I'm not sure what I could say about this book that other folks haven't already, specifically if you were looking for literary merits or symbolism. Which, funny enough, is just a guess since I haven't actually looked up anything previously said about this book other than it's a stand against censorship, that still holds true today.

It was given to me by a friend, and I hadn't read it before, or seen the movie, or anything of the sort--but I read it anyway.

The language is beautiful. Ray Bradbury writing is poetic and intense, and full of vague symbolism while still painting a clear picture of events. It's beautiful language that still contains point and plot, and I enjoyed it immensely.

The story is simple, and I appreciate that. It gets to the point, and Montag is sympathetic toward the end of things. It's the story of a confused man, trying to do the right thing, while his friends are small and his wife is unavailable. His little world explodes, and in the middle of all his crisis and focus on books, there's a bigger picture with real threats that include The Hound, a fierce mechanical beast, and a looming war. It's a good story in three parts, with a man going from curiosity to full commitment.

If I had any cause for issue, I would maybe put it on Clarisse and Beatty. A lot of their dialogue wasn't so much dialogue, as it a method of delivery to insert a quick lecture on the state of things and where they're going. It didn't detract too much, but I did notice it was like wrapping what sounded like it wanted to be a lecture to the people inside of a fiction story. Which, it may have well been.

I suppose the end point, is that the book is good, I'm glad I read it--and lecture or not, I think this applies universally. Especially the Afterward and Coda where Bradbury gets angry over the editing of book.

Worth reading, and I suggest you pick it up if you have time.