Bloody Shambles

I feel like I need t preface this by saying that my rating system is not based so much on the objective quality of the book, (if there is such a thing), so much as my enjoyment of it. Is Orwell's world-building brilliant and well expressed? Absolutely. Is the quality of his writing superb? Undoubtedly. Is this book full of big, important ideas? Certainly. But did I love reading the book? Meh.I read the appendix on Newspeak first and by the time I had finished this, along with the first couple of chapters, I felt that I had understood the basics of Oceania's society. It was brilliantly conceived, and the ideas were conveyed so economically that I really felt that much of the rest of the book, particularly the chapters based on Goldstein's "Book" were unnecessary. The narrative wasn't all that exciting, and felt a little predictable, even to the character himself. It's not that I disliked the story, just that it didn't surprise or excite me very much. The real enjoyment of the book comes from the world-building. Once that part is complete, there's not a lot to get excited about.All that aside, the ideas are hugely important. It is such a very great shame that this book has been forever linked with the evils of socialism over capitalism. I think in modern capitalist societies, much of these elements can still be seen. I do feel that the last part of the book is less cohesive than the rest. And there is something that is not entirely clear to me... Why would The Party expend so much time and resources into converting people that will be erased from history the minute they truly believe, with nobody else the wiser? The only reason I can see for this is to convince people like O'Brien of the Inner Party that what they are doing is right, in a moral and spiritual sense. Is this really necessary to maintain order within The Inner Party? I'm not sure. Also, it seems at times as if O'Brien knows that what he is doing is "evil". Some of his speeches are classic villainous monologues. If he knew that though, the logic of his entire existence would have fallen apart. This is such an important book, perhaps the entertainment value shouldn't matter. But I can't honestly say "I loved it", so 3 stars is it for me.