on par with the original. Part 3 left me like WTF is this shit?
I liked the last part, it was discussing hope or hopelessness in the political landscape. Thought that was lacking in Orwell's work.
@@GunpowderFictionPlot Yeah but for me it kind of killed the whole point of the story. Oceania is supposed to be this all-powerful totalitarian superstate but it turns out it's incompetent to a point where one wonders how it existed for all those years. Heck, they're all in a hurry to protect mothers but they leave their leader behind in the hands of the enemy?
Add to that Julia accidentally bumping into characters at the most convenient time possible and that last part really takes some huge suspension of disbelief. Like the random encounter with Diana Winters. WTF was that?
Shakespeare is commonly studied in high schools, so that isn't a point for 1984 being simply written. I studied 1984 alongside Julius Caesar back in 1982/3. That said, I really enjoyed Julia, and am re-reading 1984 now too - it really does add to the original text. The only quibble I have is the ending, which while enjoyable, does somewhat detract from the point of 1984. I'm not certain it needed a hopeful ending tbh - it could have ended leaving things open, for the reader to decide, without being a lesser book.
This is a very good point. I think I'm comparing my own reading development to all teenagers, who are an uncommonly intelligent subsection of our population.
I like the ending, I thought it challenged 1984 - but I wasn't sure it was hopeful.
@@GunpowderFictionPlot I heard the author describing it as a hopeful ending, being interviewed on the BBC.
Julia a Novel is very good! Well done Sandra N
Never use a word when using none will do.
Thanks for that! Really want to read it but feel like I have to reread 1984 first which was really interesting intellectually but not so much emotionally.
I think rereading 1984 added a lot for me, you might be able to get away with a TH-cam video that goes over the details.
I preferred the writing style of newman's julia its gripping and faster paced for more inclusive audience.
I did struggle reading Orwell book and found it slow in the middle mainly due to it being written over 70 years ago.
Don't get me wrong i found the original a visionary masterpiece but this new book answers so many questions
Julia avoids the two most 'difficult' parts of 1984: the lengthy passage from Goldstein's book read aloud to her by Winston which she slept through, and the long sections of discussion/interrogation between Smith and O'Brien. This section can be read as a discussion on philosophy (eg: the nature of truth and reality) between a highly intelligent man, O'Brien, and a fairly stupid man, Smith.
The omission of these sections by Newman makes the book easier to read and understand than 1984.
It makes the story more closely follow the narrative that most people think 1984 is about: the evils of totalitarianism etc.
But Orwell's book is about more than that. For instance, O'Brien refers to 'solipsism'. I suspect most readers just skip over that. But if it's not Important, why is it there?
I enjoyed Julia, but contend she has turned 1984 into a much simpler story. Many readers will appreciate that, I have some misgivings.
I would agree that she has taken a lot of the philosophic conversations out, but she has added other things in - I enjoyed those conversations in 1984, but I'm not sure they're relevant to Julia.
The publisher who is nearest at hand to me says among the many authors in her submission box, male writers - almost to man - tend to err on the side of utilitarian style with fewer descriptions and a keen eye for plot whereas female writers tend to lean a bit more toward description and a keen eye for character (not sure how that will change as non-binary voices become more prevalent).
Might that phenomenon be consistent between writers here?
Yes, I think that's correct, maybe work the exception of the observation about plot, which I think Newman does slightly better than Orwell.
I’m almost finished with 1984, had a flick through the pages of Julia at waterstones today but didn’t really like the writing style… it feels a bit immature. A shame because I feel like Julia could’ve been done much more succinctly and less brazenly obvious as a conterargument to how Orwell wrote her. I never like how Julia was written or treated in the original but I just don’t rly know if this new rendition is written very well…
I think the writing serves it's purpose, it's not like Orwell was a poet.
I lately re-read 1984 and had my eye on this novel. So now I think I'll give it a go, because I really wasn't happy about the misogyny in the original.
Perfect timing! Yes, Orwell was a bit flawed wasn't he? What I find most disappointing about the misogyny is that it seems to be consistent across his novels and rather than making a point indicates a lack of awareness in the author when he was writing the novel.
This is very good !! I’ve done the Audible version
No, the book is garbage. and there is nothing street smart about julia. If there was she wouldn't have been doing what she was doing and wouldn't have gotten herself into a situation where she was so easily caught
So you would only give it 4.5 stars then? ;)
A woman writes more flowery. Shocking
You don't think Proust or Dickens is more flowery than Lispector or Wolfe? I don't think gender influences how flowery an author writes, I think it's foolish to suggest otherwise, Shakespeare alone should dispell any belief that men don't write flowery.
@@GunpowderFictionPlot a poof and a poof. Wolfe was a lover of the ladies and I wouldn’t call her spartan in her prose
Pretty much exactly my take on the book.
i wouldn't say improve. It's a woman's point of view.
No
It's not a contest
Not a fan of retellings full stop. It just seems to lack originality. I'd rather women told new stories.
That's fair enough, but there's some very creativity retelling out there, Ulysses, Home Fire, An Orchestra of Minorities, to name but a few. There's a lot of originality in Julia too.
It’s more of a bio from the same world. It’s not a retelling.
Looking forward to reading this but it’s been a couple decades since I read 1984, so want to do that again first & don’t know if it’s best to read em back to back or give ‘em room to breathe individually and put some time between ( but not 2 decades). Blahdiggityblah 📖🪱💚
I think you want to have 1984 fresh in your mind when you read Julia, but I waited about a fortnight before starting Julia