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Solid Gold Murder

Ellen Byron

9.0 (1 Ratings) Rate It

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Dee Stern’s Golden Motel-of-the-Mountains promises a tranquil getaway for outdoor lovers in the...

ClareR (6054 KP) rated Julia in Books

Nov 23, 2025

Julia

Sandra Newman | 2023 | Dystopia, Fiction & Poetry, Science Fiction/Fantasy

8.0

(1 Ratings)

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It’s a long time since I read George Orwell’s 1984, but it is one of those books that stays with you - and my son recently wanted to watch the film with John Hurt (which was very good, by the way!).

If you’ve ever wondered what happened what happened to Winston Smith’s girlfriend both before, during and after the original novel, then this book will answer those questions.

Julia starts off being able to navigate the world under the ideology of IngSoc and the rule of the Party, for example, she’s a member of the Anti-Sex League whilst being promiscuous at the same time: she plays their game, but leads her own life in secret. She’s good at protecting herself - right up until she encounters Winston. And then she loses her grip on her self-preservation skills.

A lot of the scenes are the same as in the original and written from Julia’s point of view, and I enjoyed reading about the backstory of Oceania and the countryside that at first didn’t seem to be effected by the Party. I don’t think Julia detracted from the original. In fact she adds to it.

1984 was written between 1946 and 1949 shortly after WW2, and Orwell was very close historically to Stalinist Russia and Nazi Germany. It was a time of geopolitical tension and fear of totalitarianism. Sandra Newman was able to write Julia at a considerable distance from these regimes. I’m not saying this is better, just different. Newman has seen the fall of both regimes and is perhaps able to write with more perspective. She can take social media into account for one thing (it gives the Two Minutes Hate a run for it’s money, that’s for sure!).

I enjoyed this. If you’re interested in the female perspective on 1984, then you’ll probably enjoy it too.