Reviews tagging 'Forced institutionalization'

A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess

70 reviews

supremedemon's review against another edition

adventurous dark reflective 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

3.25

A disturbing story. The 21st chapter (omitted in some publications) is a must and ties the book together. Uses a lot of Russian-based slang, so it's easier to read if you know some Russian. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Sexual assault, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Rape, Sexual violence, and Medical content

elliya's review

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.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Forced institutionalization, and Blood

Moderate: Drug use, Rape, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Death, Murder, and War

greenan26's review against another edition

challenging dark medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Murder, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Pedophilia, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Police brutality, Medical trauma, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Racial slurs, Vomit, and Antisemitism

noranie's review against another edition

dark tense fast-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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Genocide, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Police brutality, Suicide attempt, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Forced institutionalization, Blood, and Alcohol

minnie_xx's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional lighthearted slow-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

5.0

interesting. so interesting in style, it draws you in. the story is told in a lighthearted and very self-detracting way and with a serious discussion of the nature of free will in relation to morality. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Police brutality, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Murder, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Addiction, Animal cruelty, and Alcohol

cosmicruin's review against another edition

challenging dark tense medium-paced

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

2.75

Challenging to read at times because of the thick langauge

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Hate crime, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Police brutality, Murder, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

moscatel's review against another edition

dark reflective 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? It's complicated

3.5

interesting concept with okay execution

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Alcohol

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.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Bullying, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Police brutality, Medical content, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Murder, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

rory_john14's review against another edition

dark medium-paced

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

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Drug use, Misogyny, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Cancer, Child abuse, Gore, Sexual content, Suicide, Vomit, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Child death, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Torture, and Religious bigotry

floppi23's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Murder, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Drug abuse, Hate crime, Forced institutionalization, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Vomit