Scan barcode
grudgemental's review
3.0
God and Man invent paradise, ruined by women and weak men, yadda yadda themes the bible you get it. Honestly a pretty good read. Seemed a little rushed at the end but still enjoyable
tasmanian_bibliophile's review
4.0
‘Workers of the world unite. You have nothing to lose but your smartphones.’
Hobart, 2022. A city in recession, the future looks grim. And then, one day, a rusty ship sails down the Derwent River to the site of the once famous, but now abandoned Gallery of Future Art, known as GoFA.
What on earth is going on?
Our narrator is Paul Richey:
‘I was the first confirmed case of something called ‘digital proximity anxiety’ – DPA – which the media inevitably dubbed ‘smartphone shock’.
Paul lived on Bruny Island in a low technology environment, to recover from a breakdown brought on by the relentless pressure of the 24/7 media cycle working for the unreasonable and demanding Prime Minister X. Eventually, he recovers well enough to move to Hobart. Paul tells us about the brave new world established by Dundas Faussett (D.F. as he is known), a world in which the future holds the past. D.F. founded the now abandoned GoFA and returns to Hobart to transform the site into a 1948 factory.
‘I contemplated my situation. I’d woken up in 2024 and was now about to go to bed in 1948.’
Yes, 1948. Specifically, March 1948, before the first commercial mainframe computer and the establishment of the RAND Corporation. Before the internet, before smartphones, before Amazon. A world in which factories had production lines with people making things. Everyone has a job: making goods from 1948, using the materials available at the time. Measurements are imperial (again) and the men use Brylcreem. My parents and grandparents would have been right at home.
‘Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Factory 19. The sort of world you used to live in.’
But the transition back to the past might not be as easy as D.F. envisages. Not everyone wants to give up 21st century technology, and the success of the factory, with its growing export markets, brings a different set of problems.
‘It was one thing to re-create the past, but another altogether to get it to work efficiently.’
This is a brilliant novel, and I thoroughly enjoyed the way in which Mr Glover recreates the past, makes us nostalgic for what seem to be happier days (even those of us who were not born until after 1948). He reminds us that while the present is not always superior to the past, some aspects are not so easily jettisoned.
How does it end? You will need to read it to find out.
‘Remembering is the most powerful political act of all.’
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
Hobart, 2022. A city in recession, the future looks grim. And then, one day, a rusty ship sails down the Derwent River to the site of the once famous, but now abandoned Gallery of Future Art, known as GoFA.
What on earth is going on?
Our narrator is Paul Richey:
‘I was the first confirmed case of something called ‘digital proximity anxiety’ – DPA – which the media inevitably dubbed ‘smartphone shock’.
Paul lived on Bruny Island in a low technology environment, to recover from a breakdown brought on by the relentless pressure of the 24/7 media cycle working for the unreasonable and demanding Prime Minister X. Eventually, he recovers well enough to move to Hobart. Paul tells us about the brave new world established by Dundas Faussett (D.F. as he is known), a world in which the future holds the past. D.F. founded the now abandoned GoFA and returns to Hobart to transform the site into a 1948 factory.
‘I contemplated my situation. I’d woken up in 2024 and was now about to go to bed in 1948.’
Yes, 1948. Specifically, March 1948, before the first commercial mainframe computer and the establishment of the RAND Corporation. Before the internet, before smartphones, before Amazon. A world in which factories had production lines with people making things. Everyone has a job: making goods from 1948, using the materials available at the time. Measurements are imperial (again) and the men use Brylcreem. My parents and grandparents would have been right at home.
‘Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Factory 19. The sort of world you used to live in.’
But the transition back to the past might not be as easy as D.F. envisages. Not everyone wants to give up 21st century technology, and the success of the factory, with its growing export markets, brings a different set of problems.
‘It was one thing to re-create the past, but another altogether to get it to work efficiently.’
This is a brilliant novel, and I thoroughly enjoyed the way in which Mr Glover recreates the past, makes us nostalgic for what seem to be happier days (even those of us who were not born until after 1948). He reminds us that while the present is not always superior to the past, some aspects are not so easily jettisoned.
How does it end? You will need to read it to find out.
‘Remembering is the most powerful political act of all.’
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
steph_84's review
4.0
Factory 19 is essentially a thought-experiment in the format of a novel. I say that because it’s an intriguing idea, but I feel like the characters are forced into doing particular things so that the plot plays out in a particular way, rather than the story being led by the characters themselves. Many events are similarly-unrealistically squashed into place: a factory designed for making cars and cravats suddenly manufactures trucks and tomato soup at a week’s notice; a senior Prime Ministerial staffer only has political nous when it suits the storyline; and a Gen Y character was “raised by an iPad” even though iPads weren’t available until 2010...?!
Nonetheless, it’s an entertaining and discussion-worthy thought experiment. I’m hoping some of my friends will read this book so that we can argue about what Factory 19 really says about human nature and the inevitability of the future.
Nonetheless, it’s an entertaining and discussion-worthy thought experiment. I’m hoping some of my friends will read this book so that we can argue about what Factory 19 really says about human nature and the inevitability of the future.
sarahbattersby01's review
challenging
dark
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
This book was super thought provoking and an interesting read. Not the kind of book I typically go for, but I’m glad I finally read it! It’s been sitting on my TBR for over a year, and did require a bit of brain power to read. The last 100 pages were a bit confusing and tried to achieve a lot in such a little amount of time. I did enjoy the first 250 pages, they story and setting and society was set out nicely. A lot of hidden philosophies which I liked too. 3.5/5
missmelia's review
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
bristoni74's review
3.0
It's always refreshing to read a dystopian novel that isn't set in America! This is set in Australia, written by an Australian author and was a lot of fun to read! It's a clever satire about the problems of the digital economy and nostalgia for the way things used to be. It is 2024 and an Elon Musk type character called Dundas Fausset creates a community in Hobart, Tasmania - March 1948 (before the first mainframe computer was invented). Its a kind of utopia where everyone has a job in a factory and make tangible products with unions and pay and employment conditions which is in stark contrast to today's gig economy. However, as time progresses is 1948 the "perfect time" or is it the 1960's of social progression or the 1970's??? I enjoyed this book and thought the author did a clever job of covering serious issues in a satirical way. Because as we know no matter what era there are those that benefit and those that don't.........
claire_lorraine's review
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
avidreader999's review
4.0
A twist on the Orwell novel 1984, Glover’s book is set in 2022 and instead explores the possibility that things were better in the past - 1948 in fact. A ship sails up the Derwent to Gofa (the gallery of future art) and a whole lot of secretive building goes on. Shortly thereafter, all those left adrift by the recession are offered full employment and a new chance of a productive and happy life at Factory 19 - all they have to do is live exactly as people lived in 1948 - sans mobile phones, tablets, computers etc. At first this seems like a veritable utopia - what could possibly go wrong? - but inevitably the wheels start to fall off. A lot less economic with words than Orwell’s offering this is a clever and audacious book. Recommended.