Brave New World

2.75 stars “Actual happiness always looks pretty squalid in comparison with the over-compensations for misery”

Wow. I still don't know what to feel about this book. So many complex emotions but one thing for sure: it could have been better. It was just too erratic and feels too unplanned in some places. So many parts could have been better and that ending was so underwhelming. Objectively, the first half was better than the other half.
Also the “debate” with the controller was so obviously one sided. There was no actual argument. The debate felt built on emotions and they weren't actually making opposing points. Each person was talking a totally different thing.
The characters were ALL unlikable. There were no grey areas, just caricatures of people you know would never exist. The dystopia was actually very appealing anyway because there was no solid argument made against it and carried through till the end. Pointing out the lack of something is not argument in favour of its existence.
My two stars are for the first 100 pages, the writing style and in general, how the story progressed.

Not to mention the unnecessary racism. The time it was written in is not an excuse. The book was progressive in many other issues, but calling darker skinned people “dog-skinned” outside of narration, outside of character dialogue or thoughts... so unnecessary.
That racism actually was part of the lower rating, not only on principles, but it literally created a plot hole. It was no longer this world in my head of these principles, but something that invaded the construction of this world and weakened it because it didn't make sense.