Reviews tagging 'Physical abuse'

A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess

93 reviews

arellareads's review against another edition

challenging dark informative 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

3.25

I knew this was a classic, but I had no idea what the story was about. “A Clockwork Orange” reveals an extremely disturbing dystopian, where the teenage narrator and his gang go around at night thieving, burglarizing, brutalizing, and raping. The violence only continues from there, as the book poses questions surrounding corruption, good and evil, freedom, and morality. 

While I think the story is interesting from an educational standpoint, I wouldn’t say I enjoyed it. The plot moves slowly and all the SA and violence-against-women is pretty extreme. 

Still, I give Burgess points for style. He created a made-up vocabulary called “Nadsat,” which is used by the narrator and other teenage delinquents throughout the book, separating them from tyrannical society. As someone who loves linguistics, I found the dialogue really creative (and honestly the only reason I kept reading).

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Violence

sweetchocolatez's review against another edition

dark reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Medical trauma, Murder, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Death and Grief

Minor: Excrement and Vomit

christinewonder's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Police brutality, Suicide attempt, and Murder

vikhasread's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Murder, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

vasicrack's review against another edition

• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Police brutality, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

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. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Death, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Police brutality, Murder, and War

pinkfloydtwisted's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Murder, and Toxic friendship

kingspite618's review

challenging dark reflective tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Police brutality, Antisemitism, Medical content, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

bokslukaren's review against another edition

• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

I've never read a book that plays with language the way Burgess plays with it in “A Clockwork Orange”. The book, though written in English, contains an equal amount of “nadsat” words. These made-up teenage slang words were very hard to discern based solely on the context and for the first 30 pages I needed to have the book's Wiktionary beside the page at all times. The mix of older English and Nadsat was unique, to say the least, with both of the following sentences being said by the same character: “If fear thou hast in thy heart, O brother, pray banish it forthwith.” (page 18) and later “If it was all rainy and cally now on the ground you could have my platties to walk on so as not to cover your dainty nogas with filth and cal.” (page 95). The fact that each of the three parts starts in the same way and pattern, though with different implications, was very satisfying, but alas the story felt shallow and didn't at all compare to other dystopian works I've read. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse

Moderate: Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, and Torture

emilyyyhillsss's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny informative mysterious tense slow-paced

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

3.0

“You’ve sinned, I suppose, but your punishment has been out of all proportion. They have turned you into something other than a human being. You have no power or choice any longer. You are committed to socially acceptable acts, a little machine capable only of good. And I see that clearly— that business about the marginal conditionings. Music and the sexual act, literature and art, must be a source now not of pleasure but of pain”

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Bullying, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Toxic friendship