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Julia: The Sunday Times Bestseller Hardcover – 19 Oct. 2023

by Sandra Newman (Author)

1,396 ratings

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A SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER

"a fascinating reflection on totalitarianism as refracted through Orwell's times and our own" The Guardian

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.

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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

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 ― Guardian

Newman does much more than update Nineteen Eighty-Four, she makes it seem essential reading all over again... exhilarating ― The Sunday Times

Newman is a powerful writer and particularly smart on the historical resonances... The violence is sickening, and meant to be. Newman never leaves you alone, never turns off the light, never gives it a rest until, strapped in our chair, we learn the meaning of HARDREAD... it's beautifully done ― The Times

Called simply Julia, Newman's novel is so ingenious, sensitive to the original, and above all witty that one can imagine Orwell thoroughly enjoying it ― Daily Telegraph

A vibrant, full-blooded book that adheres to the spirit of the original while tearing elements of it - namely the character of Winston Smith - to pieces... What is so wonderful about this is not just its depiction of Julia as even cleverer than you might imagine, but also its rich understanding of what Orwell meant about society's three strata locked in an endless battle for supremacy ― I Paper

Dazzlingly clever ― I Newspaper

Excellent... Bold, eloquent, and often drawn to the psychologically unsettling, Newman is a worthy recipient of the iconic 1984 baton ― Big Issue

[A] gripping read ― Literary Review

Delicious and provocative ― The Gloss

In Julia, the American novelist Sandra Newman courageously takes on George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four, by mirroring the tale through the eyes of Winston Smith's lover. Spoiler alert: she succeeds, brilliantly... This is truly a book about being in the body of a woman. Julia is a fascinating, violent novel... Newman accomplishes the challenge she set herself - and then some ― Daily Telegraph

Wholly engaging in its own right yet also a reminder of Orwell's genius and the real-world chill that cut through his horrifying dystopia... Immersive... Newman writes with great verve; her descriptions have the kind of energy and freshness needed for a successful retelling... Newman succeeds in giving voice to all these women, but her chief success is undoubtedly her reimagining of Julia herself, no longer just a pawn, a woman betrayed, now a fully realised force to be reckoned with, a woman living by her wits in a treacherously choppy world, hoping to stay afloat ― Irish Times

Newman turns Orwell's classic vision of the future inside out, and readers will find themselves gripped and surprised by what happens when the object of Winston Smith's gaze looks back, and retells their journey into love and resistance... Intimate and compromised relationships become the beating heart of the novel, and demonstrate how women's lives under this totalitarian state inevitably differ from men's at every point... As she maps out this new territory, Newman forges a work that has its own emotional logic, and a character with her own vivid life ― Guardian

A timely reminder of how easily the language of hate can be manufactured and manipulated... it's also sometimes darkly funny ― Daily Mail

Punchy... Vivid, even ugly, the novel's energy relies on making explicit the violence that Orwell only implied - a risky strategy that pays dividends. There's a killer twist, too ― Mail on Sunday

Julia is a devastating read... Newman is so virtuosic, this book won't let you put it down ― New Scientist

For all its totalitarian grimness and spite, most people were thrilled by 1984. What a shame Orwell couldn't do another one. It has taken 74 years for someone to attempt to fill that void, and Julia is of a vivacity that would have caused the Ministry of Truth's fiction machines to throw a crankshaft ... It may have taken three quarters of a century, but 1985 has arrived at last ― Strong Words

A richly envisaged, frightening dystopia, wholly alive to Orwell's text, which acts as both a mirror to 1984 and stands alone as an original and deeply fascinating feminist work... In Julia, Newman has delivered a novel that even the Party would recognise as Doubleplusgood ― Financial Times

Nineteen Eighty-Four remains a totemic piece of political literature, but Julia offers contemporary readers new ways of thinking about Orwell's novel while ingeniously constructing its own, fully realised, world ― The Conversation

Newman hasn't proved herself a worthy successor to Orwell; she's outclassed him, both in knowledge of human nature and in character development. Julia should be the new required text on those high-school curricula, a stunning look into what happens when a person of strength faces the worst in humanity, as well as a perfect specimen of derivative art that, in standing on another's shoulders, can reach a higher plane ― LA Times

Subversive... A thoughtful exploration of a clever woman's survival within an unimaginably cruel bureaucracy... And her ending - oh, if we could only talk about the ending! ― Washington Post

Buzzy ― Daily Telegraph

Book Description

Julia is a bold feminist retelling of Nineteen Eighty-Four that goes beyond Winston Smith's story to finally reveal what life in Oceania was like for women

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Granta Books (19 Oct. 2023)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 400 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1783789158
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1783789153
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 15.3 x 2.8 x 23.4 cm

Best Sellers Rank: 145,628 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- 94 in Dystopian
- 456 in Women's Literary Fiction (Books)
- 1,072 in Literary Fiction (Books)

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1,396 ratings

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Sandra Newman

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Sandra Newman is co-author of How Not To Write A Novel. She is the author of the novels The Only Good Thing Anyone Has Ever Done and Cake, as well as the forthcoming memoir Changeling. She has taught writing and literature at Temple University, Chapman University, and the University of Colorado, and has published fiction and non-fiction in Harper’s, Granta, and London’s Observer, Telegraph, and Mail on Sunday newspapers, among other journals and newspapers.

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Customers say

Customers find this book to be a well-written piece of fan fiction with a decently fleshed-out back story that compliments the original 1984 story well. They appreciate its clever construction and pacing, with one customer noting how it successfully adds to an already complete masterpiece. They like the book's readability and personality, with one review highlighting how it gives Julia a 3-D personality.

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19 customers mention ‘Readability’19 positive0 negative

Customers find the book to be an amazing and well-written piece of fan fiction.

"...wider, seen as prophetic by some, a warning by others and a damned good read by pretty much everyone who's read it, but due to the inclusion of, in..." Read more

"...And it’s very good. I recommend it, with a few reservations. Julia is a good extrapolation from and development of Orwell’s classic...." Read more

"...The book acts as a thought experiment, pulling readers into the extreme world of a totalitarian society...." Read more

"...I highly recommend the book, despite my reservations at the start of this review - particularly for anyone who is familiar with Orwell's '1984'." Read more

9 customers mention ‘Writing style’9 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the writing style of the book, describing it as cleverly written and well-constructed.

"...I'd most definitely recommend this as a readable encounter, likely to become a classic in its own right, sold and read along side 1984 as a well..." Read more

"...that this ‘mirroring’ on Ms Newman’s part is accurate, clever and well done...." Read more

"...Newman's skillful storytelling, through plot, dialogue, and writing style, vividly transports readers into this chilling world, making us realize..." Read more

"...Despite that, it was very cleverly constructed around the events in Orwell's 1984, and did a really good job of filling in the blanks..." Read more

4 customers mention ‘Pacing’4 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the pacing of the book, finding it clever and well-paced, with one customer noting it successfully adds to an already complete masterpiece.

"...is a shame as I genuinely think that it has successfully added to an already complete masterpiece, without detracting from the original...." Read more

"...I recommend it, with a few reservations. Julia is a good extrapolation from and development of Orwell’s classic...." Read more

"...for seeking the relationship with Winston, and does a really good job of world-building as well...." Read more

"1984 is my favourite book of all time and this is a great companion piece to is" Read more

3 customers mention ‘Personality’3 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate Julia's personality in the book, with one review noting how it gives her a three-dimensional character, while another mentions how it provides an interesting background.

"...in the blanks (the bits that Winston didn't know), and giving Julia a 3-D personality...." Read more

"...It gives an interesting background for Julia and reveals some of her possible motivations for her actions...." Read more

"...characters but Newman brings Julia to vivid life as a living, breathing protagonist...." Read more

19 customers mention ‘Storytelling’13 positive6 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the storytelling in the book, with some appreciating the decently fleshed-out back story and how it complements the original 1984 story, while others find the ending predictably ambiguous.

"...of Julia's part and the role that she played, filling in the gaps in the original story that you didn't realise were gaps that needed filling...." Read more

"...Newman's skillful storytelling, through plot, dialogue, and writing style, vividly transports readers into this chilling world, making us realize..." Read more

"...As a standalone novel it's fine - there's a good story and you want to find out was happens in the end...." Read more

"...on a bit too long, was a little improbable in places, and the ending was trite and rather predictable...." Read more

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Mike
I definitely think that Orwell would approve.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 18 July 2024
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POSSIBLE SPOILERS, I'll try not give too much away.

Basically, 1984 from an alternative point of view.

Ok, so,despite the fact that this book was written over 70 years after the book that inspired it, by someone with an entirely different lived experience than the original author, I was surprised and impressed with how close to the original style this book was written.

Running loosely parallel to the original, it gave a very clear picture of Julia's part and the role that she played, filling in the gaps in the original story that you didn't realise were gaps that needed filling.

Some assumptions from the Orwell book were affirmed whilst others totally turned on their heads, questioning things I assumed I knew or took for granted and made me think in other directions.

The final section was a total departure from the original and had no similar reference points to be guided by, but it still remained true to the style and left one with the feeling that it could be the start of "Ave Bossa nova, similis bossa seneca!", here comes the new boss, same as the old boss.

1984 is called a modern literary classic and quite rightly so, read and taught throughout the free, English speaking world, possibly wider, seen as prophetic by some, a warning by others and a damned good read by pretty much everyone who's read it, but due to the inclusion of, in my mind, unnecessary sexual profanity in Julia, it's unlikely to be taught as part of any secondary or high school curriculum, unless they have abridged versions, which would be ironic, which is a shame as I genuinely think that it has successfully added to an already complete masterpiece, without detracting from the original.

I'd most definitely recommend this as a readable encounter, likely to become a classic in its own right, sold and read along side 1984 as a well deserved pairing.

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Mike

I definitely think that Orwell would approve.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 18 July 2024
POSSIBLE SPOILERS, I'll try not give too much away.

Basically, 1984 from an alternative point of view.

Ok, so,despite the fact that this book was written over 70 years after the book that inspired it, by someone with an entirely different lived experience than the original author, I was surprised and impressed with how close to the original style this book was written.

Running loosely parallel to the original, it gave a very clear picture of Julia's part and the role that she played, filling in the gaps in the original story that you didn't realise were gaps that needed filling.

Some assumptions from the Orwell book were affirmed whilst others totally turned on their heads, questioning things I assumed I knew or took for granted and made me think in other directions.

The final section was a total departure from the original and had no similar reference points to be guided by, but it still remained true to the style and left one with the feeling that it could be the start of "Ave Bossa nova, similis bossa seneca!", here comes the new boss, same as the old boss.

1984 is called a modern literary classic and quite rightly so, read and taught throughout the free, English speaking world, possibly wider, seen as prophetic by some, a warning by others and a damned good read by pretty much everyone who's read it, but due to the inclusion of, in my mind, unnecessary sexual profanity in Julia, it's unlikely to be taught as part of any secondary or high school curriculum, unless they have abridged versions, which would be ironic, which is a shame as I genuinely think that it has successfully added to an already complete masterpiece, without detracting from the original.

I'd most definitely recommend this as a readable encounter, likely to become a classic in its own right, sold and read along side 1984 as a well deserved pairing.

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CBS
Re-Working of Orwell’s 1984 is Mostly Successful
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 18 February 2024
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Julia, by Sandra Newman, is a re-working of 1984, George Orwell’s classic dystopian novel of a totalitarian future, written in 1948-9. The eponymous Julia (Worthing) is the female ‘love interest’ of the central character of 1984, Winston Smith. In 1984, Julia’s character and role are really only a cipher, very much secondary to the principal male character. This bias was typical of the 1940s; Ms Newman’s book seeks to correct it, with a treatment of the subject matter from Julia’s female, sometimes feminist, point of view.

And it’s very good. I recommend it, with a few reservations. Julia is a good extrapolation from and development of Orwell’s classic. Airstrip One – London and England’s south-east – is part of Oceania, a vast territory that seems to stretch from the Shetland Islands to Argentina. The regime, of the “Socialist” party led by Big Brother, that governs Oceania is nasty and perverse in all its manifestations. With the original 1984, we were introduced to Newspeak, doublethink, unpersons, doubleplusgood, Two Minutes Hate, Big Brother and so on. It’s all now part of mainstream Anglophone culture. Julia extends Newspeak and the details of the society in which the Outer Party members are forced to live. There is much more overt sex, obscenity and promiscuity than in 1984. The depiction of a whole range of new perversities is clever and in keeping with the 1984 original. But, for me, it goes on and on a bit too much: all the new manifestations of nastiness become too much of a good (?) thing and start to drag. Several chapters in the middle of Julia are just too long, and don’t add all that much to the story. Also, I think the two concluding chapters could be dropped altogether. These taken together, the book could be shortened from its current 384 (hardcover) pages to fewer than 300 and would benefit from the ‘tightening’.

As will be the case with many readers of Julia, I have read 1984, but it was many years ago and I did not re-read it before embarking on Ms Newman’s work. Maybe it would be better if I had – just to remind myself of some of the events and passages of conversation from 1984 that are ‘mirrored’ in Julia. But I can still verify that this ‘mirroring’ on Ms Newman’s part is accurate, clever and well done. We really are seeing the same Winston Smith 1984 tale through the eyes of Julia.

We first get a re-introduction, from Julia Worthing’s PoV, to Airstrip One and SAZ (Semi-Autonomous Zone) 5 life. SAZs are country areas adjoining Airstrip One. We again encounter BB, Emmanuel Goldstein and O’Brien. We see Julia’s squalid daily life and her friend Vicky’s lesbian crush on Julia. Vicky’s “I love you” note is the one Julia eventually passes on to Winston Smith. We see the female dormitory, the pecking order of the occupants currently in favour; Vicky and Whitehead and their baby; Vicky’s crush on Julia. We learn a lot about Julia’s childhood and SAZ background and the rise in the 1970s of the Party and the new “Socialist” order. We see smuggling and contraband, and trading (for survival) between Outer Party members (“politicals”) and the “proles”. Julia’s first brush with Winston Smith is at the Weeks (Charrington’s to Winston Smith) shop in a prole area. After initial dislike, Julia has surreptitious contact with Winston, relaying Vicky’s ILY note to avoid possible self-incrimination. The first of many trysts with Winston duly happens, furtively. Winston is in love, Julia less so; she is hardened and sexually experienced, not soft or sentimental. Winston is clear-eyed about one thing: they are doomed and must just live for the present.

A summons from O’Brien, an Inner Party member, arrives. Julia and Winston visit the Inner Party District and O’Brien, witnessing unimaginable cleanliness and luxury. It’s a game of psychological cat and mouse; you know that the pair are doomed. Julia asks O’Brien: “what is hate?” in the way normal people might ask ‘what is love?’. She resolves to learn to Hate properly, becoming in the process a betrayer of everyone she knows, including Winston.

Julia and Winston use a room in the Weeks shop for clandestine lovemaking sessions. A disguised telescreen in the bedroom sees and hears everything. “Truth is Hate. Plenty is Hate. Peace is Hate. Love is Hate.” “Hate is the highest capacity of mankind. “ “Hate is goodness in operation. “. Julia is used to entrap Winston Smith and her other acquaintances Parsons and Ampleforth. Julia suffers mortal guilt in respect of Winston, for whom she has real feelings — but the guilt is outweighed by the “hate is good” brainwashing.

Winston Smith is convinced he has a tacit alliance with O’Brien and the anti-Party Brotherhood organisation of which he believes O’Brien to be a leader. He and Julia again meet O’Brien at Inner Party HQ. Winston grows even more certain of the existence of O’Brien’s Brotherhood alliance. Julia is setting him up to crash.

Julia is made pregnant by artsem – the Party-sponsored state artificial insemination programme. Party sexism, and an expectation of female subservience to men, are rampant. As in 1984, Julia and Winston Smith are brutally captured (“you are the dead”); they are subjected (“in Love”, the secret-police department) to a horrifying regime of physical and mental torture. Both of them are broken, physically and mentally. The Party has succeeded in subverting and destroying every decent impulse between them of human affection and love.

The still-pregnant Julia is released, into a condition of unpersonhood – institutionalised ostracism. She meets Winston Smith but the relationship is destroyed. Julia realises she has learnt to Hate…. in a signal victory for her, she knows now that that hate is for Big Brother – “she hated Big Brother”. Given that 1984 ends with Winston finding that he loves Big Brother, it would have been suitable – triumphant, even – and symmetrical if Julia had ended there.

But it doesn’t. We get two more rather off-the-wall chapters that give an alternative, comparatively benign, ending. I’ll avoid spoilers… but, in my view, Ms Newman should have stopped with Julia’s triumph.

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Rui
A Gripping Tale of Humanity’s Spiral
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 17 December 2023
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In Sandra Newman's novel Julia, the story kicks off in a world that feels a lot like the intense society portrayed in The Hunger Games. The author vividly describes a place where shocking acts, such as people resorting to cannibalism out of desperation, kids turning into spy-like figures betraying their own families, and the unfair treatment of women, form the basis of a controlling regime. These events sadly echo real historical instances worldwide and, even more disturbingly, linger in some parts of the world today.

The second part of the story dives into how humanity gradually slips away as individuals become mindless followers of the ruling regime. Scenes like heartlessly discarding infants' mutilated hands show how tolerating brutality can lead to accepting and even finding it amusing. The story boldly suggests that when society sees horror as normal, humanity loses its essence.

Despite enduring many challenges and revolutions, society sadly falls into a never-ending loop of authoritarian politics. The book acts as a thought experiment, pulling readers into the extreme world of a totalitarian society. Newman's skillful storytelling, through plot, dialogue, and writing style, vividly transports readers into this chilling world, making us realize that the real horror isn't just the bloodshed but thinking such atrocities are normal and unavoidable.

Julia is a captivating, well-crafted piece that draws readers into a narrative both believable and disturbing. Newman's storytelling prowess shines, creating an experience that lingers long after the final page. The book serves as a chilling exploration of the dangers of totalitarianism and the gradual fading of the human spirit. People are shaped by where they grow up. In a world full of truth, goodness, and beauty, individuals flourish into diverse, beautiful beings. On the flip side, in a world of lies, evil, and ugliness, they transform into monstrous entities.

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Furkan Sengoz
Great book
Reviewed in Germany on 17 March 2024
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I enjoy it so much when I am reading.

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Meritxell Fa
Precioso
Reviewed in Spain on 21 June 2024
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Fue un regalo pero ya tengo ganas de comprarmelo para mi. Muy buena calidad y envio rapido.

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A. Reynolds
Fascinatingly Unsettling
Reviewed in Canada on 12 March 2025
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'Julia', in the original Orwellian form, is a character that we don't learn much of, even as she appears to be central to the story of Winston's re-education. I like that Sandra Newman has made a concerted effort to flesh out Julia's character, while staying firmly within the Orwellian universe - no new characters from the Party are introduced, for example - yet at the same time I found myself wondering whether Orwell's Julia would have behaved in the same way. I'll spare you the dénouement of Julia's involvement with the Party, even though it was not entirely unsurprising, and say that it was predictable within a 'feminist' context and what's known of female socio-biological behaviour.

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Sam Rosenthal
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. No spoilers in this review.
Reviewed in the United States on 3 February 2024
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In JULIA we revisit the setting and events of George Orwell’s 1984, viewed from Julia’s perspective. As the Washington Post’s reviewer wrote, “The world Julia describes is entirely familiar but subtly altered from the one Winston experiences.” Thus, the story is recast in a new light through Julia’s eyes. Newman does an amazing job of recontextualizing the original events in a plausible way, weaving a more complex story between the unalterable plot points Orwell set up. Authorized by the Orwell estate, this book takes a number of surprising turns, and yet regularly returns to the interactions and dialog Orwell created for Winston and Julia. It’s an impressive feat.

Newman’s style and pacing is obviously different from Orwell’s, she is not trying to copy his tone. It’s not fussy, nor overloaded with philosophical arguments against the Party’s inhumanity. She creates a complimentary tale that provides a wider perspective of Airstrip One.

I reread 1984 the week before reading JULIA; part of the fun here is seeing how Newman’s plot overlays the original. First you are awed by Orwell conception, then by how Newman revisits it.

In 1984, Winston was obsessed with the language of Newspeak, and the politics of Ingsoc. 1984 was a very political and philosophical work, while Julia never cared much for the politics. 1984 even tells us this with the line, “In some ways she was far more acute than Winston, and far less susceptible to Party propaganda.” (part 2 chapter 5.) She would fall asleep when Winston went on a polemic, such as when he read the long passage from Goldstein’s book in bed. In the original, Julia was mostly a prop for Winston to talk at and have urges for. Orwell left a lot of ground to be explored. It makes for an interesting expansion of the tale, showing Oceania from a new perspective; Julia is not Winston who over-intellectualized Ingsoc, the Truth and the revolution he hoped for. Ultimately, Julia is a person just trying to get by and survive. Unlike Orwell’s Winston, she is not written as a construct to make an intellectual argument against fascism.

Thus, the story feels much more real.

One reviewer says, “Julia's story only intersects with 1984 a little.” Which I disagree with. I didn’t check line by line, but it seems all of Winston and Julia’s dialog from the original book is replayed here, the difference is we understand Julia’s motivation, her back story and the larger context within her life events.

A reviewer says JULIA is not as dark and oppressive as Orwell’s 1984. That is probably true. I would suggest that’s because Julia is younger than Winston, she doesn’t know a world before Ingsoc, she has nothing to compare 1984 to. She’s just trying to survive, avoid the authorities, and do some sexcrime.

I’m going to speculate on something here. When Orwell wrote 1984 in 1948/49, he wasn’t living in a police state-like environment with constant surveillance. From a writer’s perspective, Newman lives in a world slowly slipping into totalitarianism. We have spying from ubiquitous surveillance cameras, phones which know everything we do and are ready to report it to the government, and Amazon & Google monitoring our every search, purchase and thought. America is a bit more like Brave New World, in that we are sedating ourselves with stuff. Yet we still inevitably swallow political lies, the gaslighting, the contradictory propaganda (the civil war wasn’t about slavery, the president is allowed to kill his opponents.) Our society today is more like Oceania than England in the late 40s was like Oceania. Newman’s real world experience probably informs her perspective on a character having to live with day-to-day encroachments on liberty. Orwell was writing a fantasy / warning. Newman is writing from our experience.

In the end, we’re just trying to find some decent bread and chocolate.

Another reviewer says, “(JULIA) unfortunately undercuts Orwell's original message and lessens the original book.” Which, in my mind, is impossible. Orwell’s book is a classic. A new telling doesn’t reduce the power of the original. 1984 remains an amazing piece of writing. JULIA complements it.

JULIA is well conceived and goes deeper into the world of Airstrip One. Its narrative goes much wider than 1984, with a cinematic storyline that paints an encompassing picture of Orwell’s frightening world. It’s worth your time.

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Stefano Federici
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Reviewed in Italy on 30 June 2024
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Inizio abbastanza piatto. Da verso la metà in poi la storia cresce e verso la fine aspetti un colpo di scena che invece non arriva. Finale inutile.

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Julia: The Sunday Times Bestseller Hardcover – 19 Oct. 2023

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5.0 out of 5 stars I definitely think that Orwell would approve.

I definitely think that Orwell would approve.

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4.0 out of 5 stars Re-Working of Orwell’s 1984 is Mostly Successful

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I definitely think that Orwell would approve.

Re-Working of Orwell’s 1984 is Mostly Successful

A Gripping Tale of Humanity’s Spiral

Great book

Precioso

Fascinatingly Unsettling

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. No spoilers in this review.

Piatto