Animal Farm by George Orwell

Animal Farm by George Orwell

Publication date- August 17, 1945

My rating: 4.5/5 stars

Goodreads page

Summary:

Tired of their servitude to man, a group of farm animals revolt and establish their own society, only to be betrayed into worse servitude by their leaders, the pigs, whose slogan becomes: "All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others." This 1945 satire addresses the socialist/ communist philosophy of Stalin in the Soviet Union.

My thoughts:

This book is a political satire on not only the Russian Revolution and Stalin's era but also politicians and governing bodies in general. 

The animals of Manor Farm are sick and tired of being ruled and ordered around by the owner of the farm and so take it upon themselves to rid themselves of him and be their own leaders and live freely. In an epic battle that follows, Mr. Jones loses and runs for his life. The animals rename it 'Animal Farm' and adopt Seven Commandments which they have to adhere to.

After Old Major, the old boar dies, Snowball and Napolean, the two young pigs assume command but soon there is a fallout between them as they both want to adopt various policies for the benefit of the farm. Napolean through his tricking ways, makes the gullible animals turn against Snowfall who eventually leaves making Napolean their sole master.

As the years pass by, things at the farm keep changing. Old Commandments are forgotten and replaced by new ones thanks to the animals' short memories which Napolean uses to his advantage. The animals are made to work for grueling hours to build a windmill which keeps getting destroyed. They do not get enough food and are deprived of their freedom but they accept it all as they deem it necessary for the welfare of their farm. Napolean slowly takes over Mr.Jones' house and starts wearing clothes trying to resemble humans. The earlier Commandment of 'All animals are created equal' is in a sick turn of events, modified to 'All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others' and the name 'Manor Farm' restored.

The novella ends with the animals witnessing Napolean having a dinner party with animals and human allies where they can't differentiate between the two.

Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma

Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma

                                                       

Publication date - 27th May 2010 by Definitions

My rating- 5/5 stars

Summary:

She is pretty and talented- sweet sixteen and never been kissed.

He is seventeen; gorgeous and on the brink of a bright future.

And now, they have fallen in love.

But.... they are brother and sister.

Seventeen-year-old Lochan and sixteen-year-old Maya have always felt more like friends than siblings. Together they have stepped in for their alcoholic, wayward mother to take care of their three younger siblings. As defacto parents to the little ones, Lochan and Maya have had to grow up fast. And the stress of their lives—and the way they understand each other so completely—has also also brought them closer than two siblings would ordinarily be. So close, in fact, that they have fallen in love. Their clandestine romance quickly blooms into deep, desperate love. They know their relationship is wrong and cannot possibly continue. And yet, they cannot stop what feels so incredibly right. As the novel careens toward an explosive and shocking finale, only one thing is certain: a love this devastating has no happy ending.

Goodreads page

My Thoughts:

My physical state after finishing this book-

The first thing you need to know about this book is that it revolves around the very dark and controversial theme of incest. If that topic makes you uncomfortable in any way, i suggest to let this one go even though i personally didn't find myself squirming at any point of time; something i was expecting to do a lot in this book.

This book is an emotional roller coaster and when i read the summary on Goodreads and saw so many people rave about this book, i just had to pick it up. The best thing about this book for me was the way the author drew us into the story and made us witness their home life and everyday travails which helped to justify the relationship between Lochan and Maya. Tabitha didn't force their love on us but very effectively made us realise how in their situation it was not only possible but also their only option. 

The ending of this book made me wail for two hours straight and i couldn't function properly for a long period of time.