I started to read it. I felt like I had already read it. I've heard so much about it over the years. I put it down, and have no intention of picking it up again. If I could read it fresh, without knowing anything about it, that would be best.
It gets more exciting from the time Winston Smith gets the note passed to him by Julia. But it is not exactly an upbeat view of life or an optimistic view of current world history. Definitely worth a read.