Rating: 
Summary: Sadly a disappointment
Review: Perhaps it is dated. Perhaps it was just built up too much. But this is yet another book that came highly recommended, both by other 'day-to-day' readers and critics alike, that i just could not enjoy.Bradbury's tale of a world where books is banned has a powerful and interesting premise. But it does not seem to follow through for me. Which is a shame - here is a book that is about the importance of books in our lives, but it is so boring that rather than 'get something' out of it, you just come away thinking how boring it is. Or at least i did.
Rating: 
Summary: Frightening......and beautifully written
Review: This short book has been around for over forty years and I'll bet it will be around for at least another hundred because the truth of its message is a constant reminder of the value of books and priceless-ness of freedom of speech. Ray Bradbury takes a simple scenario....what would the future look like if "real" media were the only allowed form of information, and books, especially fiction, was outlawed. At first blush, there would be a few who might say, "well we don't read that much now...we get most of our information from tv, our entertainment from movies, or our computers." But it's more than that if you really stop to consider that when you choose to pick up a book of YOUR choosing your are excercising not only a basic intellectual freedom, you are also exerting your privacy, your right to choose how you'll spend your time, and how you'll choose to look at the world. Bradbury considers all of these things and the choices one man decided to make as a consequence. What was so exciting for me was to be able to contemplate these ideas within the context of a story told with beautiful language and images and a story that will grab you until the very end. I know this book is one of those that gets assigned in high school and then never sees the light of day afterward......well, as an ancient 40-year-old, I think that's a shame. It's a great read no matter what your age. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: A Great Book 2 Read
Review: Did you notice that nowadays writers and filmmakers tend to make no difference between Horror and Science-Fiction? ... Real Science-Fiction plays not only in the future but in a society very different from ours and with people who have habits and a mentality which also are different from ours. Fahrenheit 451 is a very good example of that. Fahrenheit 451 is the temperature that makes books burn and this is the problem we are dealing with (and no longer in the far future I'm afraid). Guy Montag is the hero of the novel. He's a fireman who burns books that are in people's houses, usually because someone denounced them at the police. It's forbidden to read books because they make you think and therefore make you unhappy. (Clothes have only zippers and no buttons; buttons take to much time so you start thinking and once again this makes you unhappy.) But Montag is a lonely person who has no contact with his wife; she only watches TV from dawn till dusk. The irony is that all the measures, which are taken by the government to protect people from being unhappy only, make them more unhappy than before. As the story unfolds, Guy Montag starts wondering what books are all about and he starts meeting people who read books (without notifying his superiors). The novel ends in a peculiar way.
I said in the beginning that the problem is maybe no longer in the far future: a psychologist I know once said that all books ought to have a happy ending. I never asked her what would become of the books that don't have a happy ending because I'm afraid what she might answer.
Rating: 
Summary: I liked this book a lot
Review: This Book is very cool. I liked it a lot, because of it's seeming reality to real life. The reason this book is so freaky is that it's slowly coming true. I really liked the way it ended, also the way you struggled with Guy Montag(the hero) as he struggled with himself. This book is really cool.
Rating:
Summary: More relevent today than it was 40 years ago
Review: While 1984 has been imbedded in popular culture to the point where the 10 people who watch big brother don't know where the name comes from. Bradbury predicts political correctness 40 years before it was created and public apathy to war. In these days of Weakest Link and Cliff Notes, this should be required reading.
Rating:
Summary: 'Books ought to have a happy ending!'.
Review: Did you notice that nowadays writers and filmmakers tend to make no difference between Horror and Science-Fiction? 'Alien' is not SF but Horror, a very good horror-movie but not really SF. Real Science-Fiction plays not only in the future but in a society very different from ours and with people who have habits and a mentality which also are different from ours. Fahrenheit 451 is a very good example of that. Fahrenheit 451 is the temperature that makes books burn and this is the problem we are dealing with (and no longer in the far future I'm afraid). Guy Montag is the hero of the novel. He's a fireman who burns books that are in peoples houses, usually because someone denounced them at the police. It's forbidden to read books because they make you think and therefore make you unhappy. (Clothes have only zippers and no buttons; buttons take to much time so you start thinking and once again this makes you unhappy.) But Montag is a lonely person who has no contact with his wife; she only watches TV from dawn till dusk. The irony is that all the measures which are taken by the government to protect people from being unhappy only make them more unhappy than before. As the story unfolds, Guy Montag starts wondering what books are all about and he starts meeting people who read books (without notifying his superiors). The novel ends in a peculiar way.
A psychologist I know once said that all books ought to have a happy ending. I never asked her what would become of the books that don't have a happy ending because I'm afraid what she might answer.
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely (unfortunately) true
Review: This book is so frightening and powerful at the same time I have a hard time not asking some people if they've ever read it. Even today so much of this book rings true it's downright nightmarish to think how long ago it was written. Anyone looking for a frightening peice of satire need only read Beaty's speech while Who Wants To Be A Millionare is screaming away in the background. If this book doesn't make you want to sell your TV then nothing will.
Rating:
Summary: Very Disturbing
Review: Before I read Fahrenheit 451, our reading teacher, MR. FLEMING THE COOL, instructed us to read Ray Bradbury's "The Pedestrian", which can be found in "THE GIVER AND RELATED READINGS". Fahrenheit 451 takes place in a future where they burn books. Guy Montag, a Firemen, enjoys his job and the pleasure of burning pages. He meets young Clarisse McClellan, a girl who changes his view of the world and of books. He begins to think and brood. He starts to question why the Firemen burn books and what secrets lie hidden in them. Thus is the bare beginnings of one of the greatest books in modern literature. There are a cast of powerful secondary characters: Beatty, the cynical Fire Captain who tries to stifle Montag's curiosity; Faber, a Professor who sides with Montag in his crusade; and Granger, the leader of a camp of refugees of society. Also Recommended for anyone who likes this book: The Giver
The Man Who Was Thursday Read all three of the mentioned books!
Rating:
Summary: A thinker's treasure, but not for the shallow of mind
Review: We all hold some novels so close to our hearts that we cannot view them dispassionately. For me, one such treasure is Fahrenheit 451. This is the novel that first awakened me to the possibility that science fiction could be about more than just action heroes, quick thrills and mindless drivel: that at its best, it honours a unique literary duty, allowing us to glimpse horrific futures that may actually come to pass if we leave the path of wisdom. Fahrenheit 451 is one of the finest examples of that sub genre of science fiction called dystopian fiction. Every science fiction writer of note has drawn from this well, but few as successfully as Bradbury. The only other authors to realise equal successes are Orwell with 1984 and Huxley with Brave New World. Some would add Gibson and Dick, but theirs are derivative works of a later generation. Of all such works, Bradbury's is the most accessible. At his centre, Bradbury is an optimist while the others are not. Consequently, Fahrenheit 451 holds out the light of hope when the others leave us despairing. This book operates on countless levels. It can be read as a futuristic fable, a psychological drama, or a social commentary. It is a rich character study; a pounding plot-driven quest; an overwhelming thematic work, or a setting of sterile horror. In actuality, it is all of this and more. Rarely does one happen upon a work in which the parts fit together so exquisitely, and for this reason alone, it deserves its reputation as one of the greatest works in the genre. But it is the characters that make this book come alive. When the protagonist experiences the emptiness of a hollow life, the anguish of guilt, the glimmerings of a real love, the terror of blind panic or the despair of pursuit, it is as if these things are happening to us. Bradbury's skill transforms science fiction into literature. This is not a book for juvenile minds. While it is written in tight, almost Spartan prose, and reads like a children's novel, it is actually a highly philosophical work. In some ways palpable, but in more ways subtle, it focuses an unflinching light on those ugly aspects of our nature that impel us towards superficiality and mental sloth. It is no wonder that shallow readers and idle thinkers find this book unrewarding and depressing; even vaguely insulting. More thoughtful readers will be disturbed, but that will only be to Bradbury's purpose. This work is really written for brave thinkers - those willing to confront unpleasantness and sweat for their rewards. Such readers, no matter what their age, will fall in love with this book. Bradbury exposes the failings of our natures with a perception and a depth of wisdom that few science fiction authors can reach. Most of all, his love for humanity shines through the darkness of his cautionary tale: and he has the literary courage to warn us against ourselves without the addition of artificial sweetener.
Rating:
Summary: Fahrenheit 451
Review: Fahrenheit 451 is a great book for any age. The story is about a man named Guy Montag which has a job as a fireman. The only thing that is different is that he sets books ablaze instead of putting out the fire. He meets this girl named Clariesse which tells him of a past when people put out fires and were not afraid. He later meets a man named Faber which teels him of a future and becomes a very important friend. He feels that he is not doing the right thing, so he has to do something about it! The book takes place in a big city in the future and has strange people around every corner. This book is an exciting, yet mysterious book and when you open it, you won't want to put it down.
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