Reviews tagging 'Medical trauma'

A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess

30 reviews

sweetchocolatez's review

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

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

kingspite618's review against another edition

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

theodoreeeeeeads's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

What a horrorshow vetsch. Lots ittying on with krovvy scenes and gullivers spinning physically and metaphorically, I defo smecked a malenky whilst viddying the pages. A tolchock in the yarbles when it got intense but I do recommend it to all the lewdies!! (this is what the whole book is like hehehe)

Now returning from the Nadsat language to English, wowowoeeee what a book, well-written, thought provoking, funny at moments and with a fantastic plot. The story poses lots of moral dilemmas and philosophical questions.

It’s terrifically dark, the phrase “ultra-violence”, as used many times in reference to gang activities, is very accurate. 

Easy to read classic (except the whole new language lol). Would massively recommend. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Gore, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Police brutality, Medical content, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Murder, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

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

rissasreading's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny fast-paced

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

4.0

Reading this was a trip lol. I've seen the movie adaptation of this quite a few times and I've always enjoyed it (minus that one scene I fast forward through) so I was excited to read the book. Surprisingly the adaptation was pretty truthful and honest to the source.

I could picture the characters and the scenes from the movie while reading this, plus the way it was written really felt like you were in his head / he was talking to you directly. Highly enjoyable read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Rape, Medical content, Medical trauma, Abandonment, 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

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