Name: Animal Farm
Rating: 3.928782585326525 (3721 reviews)
ISBN: 9780451526342

George Orwell

A satire on totalitarianism in which farm animals overthrow their human owner and set up their own government

A Fairy Story

Animal Farm

Humanity and the greed of men makes me sick. Our lack of respect for other species on this planet and even for our own is disgusting. 

Stephanie 

BUT SOME ANIMALS ARE MORE EQUAL THAN OTHERS

Joe Ricupero

Kathi

Rafaela Sousa

Angela Zeiler

sukan

Remove Man from the scene, and the root cause of hunger and overwork is abolished for ever. “Man is the only creature that consumes without producing. He does not give milk, he does not lay eggs, he is too weak to pull the plough, he cannot run fast enough to catch rabbits. Yet he is lord of all the animals. He sets them to work, he gives back to them the bare minimum that will prevent them from starving, and the rest he keeps for himself.

It is all lies. Man serves the interests of no creature except himself.

Inês Lemos S.

Such were her thoughts, though she lacked the words to express them.

But they were conscious that they were not as other animals. If they went hungry, it was not from feeding tyrannical human beings; if they worked hard, at least they worked for themselves. No creature among them went upon two legs. No creature called any other creature “Master”. All animals were equal.

It was as though the world has turned upside-down.

Celine

«Vier Beine gut, zwei Beine schlecht.» Das sei der Grundgedanke des Animalismus

Das besondere Charakteristikum des Menschen ist die Hand. Sie ist das Instrument mit dem er all sein Unheil anrichtet

Die Tiere bildeten zwei Lager unter den Parolen Wählt Schneeball und die Dreitagewoche» und «Wählt Napoleon und den vollen Futtertrog». 

Alle Tiere sind gleich, aber manche Tiere sind gleicher als andere. 

* Vidkun Jonssøn Quisling (r887-1945), zwischen r931 und r933 nor- weg. Verteidigungsminister, anschließend Parteigründer und -führer der faschistischen Nasjonal Samling, die während der Nazi-Besatzung die einzige zugelassene Partei Norwegens war: Sein Name dient seither nicht nur im Engl. als Synonym für einen Landesverräter und Kollaborateur.

When you don't look closely at what is right in front of you. This part always breaks my heart.

Elizabeth Park

"Fools! Fools!" shouted Benjamin, prancing round them and stamping the earth with his small hoofs. "Fools! Do you not see what is written on the side of that van?"

Selina 

Hunger, hardship, and disappointment being, so he said, the unalterable law of life.

There, comrades, is the answer to all our problems. It is summed up in a single word-Man. Man is the only real enemy we have. 

raia – inactive

The life of an animal is misery and slavery: that is the plain truth.

Lukas

All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.

Several of them would have protested if they could have found the right arguments.

Vojtech

Bir Peri Masalı

Hayvan Çiftliği

Komünizmin ne kadar korkunç bir hâl alabileceğini mükemmel bir olay örgüsü ve kurguyla anlatmış bir kitap.. İlk bakışta sadece birkaç çiftlik hayvanının çıkarttığı devrim gibi gözükse de altında yatanı anlamaya çalıştığınızda gerçekten ders niteliğinde bir kitap olduğunu düşünüyorum.

Ayşe Eylül Kalaycı

thya

(Book Jacket Status: Jacketed) Animal Farm is the most famous by far of all twentieth-century political allegories. Its account of a group of barnyard animals who revolt against their vicious human master, only to submit to a tyranny erected by their own kind, can fairly be said to have become a universal drama. Orwell is one of the very few modern satirists comparable to Jonathan Swift in power, artistry, and moral authority; in animal farm his spare prose and the logic of his dark comedy brilliantly highlight his stark message. Taking as his starting point the betrayed promise of the Russian Revolution, Orwell lays out a vision that, in its bitter wisdom, gives us the clearest understanding we possess of the possible consequences of our social and political acts. From the Hardcover edition.

Chanel

They looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again: but it was impossible to say which was which. Animal farm was so bizarre, so unique and interesting and it left me swimming in a deep pool of thought.

Elda Mengisto

I first read this book in the eighth grade for my social studies class. I don't remember why we did so, but when I did, I found it to be a good book, because of the analogies made and how the idealistic world of Animal Farm deteriorated over time with authoritarianism mirroring Stalin's consolidation of power. Reading it for a second time, I thought about how the animals did represent those repressed by a higher force, but I also compared them to populist movements today vs. the "elitists"represented by Mr. Jones and his indulgent activities, with the drinking, for example. While the referendums and elections of 2016 weren't as violent as the rebellion was, it did make a significant impact as it shook the original system over. Despite the paradise established, with nobody complaining about their rations or work, we see the beginning of the pigs' hypocrisy with the incident of the milk and apples. It reminds me a little bit of how authoritarianism is not an overnight phenomenon, but rather a gradual process which takes a while to note, but would be too late to solve. What's interesting is how one idea can work for a moment, particularly with that of a common enemy, but deteriorate after that. The Windmill incident stood out as one, with the groups divided between the prospect of having a lot of labor saved versus more food for the time being. Even more curious was the lack of compromise on this situation. Yet Benjamin's opinion, in which he believed "windmill or no windmill...life would go on as it had always go on--that is, badly" (51), indicates something which couldn't be solved easily. But this goes unnoticed. Rallying under the mottoes of "I will work harder!" and "Comrade Napoleon is always right", with the fading song of "Beasts of England" following them, there were some sparks of resistance, such as with the hens protecting their eggs or the animals trying to save Boxer from the slaughterhouse, but they were always put down, backed on the fear of Mr. Jones' previous tyrannical regime. With Napoleon and the swine becoming more like humans, one lesson of revolution is this: overthrow of a current government is hard, but establishing a better order which doesn't mirror that of the previous regime is harder. I'm surprised there wasn't another book about another rebellion, which could go full circle. Considering this, I'm glad this remained a classic, as it could apply to a full-circle revolution: not only that of Russia 100 years earlier, but also those of today, and even in sci-fi. Yet I still wonder what they mean by "all animals are equal, but some are more equal than others"...

When the downtrodden animals of Manor Farm overthrow their master Mr Jones and take over the farm themselves, they imagine it is the beginning of a life of freedom and equality. But gradually a cunning, ruthless elite among them, masterminded by the pigs Napoleon and Snowball, starts to take control.

Joana Mae

Animal Farm totally blew my little mind. I went into it expecting a simple classic… came out questioning reality. Orwell’s take on power, corruption, and how easily truth can be twisted is honestly terrifying — even more so when you remember it was inspired by real events in Russia before 1945. What’s wild is how relevant it still feels today. It was a painful, scary, and uncomfortably real read. I actually felt a bit hopeless after finishing it — parang “wow, ganito talaga ang mundo?” — but at the same time, I was reminded that my hope is in the Lord. So kahit gaano ka-dark ang message ng book, I rest in God’s reality in my life, too. Also… the funniest part? I’m only reading this now as an adult. Better late than never, I guess — because this one hits different when you actually understand the world. A sharp, haunting little book that stays with you. Definitely worth the read.

hayatin nasil berbat bi yer oldugunu ve surekli birinin otoriteyi sagladigini gostermesi cok korkunc cunku birini yonetmekten de yonetilmekten de nefret ederim ama cok vurucu bi kitap belirli bi zihin acikligiyla okunmali

nira

Folwark Zwierzecy

Susan

THE COMMANDMENTS WERE NEVER CHANGE!

THE CYCLE CONTINUES!!

Samfundssatire fortalt som dyrefabel med historisk baggrund i det interne politiske opgør blandt Sovjetunionens ledere efter revolutionen

ANIMAL FARM

Joshua

Alur cerita yang cukup satir dan sangat rekomen untuk kalian yang pengen baca kehidupan politik Indonesia tetapi tetap fun dan bikin lebih asik baca satir politik Indonesia. 

A. Yura

A timeless satire. Charlotte would blush in her web.

Blake Dickson

New Classic Collection

A perfect example for how radical ideological thought will serve only itself without holding firm to strong moral grounds… the only footing is serving one’s own deepest desire for power.

Julian Paul

a bit unnerving how many comparisons i can make to today’s political climate. i couldn’t put this book down. it was addicting and an important classic that should be read by everyone. Especially now! 🐽👑

Sadie Hoffman

i wrote down "this mr pig is my type if he was a person". yes, i have a problem.

Tina Villarete

favorite read from september. it’s so easy to read yet the message carries so much weight.

My top read of 2025. It’s a brilliant satirical novel that mirrors reality through fiction. The language is so accessible that I had no problem interpreting it in my own way. And if I say I find myself deeply connected to its situations… does that spell doom?

gitsa

lauren

very very good

is it bad that i liked it this much?

review subject to change

Great read, not sure I would’ve fully understood what it was a satire of back in middle school if I had read it when it was assigned, but with my knowledge of communism and totalitarianism now I can confidently say I fully grasp and understand everything.

Dylan Starr

A simple story on the surface, but devastating underneath.

Power, control, and betrayal - all told through talking animals.

Tanishq Khandelwal

A simple story on the surface, but devastating underneath.
Power, control, and betrayal - all told through talking animals.

Found the metaphors ran a bit tiresome after a while but can't deny it's quite profound and well done

Sam Uhe

It was such a great read! It might’ve been the first short book I’ve read that feels so full. It perfectly displays how power in a society—the people or person who holds it—will almost always use it to benefit themselves, and, if they’re nice enough, their close circle too.

I like how the book shows the two different types of pigs (Napoleon and Snowball) and how they both desired different things. With Napoleon, we see that it’s power for both him and his kind. For Snowball, the initial goal of the rebellion which was equality and prosperity for all the animals. But if you pay close attention, you can see that even if it had been Snowball instead of Napoleon leading, the outcome would likely have been the same. The animals would still have been exploited, and the pigs would still have ended up at the top of the social hierarchy.

Why? Because when Snowball was still around, he allowed things like the milk and apples to be reserved for the pigs. He also let Squealer handle announcements and never seemed to care what the other animals thought of his ideas. This shows that, just like Napoleon, Snowball believed he was the only one who knew what was right for the farm.

Power is easily mishandled—even by someone who believes they have the right intentions.

It was such a great read! It might’ve been the first short book I’ve read that feels so full. It perfectly displays how power in a society—the people or person who holds it—will almost always use it to benefit themselves, and, if they’re nice enough, their close circle too.

I like how the book shows the two different types of pigs (Napoleon and Snowball) and how they both desired different things. With Napoleon, we see that it’s power for both him and his kind. For Snowball, the initial goal of the rebellion which was equality and prosperity for all the animals. But if you pay close attention, you can see that even if it had been Snowball instead of Napoleon leading, the outcome would likely have been the same. The animals would still have been exploited, and the pigs would still have ended up at the top of the social hierarchy.

Why? Because when Snowball was still around, he allowed things like the milk and apples to be reserved for the pigs. He also let Squealer handle announcements and never seemed to care what the other animals thought of his ideas. This shows that, just like Napoleon, Snowball believed he was the only one who knew what was right for the farm.

Power is easily mishandled—even by someone who believes they have the right intentions.

"The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which."

mia sofie

"The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which."



This is a book I’d been meaning to read for quite some time, but had never quite got around to – last week I finally not only read it, but also delved into some of the background behind it.

George Orwell wrote Animal Farm between November 1943 and February 1944, but it wasn’t published straightaway, as the Soviet Union was still an ally during the Second World War. As a socialist writer, Orwell’s decision to deliver such a scathing critique of the Soviet Union may come as a surprise to modern readers, who might have expected him to focus his criticism more on fascism or the far right. However, Orwell felt that the Soviet Union had by then become a brutal dictatorship and had betrayed its own founding ideals.

The book was eventually published in Britain in 1945, just after the war ended, and it quickly became a commercial success – partly because the Cold War followed so soon after. It was immediately banned in the Soviet Union and other communist countries such as Cuba, North Korea, the United Arab Emirates – and even in China, where it remained banned until nearly the 21st century.

In the story, Orwell chronicles the rise of Joseph Stalin, depicted through the pig “Napoleon.” The narrative reflects how Stalin emerged as a natural leader and gradually assumed dictatorial power. Early on, the animals on the farm overthrow their oppressor, the farmer “Mr Jones” – a direct analogy to the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917, when Tsar Nicholas II (who had already abdicated in February) was executed along with his family in July 1918. Orwell based the character of Mr Jones, the drunken and neglectful farmer, on the real-life figure of Tsar Nicholas II.

However, the democratic ideals and hope for freedom gradually disintegrate. The pigs – much like the Soviet intelligentsia – quickly consolidate power, presenting themselves as the intellectual elite and beginning to exploit the system for their own gain.

Boxer – in my view – is the most heartbreaking character in the novel. He represents the peasantry and is the hardest working animal on the farm. He has unwavering faith in Napoleon’s leadership and works himself to the bone – quite literally. His reward is deeply tragic, though I won’t spoil the details here. Most of the characters in the book represent real individuals, groups, or ideologies.

The conclusion of the story is, in some ways, predictable: the oppressed become the oppressors – but it is delivered with subtlety and cruel irony. The political manipulations portrayed in the novel remain entirely relevant today. You don’t have to look far from home to see echoes of such a regime.

Orwell’s brilliance also lies in how these traits of deceit, cynicism, and manipulation are not confined to the political sphere. Who hasn’t witnessed someone skilfully distracting attention from a major problem by focusing on a minor one?

It could be in politics, at a committee meeting – or even, dare I say it, around the family dinner table. Orwell’s observations speak to the universal truths of human nature and behaviour – timeless, and present in every institution, organisation, family, or collective.

One critic even suggested that Orwell wrote himself into the story as Benjamin, the wise old donkey who continually remarks, with bleak pessimism:

“Life will go on as it has always gone on – that is, badly.”

Nastenka

This is a book I’d been meaning to read for quite some time, but had never quite got around to – last week I finally not only read it, but also delved into some of the background behind it.

George Orwell wrote Animal Farm between November 1943 and February 1944, but it wasn’t published straightaway, as the Soviet Union was still an ally during the Second World War. As a socialist writer, Orwell’s decision to deliver such a scathing critique of the Soviet Union may come as a surprise to modern readers, who might have expected him to focus his criticism more on fascism or the far right. However, Orwell felt that the Soviet Union had by then become a brutal dictatorship and had betrayed its own founding ideals.

The book was eventually published in Britain in 1945, just after the war ended, and it quickly became a commercial success – partly because the Cold War followed so soon after. It was immediately banned in the Soviet Union and other communist countries such as Cuba, North Korea, the United Arab Emirates – and even in China, where it remained banned until nearly the 21st century.

In the story, Orwell chronicles the rise of Joseph Stalin, depicted through the pig “Napoleon.” The narrative reflects how Stalin emerged as a natural leader and gradually assumed dictatorial power. Early on, the animals on the farm overthrow their oppressor, the farmer “Mr Jones” – a direct analogy to the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917, when Tsar Nicholas II (who had already abdicated in February) was executed along with his family in July 1918. Orwell based the character of Mr Jones, the drunken and neglectful farmer, on the real-life figure of Tsar Nicholas II.

However, the democratic ideals and hope for freedom gradually disintegrate. The pigs – much like the Soviet intelligentsia – quickly consolidate power, presenting themselves as the intellectual elite and beginning to exploit the system for their own gain.

Boxer – in my view – is the most heartbreaking character in the novel. He represents the peasantry and is the hardest working animal on the farm. He has unwavering faith in Napoleon’s leadership and works himself to the bone – quite literally. His reward is deeply tragic, though I won’t spoil the details here. Most of the characters in the book represent real individuals, groups, or ideologies.

The conclusion of the story is, in some ways, predictable: the oppressed become the oppressors – but it is delivered with subtlety and cruel irony. The political manipulations portrayed in the novel remain entirely relevant today. You don’t have to look far from home to see echoes of such a regime.

Orwell’s brilliance also lies in how these traits of deceit, cynicism, and manipulation are not confined to the political sphere. Who hasn’t witnessed someone skilfully distracting attention from a major problem by focusing on a minor one?

It could be in politics, at a committee meeting – or even, dare I say it, around the family dinner table. Orwell’s observations speak to the universal truths of human nature and behaviour – timeless, and present in every institution, organisation, family, or collective.

One critic even suggested that Orwell wrote himself into the story as Benjamin, the wise old donkey who continually remarks, with bleak pessimism:

“Life will go on as it has always gone on – that is, badly.”

Animal Farm is an allegorical and dystopian novel by George Orwell. Old Major, the old boar on the Manor Farm, summons the animals on the farm together for a meeting, during which he refers to humans as parasites and teaches the animals a revolutionary song called Beasts of England. When Major dies, two young pigs, Snowball and Napoleon, assume command and consider it a duty to prepare for the Rebellion. The animals revolt and drive the drunken and irresponsible farmer Mr. Jones from the farm, renaming it "Animal Farm". They adopt Seven Commandments of Animalism, the most important of which is, "All animals are equal." Years pass, and the pigs start to resemble humans, as they walk upright, carry whips, and wear clothes. The Seven Commandments are abridged to a single phrase: "All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others".

wow this was a nice quicker read - in a way it's all the ideas and themes that Orwell explored in 1984 - but in their earlier stages. the use of animals is very interesting, and even though I knew that was not the point i still desperately wished only the best for the poor animals taken advantage of... Boxer deserved so much better, but this is really is teh perfect metaphor for the people that work the hardest under the systems that will never really reward them for it

Animal Farm A Fairy Story

Reviews

Highlights

Join the club