Reviews with content warning for Torture - A Clockwork Orange

This very much felt like a first book. The message is a bit too obvious but the internal turmoil of the protagonist was quite interesting to read about. People always say this book is super brutal but still nothing holds a candle to The vegetarian.

Also my copy doesn't have the 21st chapter so I need to find that. It may change my rating.

The slang made starting the book difficult but it eventually became natural. My personal favorite is eggs being called eggiweg.

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heidewitzkaa's review against another edition

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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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kari_f's review against another edition

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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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oophshnartthepde's review against another edition

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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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author_d_r_oestreicher's review against another edition

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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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pinkfloydtwisted's review against another edition

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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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kingspite618's review

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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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bokslukaren's review against another edition

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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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