A Clockwork Orange

ALL TIME FAVORITE, VERY IMPRESSIVE

This book goes after some truly weighty subjects in a short time frame. Burgess tells the story of his narrator, Alex, who is a clearly intelligent young man who has focused his youthful talents on setting out each night to terrorize the innocent citizens of a futuristic London. <BR/>The book is famous for Burgess' heavy use of a made-up slang that a committed reader will pick up quickly using context clues. It actually serves to focus your attention on the book rather than as a distraction. Further, Burgess uses the slang to differentiate groups of characters within the book and, in some of the book's most interesting moments, one side of a character from another side within himself. The dichotomies created are very clear without being ham-fisted. Very well done. <BR/>Burgess really creates a gritty, enveloping sense of place and mood as Alex and his pals meander through the city. As the reader, you simultaneously feel their sense of power (empty though it may be) and the victim's sense of fear and helplessness. Another great exploration of the duality of character within each of us, and yet this is still just a warm up for the main event! <BR/>The story hits its peak once Alex is sold out by his pals and captured by the police (who aren't really good guys). Alex volunteers/is chosen for a new procedure which will "cure" him of his evil tendencies. The scenes of brainwashing that follow are wonderfully crafted and this whole segment of the book artfully asks whether it is better to have a choice between good and evil when only a portion of us will choose good, or whether it is better for all of us to be good even at the cost of our free will. It's a tremendous look at freedom vs. authoritarianism in all its forms. <BR/>As Alex is released back into the world, we see the flip side of his original self, someone incapable of any form of evil. The string of events that follows brings up as many penetrating questions for the reader as any other portion of the book. Alex finishes (if you get a book with the 21st chapter - make sure you do) slightly older, with more perspective on his situation. <BR/>A book about the two sides, we all have within us and the freedom some of us have, and some of us lack to let the two sides out. Highly recommended, you can see why this one has stood the test of time.

22 out of 23 people found this review helpful.

A Clockwork Orange

The reason I started reading this was because someone gave me a shirt with Stewie from Family Guy dressed as Alex, not know that was who he was potraying. Anyway, one of my teachers recognized it and told me I shouldn't read the book or watch the movie because of it's content. I didn't listen- I was too intreged- and went out and got the book. I am so glad I did what I did. I read it cover to cover, then read it again. I was so shocked at the boldness and brilliance of a simple novel- scratch that, it's not simple at all. It is riviting. I am still only a child- a teenager, if you will- and I have to say this is probably going to be one of my all time favorite books. The use of the slang, Nadsat, is quite clever and even catchy. After reading it, I spoke in mild Nadsat for quite a while- I still am. Anyway, this is a near perfect novel. I absolutly love it. It is even shocking. A warning, though- this is not a book for the faint at heart. If you can't take some graphic sence and brutal honesty without a trace of shame to be told (sometimes), I will not suggest you partake in this literary adventure. For everyone else, read the book!

17 out of 18 people found this review helpful.

A Clockwork Orange, An Awesome Read

A book potent with unchecked violence, A Clockwork Orange addresses the need of the presence of evil in order for good to exist. Alex, the epitome of such malevolence, is a barbaric character that captures the essence of a criminal's need to instill fear and harm in others. As the story unfolds, Alex's moral choice is ripped away via classical conditioning: music, in which he once found a twisted pleasure, causes him physical pain instead, preventing him from unleashing any more harm on his fellow human beings. Despite his apparent 'treatment', Alex is still thrust into malignant situations. Written by a prominent Catholic, the book depicts an absence of religion and morals in a future society. By doing so, Anthony Burgess directly answers a question asked by many: if a god exists, why does he permit the world to live in such an evil state? He insists that man needs to have the choice of doing something right in order for it to be done in pure righteousness. Religious views aside, many people would be able to get into reading this book. The language is unlike any other written before it, as the criminal youth speak in a fictional dialogue that depicts their unrefined, savage nature. The manner in which life is governed in the book, whether bullied by Alex and his 'droogs' or the government's unethical rehabilitation of criminals, raises questions about the treatment of others. Despite the sometimes-disturbing images in this book, I definitely recommend this book to those who wish to read in order to gain something. A Clockwork Orange has much to offer.

8 out of 8 people found this review helpful.

A wild ride through morality.

I have currently started a list of books that I want to read before I die. The list includes many classics as well as books that I have read or am fond of reading. When I picked this book up and read the introduction by Mr. Bugess, I was immediately sucked in by his speech on morality. After reading this book, I can say nothing but wow. Honestly, I am not sure if I have ever read a book like A Clockwork Orange. It stretches the mind and opens one's eyes to the luxuries of free will. Definately a must read.

6 out of 7 people found this review helpful.

Amazing Novel!

In perhaps his most well-known work, Anthony Burgess portrays a dystopian future on the verge of totalitarianism, where a new breed of ultra-violent youth rules the night. The novel focuses on Alex, a fifteen-year-old, who could loosely be described as a gang leader. He and his friends revel in regular acts of extreme violence and general depravity, however, this seems to be the rule rather than the exception in this highly chaotic society. The novel follows his journey through the unforgiving and twisted penal system of this futuristic culture.

The strengths of the novel lie in its ability to convey a highly relevant dilemma in what at first seems to be an absurd situation. The eternal question of what it means to be human, and what it means to be good, is explored here through means of deprivation of free will. Being presented with two unsatisfying options, the reader is left torn between who to support and who to condemn, a victim of a callous and vicious system who is himself something of a murderous sociopath, or the society that suffers from his crimes but is ultimately willing to deprive him and others of all that makes them human. This juxtaposition between the good of society and the good of the individual, the mechanic and the organic, the clockwork orange in itself, is a discourse that has existed in the world for eons and remains relevant to this day.

In that vein, one may find that one of the few weaknesses found in the text is accessibility. The Nadsat slang used throughout the narration is a highly interesting blend of Cockney slang and Russian-based words. Although it is essential to the overall feel and effectiveness of the text, as well as the not-so-subtle commentary about communism, it limits the works potential on the international stage. An English-speaking reader is likely to highly enjoy the word play and may even find humor in the caricature of the rift between adults and teenagers illustrated by the use of slang, and a multilingual reader would probably enjoy it even more, however someone who does not understand the nuances of English or is a new speaker would find the text near incomprehensible. Furthermore, it cannot be effectively translated without losing the majority of its impact and meaning, which is unfortunate due to the universal nature of its themes.

Overall, it is an excellent novel that I would highly recommend to just about everyone.

4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

A Classic. Very thought provoking. Original.

I was shocked at first at the honesty of this book. But after I got past this and learned the language which is a bit rough, I went on an incredible journey. First, questioning the innocence of youth and then hating the "solution" to the problem. I was very thankful for the happy ending and cannot imagine the book without its 21st chapter. I have no idea what the orginal American publisher was thinking by not including it. This book becomes a great story in its last chapter.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

I read this book in college after a friend's recommendation. H

I read this book in college after a friend's recommendation. He was also a fan of Phil Dick, who was the topic of discussion for writing dark, futuristic dystopias. This story was in a similar theme. It was a difficult at first, but then I remembered that I took a class in Russian - which helped with the slang then it was a quick read. I enjoyed the pace and matter of fact storytelling from the main character. He is a complete sociopath and his reformation is just as disturbing as his criminal lifestyle.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

My appy polly loggies

I might not know much about literature, or Anthony's philosophical views. But I do know that I'm a teenager who encounters all this so called "drama" and "backstabbing". My life is, of course, not as brutal as Alex's, but if you think about it, most kids my age posses that kind of...Hostility, towards life and people surrounding them. I'm only 15 years old, and all I hear is; My, did you hear about those kids who raped and murdered that woman?! Where's justice? Fairness?! For the love of God! What's wrong with these kids?!? I hear this all the time, adults stop and stare at me in horror, thinking I want to skin them or something, ridiculous! Two months ago, two of my friends plotted, and almost succeeded in killing one of their parents, you might have heard it in the news, Eric Stone. It makes me sick knowing that I sat next to them in class. I knew their motives. Silly! No one ever believed they would do such a thing. I know this is supposed to be a review for the book, but guess we could call this "a second point of view", it's scary how close to reality Anthony came. I mean, I do wear the highest of fashions amongst my droogs, and luckily, I'm no one of the many psychotic teenagers out there, but I can guarantee you, I'm one of their best friends.
Either way, amazing book. Beautiful slang. As real as it gets.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

1 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

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1 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Love it

I read this book my senior year of high school, almost two years ago. I read it for a project on banned books. Honestly, this book should not be banned anywhere. This is an amazing book. I read it over and over and over. I absolutely love this book. It didn't take me long to figure out the slang. This book is too good to not read.

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Violent Looney Tones (A Timeless Classic)

From it's first publishing in 1962 to now, A Clockwork Orange has become one of the most infamous satirical novels to emerge from Twentieth Century literature. From it's violent context, moral ambiguity, and it's slang; the novel was bound to be misunderstood especially due to it's timely publication. The novel, in likes of Eugene Zamiatin's We and Orwell's 1984, sets a very dystopian look of the future. The novel's protagonist/antihero is Alex, the leader of a gang of four "droogies". At night the gang sets out doing a number of amoral activities that would make most eyes pop if it weren't for the crude satirical humor that Burgess peppers the text with. The book also contains quite a bit of sly commentary on public institutions and those that abide by and/or oppose it. The doctors supposedly "curing" Alex, Alex's parents, and etc. all seem to follow a fine line of orthodoxy without much contemplation. Much like Kafka, Burgess outlines the absurdity of hollow traditional values and there negative affects. The main message of the story mostly lies on Alex. In that although Alex actions reflect violence and sexual debauchery, he seems to be the only one to make a involved moral decision in his life. Not one based off religion, political associations, or money, but because he likes it. While any of his decision are hard to relate to, he remains to be the freest man in the story. Anthony Burgess may have enjoyed writing his other novels, but A Clockwork Orange is definitely his most effective and critically-acclaimed work. Also Another Note: The last chapter was omitted until 1986, long after the Kubrick film was released.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

I recommend it, but...

Really unique and interesting, but if you can't handle violence, this is not for you.
The use of Russian slang was very cool, because I know Russian, and it didn't make it more difficult to read, but I don't know how others would feel about having to infer words from context clues.
Overall, I'm glad I read it.

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

A Clockwork Orange - great read and a great challenge -

I read a Clockwork Orange in about 2 days and after getting through the fist couple of chapters and use to the language/slang used by the central character/Alex thought it was a great read. It really is a story of a thug- Alex and what a detriment/or just an outright criminal he was to society and how they fealt it should be dealt with. I had mixed emotions on this matter. While the story theme is to almost make Alex out to be the "victim" here let's NOT forget he was a criminal thug and DESEREVED the punishment he received but not to the extreme the story displays. TOO often today criminals today receive a nice college education and a gym and 3 meals a day - AT THE TAXPAYERS EXEPENSE! = PUNISHMENT SHOULD MEAN PUNISHMENT!!! If they hav eto break rocks with a sledgehammer then so be it! In any case as the story relates Alex a s a result of his behavior both in socity and prison is used a "test model" for a new type of therapy/slash drug to take away his ability of "choice" to do somthing bad and ONLY do/think good things thus almost programming his like a machine and not a human being any longer- Frankenstein like and this method has to be questioned. Man ceases to be man any longer. The characters- Dim, Georgie boy,Pete, Alex's parents all were put together perfecly in this story and added to an extent to Alex's problems and why he had such a bad life till the end of the story. Inthis casde Alex realizes/grows up and decides ther's more to life than being evil and gets that all important 2nd chance. Enjoy this great read in my opinion. Could not put down.
DNC

1 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

viddy this my droogs

A great novel, filled with an unusual language based on russian slang (be ready to use your context clues) A clockwork orange begs the question if good is not a moral choice, then is it actually good, or just as bad as actually being evil? You take a dive into the mind of a young hoodlum, Alex who leads a gang of misbehaving droogs. Alex finds little in life he loves and destroys other peoples lives. A major theme in this book is music. Beethoven's 9th symphony is the actual structure of this book. read the chorus of the ninth before you read the book, it is very interesting. also, read the introduction, many people don't, but you will get a lot more out of the book. Also, the book is very different than the movie. overall, this book is a good read. lots of people find it disturbing, and at points it is, but stomach past it and look at the underlying message of freewill and moral choices.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

What an Experience

What an interesting experience it was to read this novel! When I first picked up A Clockwork Orange, I had already heard a few things about it. First, that the book contains graphic scenes and violence. And second, that the language in the novel is difficult to get used to. Both are true and both are crucial to the merit of the novel as a whole.

With respect to the violence of the main character and his "droogs," I found meaning for these actions in the curiosity towards their motives that I subsequently developed. Why are the characters so incessant in committing acts of violence? Do they openly flout the moral codes of society or are they unaware that such a moral code exists? How has society come to be this way? These unanswered questions are what catapult you through the pages as you continue to listen to Alex, your "friend and humble narrator," continue with his story.

As far as the language in concerned, do not allow yourself to be intimidated by the first page. Consider it a puzzle to be solved with the surrounding contexts and through you own perception. I must warn you of becoming frustrated with not knowing the meaning to all the slang terms spoken in the novel. Do NOT merely give up and go searching on the internet for the slang dictionary as you would not go searching for the answer key to a crossword puzzle after you encounter a question that you do not know. Instead, persevere so that ultimately the novel holds both meaning and pleasure in solving the puzzle.

Reading this novel is like immersing yourself into a whole new world. Learn as you go and enjoy your discoveries as you finally uncover the underlying moral truths hidden in both the title, A Clockwork Orange, and the story itself. All in all, I wholeheartedly recommend this book to any reader that is up for the challenge.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

crazy book

this was a crazzzyy book&gt;&gt; the imagery and the vivid and disturbing descriptions of these morally off fellows is pretty strong. I liked it alot though because it casts you into what would be a society at the point of no ethics or morals&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; you know how most people find it disturbing when the strong prey on the weak??? well this is that at its worst extent... great book for discussions because it questions if many of the punishments we give those who are clearly deserving of them are morally right?? it basically takes the evil heartless one and flips the tables....and then you see it and feel it all over again all that feeling sorry but for the one who acted savagely on a poor victim. its a great read however, its highly interactive with the reader.... you are reading from a perspective of a totally different age of society and time cast into the future into a group of young punks with different slang that you hav never heard of&gt;&gt;you learn to "hang" with them and their slang as you progress......

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Utterly Brilliant

The entire book was stunning. All the literary elements flow to create a clear, timeless picture of a chaotic future. It is parable of free will that will have you thinking, questioning, and empathizing with it's protagnist (Alex).

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Thanks a lot reviewer #4

I have never read this so thanks for spoiling it. Moron:(

Excellent! Way ahead of it's time when written.

Excellent! Way ahead of it's time when written.