melfurious's review against another edition
2.0
Potentially unpopular opinion.... I didn't like it.
The slang, whilst I commend the author for and understand the creativity behind it, got tiresome and annoying by the end, and to me made Alex seem very uneducated and dim-witted. Perhaps that was the point? If it was, it went over my head.
The story didn't resolve well for me. I can understand why the last chapter wasn't included in some versions. How Alex explains his actions reminded me of how Tarantino desensitises violence in his movies. Zero emotion. Which means it all fell flat for me, and when the corrective action was taken on Alex, the sick feeling he got wasn't as big an impact for me as probably it was intended to be.
Sorry, Mr Burgess, it's a no from me.
The slang, whilst I commend the author for and understand the creativity behind it, got tiresome and annoying by the end, and to me made Alex seem very uneducated and dim-witted. Perhaps that was the point? If it was, it went over my head.
The story didn't resolve well for me. I can understand why the last chapter wasn't included in some versions. How Alex explains his actions reminded me of how Tarantino desensitises violence in his movies. Zero emotion. Which means it all fell flat for me, and when the corrective action was taken on Alex, the sick feeling he got wasn't as big an impact for me as probably it was intended to be.
Sorry, Mr Burgess, it's a no from me.
thatonewhoreads's review against another edition
4.0
I have this book four stars because the language was hard to get to used to. The book itself gets really good from part two of the book and it is such a great book. I really loved it but aside from the fact it took me a while to get into it
buckshotlaureate's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
cclancaster13's review against another edition
3.0
3 1/2 stars. The story is wild. While the unique lingo is cool, trying to learn it with such a relatively short story can hinder the experience a little bit.
pixelited's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Despite being quite graphic and somewhat normalizing horrendous acts of violence, the message of this story is clear and insightful. The copy I read included a foreword by the author, which I found very interesting. I didn’t know that the last chapter was excluded during its first publication in the United States and—of course—the book would have taken on a completely different meaning if I had not had the chance to read the final intended chapter. This last chapter is what really brings meaning to this work and sort of ties it in a pretty bow while still acknowledging human tendencies towards violence.
Additionally, while the language was at first disorienting, you’re able to get a grasp on how the words are used quickly. I find this aspect of the book particularly interesting, being part of a younger generation with all sorts of slang, and it makes me wonder how the slang I use today may become a “nadsat” language in other years. I also enjoyed the stark difference when characters speak in proper English and how that plays into the story as well.
Overall, while the nature of the book is disturbing and upsetting, I am glad to have read it and gotten such a perspective on human nature and change.
Additionally, while the language was at first disorienting, you’re able to get a grasp on how the words are used quickly. I find this aspect of the book particularly interesting, being part of a younger generation with all sorts of slang, and it makes me wonder how the slang I use today may become a “nadsat” language in other years. I also enjoyed the stark difference when characters speak in proper English and how that plays into the story as well.
Overall, while the nature of the book is disturbing and upsetting, I am glad to have read it and gotten such a perspective on human nature and change.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Addiction, Alcohol, Medical trauma, Sexual harassment, Bullying, Murder, Police brutality, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Physical abuse, Toxic friendship, Drug use, Forced institutionalization, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Death, Mental illness, Suicide attempt, Vomit, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Violence, Animal cruelty, Blood, Gore, Rape, Self harm, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Torture
littlebookmunchkin's review against another edition
5.0
This was a really interesing book. It’s so fascinating to see how the author created a new ‚language‘ that seemed to fit and made sense. At first it is kind of hard to get into it but after a few chapters it is actually quite fun te experience. Especially if you don’t try to look up all the words but thry to pry their meaning from context. This story contains some violent scenes which, in my opinion, do loose some of their shock value because of the made up lingo. It is definitely not a book for people who just want lovey-dovey romance. The question that the book asks does hit hard but would even harder if it had more pages to explore it and dive deeper into the different states of our protagonist.
I personally find it hard to decide whether or not I think the chapter twenty one necessary or not. The book would end on a very very gloomy note without it, but with it the story feels a bit to happy and sudden to really hit home.
I personally find it hard to decide whether or not I think the chapter twenty one necessary or not. The book would end on a very very gloomy note without it, but with it the story feels a bit to happy and sudden to really hit home.
helldalfrank's review against another edition
dark
reflective
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape and Vomit