Reviews tagging 'Sexual assault'

A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess

163 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

jazzuar's review against another edition

challenging dark 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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Death, Drug use, Gore, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Murder, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Cancer and Vomit

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

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

heidewitzkaa's review against another edition

challenging dark tense fast-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Police brutality, and Suicide attempt

kari_f's review against another edition

4.0

“Does God want goodness or the choice of goodness? Is a man who chooses the bad perhaps in some way better than a man who has the good imposed upon him?”

I have so many mixed thought and feelings on this book. Instead of my usual likes and dislikes, I figured I’d talk about some of the interesting aspects of the book.

The main character is despicable, but he’s supposed to be. He’s more a product of his authoritarian society than he realizes, and he embodies many of their core values and falls prey to their whims even as he strives to subvert them. 

Language plays an important role in the book, with the narrator speaking Nadsat (a young person’s language) that the reader has to learn to decipher. Alex’s crimes are absolutely horrific, but toward the beginning the reader is so bogged down by figuring out what he’s saying that the crimes themselves almost take on a secondary nature. By the time the reader is able to decipher the meanings of the words without having to think about them, we have moved on to the next part of the story where he’s moved past them in one sense or another. I think some of the violent scenes would have been too much to read were it not for that, and even with it there were times I had to take a break from the book.

Many ethical conundrums are brought up in this relatively short book, to include free will, subversion, and the horrors that can occur when the government has too much control. 

I wouldn’t say I enjoyed the book per se, because it was dark and very violent, but I did find the concepts and language very interesting. I’m not sure I’d revisit it in the future, but I’m glad I finally read this classic! I’m also very glad I read this with my book club, because the discussion was excellent.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail

ashlea_harman's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault

oophshnartthepde's review against another edition

challenging dark 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

3.75

Musical Pairing: Orange, Caroline Shaw & Attaca Quartet

Above all else, A Clockwork Orange is a very fascinating read. Though I thought the slang would turn me off the book, by the end it was the primary thing keeping me flipping to the next page. I'd never read a book with that kind of a storytelling devise, and for that I applaud Burgess.

My main critique is in the characters - I thought they were a bit flat, and perhaps intentionally designed that way to portray the stereotypes of Burgess' dystopia. The flatness didn't turn me off of the read, but I think it's a missed opportunity not to explore some interesting character relationships in this world.

But the world itself is fascinating, and scarily plausible. The book as a whole really reminds me of 1984. And it really does a phenomenal job of presenting unanswerable questions to the reader. If you're looking for an engaging, shocking world to dive into as a way to reflect on our own, then I reccomend this book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Police brutality, and Murder

Moderate: Torture, Vomit, and Suicide attempt

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

masihludmila's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective sad 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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Violence, Blood, and Suicide attempt