I was so looking forward to this retelling of 1984 from Julia's point of view and this book did not disappoint! It was immersive, dark, ominous, layered and honestly quite riveting. Julia is a complicated character in the original book but this version truly makes her a three-dimensional, fascinating character. This is an homage as well as a companion to Orwell's 1984. There is a deep satisfaction in reading the scenes here and thinking of the parallel moments in the original text and how the nuances of the main character define and contextualize the story. It retains every bit of its dark and ominous tone. A triumph in story telling and a worthy companion to the original. Kept my attention and I found it quite compelling.

my thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this digital ARC. My opinions are my own.

I happen to not teach 1984 (but someone in our math department does, which is really interesting), so I don't have the weight of having read the original over and over and having a kind of loyalty in any direction. I appreciate literary riffs and this one worked--it was enough of an exploration that it felt its own entity, worthy of its own study.

A somewhat retelling of 1984 that centers on Julia, the woman that essentially kicks off the plot in the original book.

I wanted to like this so much because I love 1984, but I just couldn't get into it. The writing that made Orwell's book so good just wasn't here, which took me away from it.

Thank you NetGalley for an opportunity to read this novel in exchange for an honest review!

Retellings can be amazing when well executed, and I believe this story is a great example of that. It has a dark and harrowing tone, much like the original 1984, but it also offers a female perspective on life in Big Brother's world, expanding upon the story. However, it includes some graphic details, so it is important to check for trigger warnings before diving in.

SEXCRIMES WITH THE TOTALITARIANS. That’s what I might have called the feminist retelling of George Orwell’s 1984, which this time focuses on the larger story of Julia, Winston Smith’s sexy mechanic paramour. Sandra Newman is at home peeling the contradictory threads of womanhood from patriarchy (see also: The Men), and here she boosts the unsung hero of 1984, starting by acknowledging outright the limited intellectual firepower of Winston, and broadening the novel’s lens to take in to the lives of Airstrip 1/Oceania’s “Future Now” women who carried babies for Big Brother, and then expected to be vaporized. O’Brien, the big bad in 1984’s Room 101, is revealed to be a mansplainer—a prisoner inside the Ministry of Love tells Julia that she was the one who came up with the catchphrase about a boot stamping eternally on a human face: “The man never had an original idea in his life.”—and Julia’s experiences go deeper than horror, love, and hate, extending to the distress of boredom, of revulsion, of pity. I can’t remember who said it, but doublethink: isn’t that what women have to do everyday?

I requested this book as background reading for a discussion we hosted on BookBrowse in late 2024. I thought the book excellent, as did most of those taking part in the discussion. We also reviewed it with 5-stars:
https://www.bookbrowse.com/mag/reviews/index.cfm/ref/it302592/julia#reviews

This unfortunately did not work for me. I read 1984 (for the first time) in preparation and found that Julia had nothing of the oppressive atmosphere that made 1984 such a mysterious book. I am also not sure that replacing the political with the personal is the message one wants to send when shifting the perspective from male to female. I found Julia a more interesting character in 1984 than in Julia.

I generally love books that explore classic and well-known novels from another character's perspective. When done well, they add to the original in a unique way to provide an interesting perspective. This one did not really do that for me. I had very high hopes when I heard about this but they just were not realized.

I didn’t love it as much as I was expecting. I appreciated julia feeling like more of a fully fleshed out character. I didn’t love the ending at all though and that knocked my rating down.

A really well-done take on the world of 1984, from (obviously) Julia's perspective. One thing that made this novel work for me was just how ordinary Julia was...she's a regular person who's grown up in this awful totalitarian world and she's making her way through this world as best she can. At the beginning of the novel she hasn't really spent too much time thinking about everything that's wrong with Airstrip One... she's learned that she has to be out for herself and her own survival (yes, she's burned a book or two), and that's what she's focused on. Many people have referred to this as a feminist retelling and while it is from a woman's perspective, I'm not sure it's so much a feminist retelling (like, say, Madeline Miller's Circe) as it is simply one woman's retelling of survival in Orwell's world. It's a worthwhile read, but very dark.

I loved how Newman cracked open the 1984 world with Julia's point of view. Such a great book! My review is posted here: https://www.postandcourier.com/features/julia-sandra-newman-orwell-1984/article_83772bac-c7a7-11ee-b282-43fb3e5bce7c.html

I hadn't read 1984 for a really long time when I picked this up so I think many of the elements that had others hung up because they don't vibe with Orwell's masterpiece were not an issue for me. This is 1984 told from the perspective of Julia who didn't really get her due in the original work. Same totalitarian nightmare occurring in both books but I felt much more immersed in the world of Oceania. The end was just as horrifying as I expected. Not sure everyone will love this one but I appreciated it.

A richly imagined feminist retelling of George Orwell's dystopian classic, 1984.
Upon its publication in 1949, George Orwell's 1984 became an instant classic. The terms he coined—Big Brother, thought police and newspeak, to name a few—are still in use today. Even the author's name has become an adjective; most equate the word "Orwellian" with constant surveillance under an autocratic system of government. So it was with a bit of skepticism that I approached Sandra Newman's novel Julia, a retelling of 1984 from the viewpoint of the protagonist's lover and partner in thoughtcrime. I doubted the author could bring anything new to such a literary masterpiece. I am pleased to report, however, that she succeeds completely in reimagining this well-known novel, bringing new depth to the world Orwell created.

In Newman's retelling, Julia is a mechanic responsible for keeping the equipment running at the Records Department of the Ministry of Truth. She thrives in this environment while never fully accepting the Party's propaganda; if anything, she ignores politics, participating in Party activities as required but never really giving the subject much thought. Although she largely abides by her society's rules, she still enjoys skirting them when she can, trading with proles for contraband and seducing men when possible. She becomes interested in Winston Smith, a writer at the Records Department, as another potential conquest, and she arranges to meet him for sex—an act that seals their respective fates.

Those familiar with 1984 will find many similarities in Julia—its bones are identical, right down to the dialogue. Newman's purpose differs from Orwell's, however; 1984 is a cautionary tale, a warning against the rise of totalitarianism, and as such it offers a stark portrait of a dystopian future. Julia relays a similar message, but sets it against a much richer backdrop, focusing less on the aspects of her society that most of us would find abhorrent and more on how one endures under such constraints. Moreover, the author shows us what women's lives are like in this world—a viewpoint completely omitted by Orwell. In Newman's imagining, for example, abortion is a crime, and one of the highest honors in Oceania is to bear children who will then be given to the state to raise (similar to Hitler's Lebensborn program).

The two books read quite differently; I tend to think of 1984 in black-and-white, while Julia's world is much more colorful and nuanced. Julia also lacks 1984's shock value—partly because the heroine is more accepting of her society's strictures than Orwell's hero is, and partly because the most disturbing scenes are right out of 1984, so we've encountered them before. This lack of sensationalism is consistent with Newman's intimate, more character-driven approach. It's a different take on Orwell's world, but just as fascinating—and frightening.

Those who've never read 1984 might want to peruse a copy of that novel first, as Newman makes assumptions about her audience's familiarity with it. She doesn't delve much into the underlying political situation or define many of the Orwellian terms she references, potentially frustrating readers unfamiliar with the original. If you have an even basic recollection of 1984, though, it will be adequate to understand Julia's world—no need to reread 1984 ahead of time to fully appreciate Newman's novel.

I'm not sure Julia would work as a stand-alone novel; it depends so much on Orwell's creation that Julia likely wouldn't make sense without that source material. As is, though, it's a remarkable take on a classic—one that I personally enjoyed more than the original. And, like 1984, Julia will haunt one's thoughts for a long time after the last page is turned. I highly recommend this eminently readable novel to adult and mature teen audiences who enjoy dystopian fiction. Julia's selection as a recent BookBrowse Book Club choice demonstrated that it's an excellent novel for discussion as well.

Look, I don't actually like George Orwell's 1984--even though I recognize its cultural value and significance--but Sandra Newman's JULIA feels important. 1984, while monumental it terms of its cultural impact, is super misogynistic and problematic. In the original source material, Julia lacks depth, seems passive, and feels like Orwell's manic pixie dream girl, but Newman gives Julia so much more dimension and autonomy. It was so interesting to see more of Julia's motivations for her choices and her inner monologue in response to what Winston says and does. There are so many retellings these days, but this one feels necessary and long overdue. A perfect companion to any 1984 unit.

I'm a big fan of this feminist retelling of Orwell's classic. I felt it was really well done and timely. Learning about Julia's young life was fascinating to me. Newman has done something special here; she's breathed new life into a timeless novel while also paying reverence to the genius of the original.

I only wish I had reread 1984 before this one because it's been years since my last read.

This is not the book for me, it was very slow and very little dialogue made the book seem longer. I hope other people enjoy this book though since it has an interesting premise.

Julia is a feminist retelling of George Orwell’s 1984. Instead of following Winston Smith, we follow the titular Julia, getting her backstory and seeing what she was up to when not on the page in Orwell’s original.

I’ll be honest here. I wasn’t blown away by this. First, I cannot conceive of a reason for someone to read this had they not read 1984. Just what’s the draw? People interested in a book of its kind will gravitate towards The Handmaid’s Tale or The Power instead. And that’s probably a good thing since the author absolutely throws you into the world created by Orwell with no preamble. The expectation is that you’ve read that book. Second, I just found a lot of this off-putting. She seems to want to reclaim the c-word, using it multiple times in the text, which I found completely unnecessary. And in this 400-page novel—which is at least 50 pages too long—I somehow never connected emotionally with Julia. There were also some revelations towards the end of the book that fell flat for me.

Read this if you’ve read 1984 and are interested in the thought experiment of looking at things from another character’s point of view. Otherwise, you could skip this.

This ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This book was published Oct. 24.

In short, if you've ever read 1989, read Julia immediately. If you haven't read 1984, read it, and then immediately read Julia. I'm so glad a female voice was brought into this part of the cannon!

This is my favorite book of the year! I bought a physical copy and read it a few months ago. I read it for pleasure while teaching Orwell’s 1984 to my high school senior English classes. I enjoy 1984, but have always been frustrated by Orwell’s flat portrayal of Julia. Sandra Newman’s novel is a marvel. I adored Julia as a character and loved the extensions of Orwell’s Oceania and Julia’s backstory, as well as the insight into what it’s like to be a woman in IngSoc. I laughed at Winston’s obtuseness and especially enjoyed Diana Winter’s take on O’Brien and the final scene of the book.

I love Sandra Newman's writing and I loved 1984, so obviously I was enthralled by this story. If you enjoyed 1984 def read this book!