Reviews with content warning for War - A Clockwork Orange

Reviews tagging 'War'

A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess

13 reviews

author_d_r_oestreicher's review against another edition

dark slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Brave New World, Animal Farm, 1984, Fahrenheit 451, Lord of the Flies, … and then came A Clockwork Orange. How did I miss A Clockwork Orange? …the story of Alex, aka Your Humble Narrator, told in three acts. First, his life as a fifteen-year-old “ultra-violent” teen. Next his time in prison, subjected to behavioralist experiments to rid him of his violent behaviors. Finally, his life after prison. Two things mark this book, the ultra-violence and “nadsat” slang. The slang is pervasive and slows down the reading. However, the slang softens the violence. When the teens tolchock someone, it doesn’t have the same emotional impact as the English equivalent. A one-of-a-kind classic.

For my extended notes: https://1book42day.blogspot.com/2024/08/a-clockwork-orange-by-anthony-burgess.html

Check out https://amazon.com/shop/influencer-20171115075 for Omega Cats Press books and book recommendations.

Content Warnings

laavelify's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark funny tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Content Warnings

lynxpardinus's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark reflective tense

4.0

Content Warnings

elliya's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark reflective 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

3.75

Despite beginning with a lot of ultraviolence and rape, I enjoyed this much more than I expected to! I believe that reading a narrated version made the nadsat vernacular much easier for me to parse, and therefore made for a much more pleasant reading experience. It reminded me strongly of Chabon’s Yiddish Policeman’s Union - strong soviet influences on culture and language in both, plus an array of generally dislikable male characters. I sort of felt bad for Alex in the middle section, and was rooting for him by the end! Unsurprisingly, I loved the way he related to music, found the correctional officer to be some needed comedy, and found the whole experimental results quite disturbing. All in all, I imagine those reactions are par. I’m glad to having finally read this classic, and I look forward to watching Kubrick’s film interpretation.

Content Warnings