The truth is that kids aren’t in any way poetic, they’re merely savage little animals, except that no animal is a quarter as selfish
Rating: 2/5
Trigger Warnings: war, death, animal abuse
Spoiler Alert! If you haven’t read the book, this review will contain spoilers so it’s up to you if you continue…
The quote on my copy of George Orwell’s Coming Up for Air claims that his ‘ironic humour is fresher than ever’. It’s an impressive claim. Even more impressive, in my opinion, is choosing to comment on Orwell’s humour - in this book especially. None of his books strike me as humorous, not even humorous in a clever, witty way. To me, his work is full of serious observations of a post-war world and Coming Up for Air was the depressing ramblings of a disillusioned, middle-aged man realising the world had changed (I’m talking about the narrator there, not Orwell…I have no idea if Orwell felt that way).
What most sticks out in my remembering of the book is the shocking moments of brutality George showed towards animals in his youth. Frequently these are dismissed as the activities of juvenile boys, but he talks of stamping on baby birds and exploding frogs. These things were just a part of his experience growing up, but the blaze treatment of them left me reeling. It’s entirely unsurprising that a boy who could do such things in his youth would care so little for his family in his adulthood.
George was a dislikeable, though well-written character, but his narration bored me. The entire plot was him idealising his childhood and returning to a place he didn’t recognise - attempting to regain the past. As George’s narration wasn’t very engaging, it was difficult to get into the story. I didn’t hate the plotline, and it was interesting to see the way the world changed after the First World War in terms of everyday people. It was obvious the disillusionment and idealisation of the past was a result of George’s experience of the war, and the depressing outlook as to the coming war with Germany was symptomatic of his experience in the first, but I think it just wasn't my kind of book. I don’t have anything specifically bad to say about it, but it was one of those ‘nothing happens’ books that I dislike. I wish I enjoyed books that explore character’s mentalities more than I do, but I find it much easier to engage in plot-driven books.
From what I remember of reading it about 5 years ago, I enjoyed 1984, and Orwell is evidently a great writer. I’m not just saying that because of his fame, I do believe he was very clever, and his mastery of allegory and ability to foresee the problematic parts of modern culture are both incredibly impressive. Sadly, Coming Up for Air wasn’t very engaging for me, and I cared very little whether I finished it or not.
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