John Bills reads books IV: Animal Farm

Everyone has read Animal Farm. It's my mums favourite book (as far as I remember), and I'd go so far as to say its one of the most well known fictional works going. I'm sure someone told me its on the curriculum these days, although that could be a big lie. The animated film is equally as good, if you can get past the voices of the animals, but then again they are animals. Expecting a silky smooth Sean Connery voice would be just too much I suppose.

So, the book. If anyone is ever in a reading rut, I wholeheartedly recommend going for Animal Farm. Its short, very short, and completely compelling. I think every time I have read it, which is definitely in the double figures, I have started and finished it within 2 days. Its just that easy, and that difficult to put down. The book is a based on pre-WW2 Soviet Union, and is something of a fictional retelling of events leading up to Stalins era. After driving the human owner, Mr Jones, out of Manor Farm, the animals of the farm take over and rename it Animal Farm. Animalism becomes the way of life, and the farm, under the leadership of the pigs Snowball and Napoleon, prospers. Food is plentiful, education progresses, and morale is high.

Snowball comes up with the idea of building a windmill, which Napolelon opposes. Whilst Snowball is giving a speech in favour, he is driven out of the farm by a pack of dogs that Napoleon has been raising. Napoleon then proceeds to claim that Snowball stole the windmill idea from him, and he takes sole control of the farm. Painting Snowball as a traitor and using his absence as a catalyst, Napoleon culls many animals and life becomes difficult for all the animals.

As the pigs rewrite the history and take on more privileges for themselves, they begin to negotiate with human owners of other farms, something that was outlawed from the beginning under the laws of animalism. As the years pass, the pigs start to become more and more like humans, walking on their hind legs, wearing clothing and sleeping in the farm house. The name of the farm is changed back to Manor Farm, and the book ends with the rest of the animals being unable to distinguish man from pig.

For me, the best aspect of this book is the fact that every single character involved is engaging, and the various arcs in the storyline are, as previously mentioned, completely compelling. I know for a fact that in a couple of months time, I will surely read this book again, and again. Always interesting, never boring, completely vital. But you all know this already, as you've read it before.