So I finally got around to reading this. Well listening to it, but same thing.

The first 2/3 or so was excellent. I can see why this book as stuck through peoples' minds and so much of it has entered the public lexicon. (Big Brother is watching you! Thought crimes. Thought police.)

The vision was tremendous. One could replace Big Brother with Bush Administration, Patriot Act, and Fox News and it's applicable to present day. The characters were only mildly interesting (perforce as the idea was the humanity was forced out of them) but the situation they were in made for some terrific tension.

Then the book lapsed into a torture thing that I knew was coming. It went on and on with no apparent purpose. Then there was a long dissertation of party policy and Orwell seemed to be using the book as a political platform. That's not a bad thing, but it went on waaay too long.

In the end, our hero fails and this is becomes a tragedy. Hopefully I'm not spoiling this for anyone but it's no surprise, really. I was expecting something a little more interesting in the ending but it goes out with a whimper.