LoveReading Says
Sanctioned by the estate of George Orwell, Sandra Newman’s Julia sees 1984 freshly reimagined through a feminist lens, through the eyes of 26-year-old Julia, a mechanic who’s responsible for repairing novel-writing machines in the Ministry of Truth’s Fiction Department. Voyaging deep into lesser-explored aspects of Oceania, it’s an electrifying triumph that melds the vision and spirit of Orwell’s original with renewed relevance.
At home, after a day at work that saw her notice Winston Smith’s “open quiescent” face, for some reason, Julia’s female hostel-mates discuss “the Party’s preferred method for its members to have babies”. Namely, artsem (artificial insemination). While sex outside marriage had always been criminal, “now even marriage was regarded suspiciously as a source of divided loyalties…It was also how unmarried girls covered up for sexcrime when they got pregnant.” Then she finds a note in the locker.
“I LOVE YOU” it reads, which sends her into a panic as to who wrote it, and then comes the discovery of an “unbirth” in the hostel’s toilet.
Julia’s 1984 journey story sees her become further intrigued by Winston. A woman who’s worked out how to survive within the restrictions and constant surveillance of the regime, she has greater urgency than Orwell’s Winston, and she knows how fatal her act of handing him a note might be.
Remarkably, Julia succeeds at supplementing and enhancing the iconic original in unexpected ways. It’s a bold, brutal, brave work.
Reviewed by Joanne OwenJoanne Owen’s lifelong love of reading and writing began when she was growing up in Pembrokeshire, and very much wished that witches (and Mrs Pepperpot) were real.
More reviews by Joanne Owen About Julia
London, chief city of Airstrip One, the third most populous province of Oceania. It's 1984 and Julia Worthing works as a mechanic fixing the novel-writing machines in the Fiction Department at the Ministry of Truth. Under the ideology of IngSoc and the rule of the Party and its leader Big Brother, Julia is a model citizen - cheerfully cynical, believing in nothing and caring not at all about politics.
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Julia Synopsis
London, chief city of Airstrip One, the third most populous province of Oceania. It's 1984 and Julia Worthing works as a mechanic fixing the novel-writing machines in the Fiction Department at the Ministry of Truth. Under the ideology of IngSoc and the rule of the Party and its leader Big Brother, Julia is a model citizen - cheerfully cynical, believing in nothing and caring not at all about politics.
She knows how to survive in a world of constant surveillance, Thought Police, Newspeak, Doublethink, child spies and the black markets of the prole neighbourhoods. She's very good at staying alive.
But Julia becomes intrigued by a colleague from the Records Department - a mid-level worker of the Outer Party called Winston Smith, she comes to realise that she's losing her grip and can no longer safely navigate her world.
Seventy-five years after Orwell finished writing his iconic novel, Sandra Newman has tackled the world of Big Brother in a truly convincing way, offering a dramatically different, feminist narrative that is true to and stands alongside the original. For the millions of readers who have been brought up with Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four, here, finally, is a provocative, vital and utterly satisfying companion novel.
About This Edition
| ISBN: |
9781783789153 |
| Publication date: |
19th October 2023 |
| Author: |
Sandra Newman |
| Publisher: |
Granta Books |
| Format: |
Hardback |
| Pagination: |
388 pages |
| Primary Genre |
Dystopian and utopian fiction
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| Other Genres: |
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| Recommendations: |
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Sandra Newman Press Reviews
This extraordinary novel is like a newly discovered room in your house, in a dream - the illusion is so precise, the execution so masterful, that you think it must have been there all along, just waiting for you to find it. Sandra Newman has succeeded wildly at the impossible task she was given; JULIA should surprise and delight not only devotees of Orwell's classic, but fans of Newman's own daring, disquieting, and emotionally affecting oeuvre -- J. Robert Lennon
A powerful feat of imagination and empathy which breathes new life into Orwell's nightmare -- Dorian Lynskey, author of The Ministry of Truth: A Biography of George Orwell's 1984
In Julia, Sandra Newman opens out the world of Nineteen Eighty-Four by looking at that novel's events from a female point of view. From Julia's life in a women's dormitory through her affair with Winston Smith and torture by the Thought Police, on to a meeting with Big Brother himself, it's a fascinating reflection on totalitarianism as refracted through Orwell's times and our own -- What to read this autumn: 2023’s biggest new books - The Guardian
Julia offers a female character with a rich inner life... A twisty ending in keeping with the original makes this an enjoyable read even to those unfamiliar with Nineteen Eighty-Four - Economist
Newman seems uniquely qualified to update Orwell's anti-fascist cri du cour... All the familiar lineaments are here-Airstrip One, Oceania, Big Brother, Newspeak, the Ministries of Truth and Love, the dreaded Room 101, the rats (oy, the rats), as well as every character, many of them revised in clever ways... Adding a major plot twist, a nice shot of (somewhat cynical) hope, and more graphic sex should win over even purists - Kirkus
A provocative, feminist retelling... Julia's narrative voice is refreshingly fearless as she navigates her way around the Party's nefarious thought policing, and a wicked plot twist spins the original narrative on its ear. Newman adds a fresh coat of menacing grey to Orwell's gloomy world - Publishers Weekly
This brilliant novel is about as ambitious as you can get... The novel closely follows the original story, but also expands on it, opening up new corners of the world to make it even darker, more vividly real... This is not a rewriting of Nineteen Eighty-Four; it's a faithful, respectful retelling of a familiar story from a fresh new angle. Wonderful - Booklist
About Sandra Newman
Sandra Newman was born in America but also lived in England for 20 years. Her professions have ranged from academia to professional gambling. Her first novel, The Only Good Thing Anyone Has Ever Done, was shortlisted for the Guardian First Book Award. Her second novel, Cake, was published in 2007, and her memoir, Changeling, in 2010. She co-wrote How NOT to Write a Novel, an irreverent how-to guide. In 2012 she wrote The Western Lit Survival Kit: How to Read the Classics Without Fear. She lives in New York.
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