A review by flara
Coming Up for Air by George Orwell

challenging emotional reflective sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

your spoiler text
I rather enjoyed this book until George decided to go back to Lower Binfield. Even long passages about fishing, which is a boring subject to me. I enjoyed George's nostalgic recollections of his childhood, intrusive thoughts about up-coming war mixed in with the trauma of WWI, in which he participated. The transition of life from childhood to boyhood, boyhood to adulthood, and then to middle age; of pre-war to post-war; dealing with the death of your parents (or rather not dealing with it at all, because there are bombs exploding all around you).. I was able to relate to the inner turmoil, yearning for the life long gone, aspirations of a better life. I suppose that his return to Lower Binfield was inevitable. After all, he was hanging onto the hope that the life he suddenly remembers is still there, lingering. He had to go and see for himself. But ever since he decided to do so, the book went downhill for me. I think all readers knew that it was all gone. What was keeping it alive was George's recollections. When he went anyway, and saw all the changes to the town, that's when those recollections (and the little boy) truly died.

Now the things that bothered me: 
1. Animal cruelty and 'boys will be boys' trope. I was on the fence about George's killing of a small bird (chicken, I think). I condemn all animal cruelty, but given the time period I though that perhaps it was more acceptable back then? Well, I looked at the picture as a whole and combined with the ongoing trope of 'boys will be boys' throughout George's childhood (and adulthood), and the overwhelming misogyny, that this is in fact not ok.
2. Infidelity is brought up in a very matter-of-fact way. I believe George says something to the effect of 'but of course I was unfaithful'. Hilda (his wife) has only two main personality traits: she's constantly lamenting over money and she's ALWAYS suspicious of his cheating. The latter he finds especially annoying, because apparently it's Hilda's go-to accusation whenever he's caught in a lie. Can you blame her??? His whole outlook on body image is in direct correlation with the fact that women no longer find him attractive, and so he can no longer cheat on his wife. 
3. I said this in every single point so far, but I'll say it again: female characters are treated as a mere obstacle, a piece of furniture that's in the way. They are an afterthought in Coming Up for Air; deliberately or not. They are submissive, stupid, ugly and uninspiring. He goes on a tangent about how women's sole purpose is to lock a man down for marriage. And as soon as they do, they stop caring about their appearance and become saggy nuisance. 
4. The ending was just disappointing. No character growth. I would go as far as to say there was a character decline that culminated in the absolute confirmation of all the wrong stereotypes touched upon in this book. 

George Bowling is a suburban cliché. I believe Orwell wrote him as a caricature, which was done quite masterfully in the first chapters of the book. I liked his description of the suburban society that he was a part of. He knew his place, he saw it for what it was. He was relatable. But as the book went on, there was a different George coming to the surface. One that describes every woman he meets in the most stereotypical way, and so on. I didn't find him laughable, I found him enraging and disrespectful. Ultimately, all the 'caricature tropes' are what ruined it for me. It was a very promising start, but bad finish. 
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