Rating: 
Summary: Very disturbing and realistic.
Review: I can't really think of anything to say about this novel that hasn't been said by so many people already. The story of a teenage thug in a dingy, bleak world of the near future is probably one of the most disturbing and talked about books ever written. I believe that the most disturbing stories are the ones that are the most realistic. And this book, for the most part, is very realistic. I think that if a government was offered a quick solution to the problem of violent crime the government would happily accept that solution regardless of the moral implications it raises. The futuristic slang invented by Anthony Burgess is a clever way of making sure the novel never becomes dated. If I was an English teacher I would make my students read it. One thing I do not agree with about the book is the idea that violent people grow out of being violent. Getting older is not a cure for criminal behaviour. There are murderers and sexual offenders out there aged in their sixties. The novel would be just as good without the last chapter, even if it does affect the numerical unity. Apart from that, "A Clockwork Orange" is a good book about morality and freedom of choice. I can never listen to Beethoven without thinking of this book.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing on so many levels...
Review: This is, quite frankly, an amazing book. It has myriad levels it can be read upon: the language exercise of Nadsat(and of course that one great spot when the doctor drops the knowledge of how English got Russified..."propaganda....subliminal diffusion"), the sociopathic joyride of the violence itself(and violent entertainment is NOT NOT NOT bad in itself...aggressive people seek out violent entertainment, it does not create them), the black comedy just beneath the skin of the book, a deep look into the merits of quick-and-easy rehabilitation in punishment, as a serious discussion about free will, as an iconoclastic trashing of all authority, and on several more levels. Its cheeky nihilism is absolutely infectious(and a bit scary).My only complaint is with all those who believe that the last chapter is essential; I can take it or leave it. The benefits are of creating a real sense of closure to the book, of proposing that it actually ain't so bad as the book said, and sending a moral message. However, the last chapter also creates some inconsistencies with the rest of the book. It seems very tacked-on, as there was absolutely NO evidence of anything of the sort about to happen in any of the other chapters, and it also is inconsistent with a previous scene or two: though he says that as people age and mature, they eventually give up on this destruction, notice that the intellectual old men are as bad to Alex as any of his old droogs. My suggestion? Read to Chapter 20, stop, and reflect over the whole book. Wait a few minutes for it to all sink in in that form, and _then_ read Chapter 21 as an addendum, as it does have some things to add. Despite that little quibble, though, it's an absolutely horrorshow book, and every veck and devotchka should read every single slovo of it. What a book!
Rating: 
Summary: scary as hell
Review: This book freaked me out, i didn't know that people could think of doing that to people in our future. i first read this in sixth grade but decided to read it again in eighth. for the parts that i didn't understand the psyche teacher helped me with. it was a good book but has horrifying parts in it. i'll never look at a glass of milk the same way again.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing book, a personal favorite
Review: Regardless of what anyone says, this is a book that will stick with you. If you have the patience to get through the first few pages and to begin to apply meanings to the slang words you will not be disappointed. Years after I have read this book I still find times when the slang pops into my mind. To top it all off, this book tells one great story. Highly recommended, way better than the much praised film, even though the film follows the book near 100%.
Rating:
Summary: If you passed on this book, you've missed out.
Review: From page 1 through both endings this was the most enjoyable book I have ever encountered. I loved being torn between despising and feeling sorry for Alex. Burgess makes him a consistant character with never even a taste of right or wrong until his "omitted" chapter. I drove my family and friends crazy as I transferred the books lingo into everyday conversation. Another reason I throughly enjoyed it. If you love the classics, make room at the top of your list for this one.
Rating:
Summary: This book is the best anyone will ever read!
Review: The tale of teenage angst intertwined with youthful redemtion really makes this book an alltime classic. To watch a character like Alex grow from a boy into a man catches the spirit of the human soul like no other novella can.
Rating:
Summary: excellent ultraviolent behaviour - skip a dictionary
Review: One of the fuzziest books I have ever read. There appear to be some versions of the book which have a wordlist included. Come again? Anyone who is reading the book using the wordlist is totally missing the picture. It is amazing to be able to read a book several times for a totally different angle just because your interpretation of the words used in the book differs. Tear those papers out!
Rating:
Summary: "What's it going to be then, eh?"
Review: There was me, that is Kate, and my three former favourite books, that is until I viddied this real horrorshow book by some starry writer veck... I leafed through, and it seemed written in a very bezoomny like style. Good Bog! I thought, and ittied off to Amazon.com to viddy if it was just me, O my brothers, who thought this real horrowshow, and written well. And what do I slooshy but that thou malchicks out there think not that I am bezoomny, but agree with Your Humble Narrator! But if thou disagree that this is one of the best books ever written, why then you can kiss my sharries. Amen. And all that cal.....
Rating:
Summary: Real horrorshow book, malchicks and devotkchas!!!
Review: Yipe!! This is not what I expected. I'm a little afraid to see the movie now. But it was a good book!! 'What's it going to be then, eh?' It is so well thought out and one of the best Negative Utopia books I have read. I particulary liked Burgess' style of writing. You won't see it in every book. Some parts at the end are very surprising, so don't think a book is over just because you only have a couple more pages to read. The Nadsat language is very interesting and I swear I almost said "horrorshow" instead of "good" when I was talking to somebody. It is immensely helpful to have either a copy of meanings with you or to buy the hardcover copy with the meanings in the back. I had the paperback edition and had to print the dictionary from the Internet and carry it with me wherever I took my book. But don't worry about that too much, after awhile you start to get the hang of it. Anyway, it's a wonderful book. Anthony Burgess is a genius and I can't wait to see the movie!!
Rating:
Summary: Philosophical Masterpiece
Review: A wonderful, though-provoking novel, possibly the best I've ever read. Burgess imaginative use of nadsat vocab is used as a powerful distancing tool between the reader and the events unfolding, so you feel an outsider to the violence and Alex's gang of 'droogs'It is also interesting that Russian is used, as if Burgess' future world is a world of communism. Burgess paints a bleak but believable view of the future where the government conditions people to behave how they want them to. Therefore stripping people of choice, freedom, and ultimately, their humanity. A Clockwork Orange is much, much, more than a debate about mind-control though. The novel is also about adolescence, Alex is cured in the end by natural maturity,not by any artificial techniques forced upon him. It is a crying shame that Kubrick missed the crucial last chapter out of the film (excellent though it is). It always amazes me how the reader ends up feeling sorry for Alex, considering the crimes he commits. However, this is why the novel is so powerful, the crimes Alex commits are vicous and brutal, but they are no worse than the crimes the state commit on him. The novel is also satirical. We see how Alex becomes a pawn in a political struggle, we recognise the political parties that go to extreme lengths to secure votes in todays society. Overall the novel is a masterpiece and is a lot, lot better than the film. In the novel, we really get a sense of a society out of control, gangs of youths running riot, overcrowded prisons, etc. The film makes it look like it is only Alex and his droogs who are commiting crimes. Also, the words 'a clockwork orange' don't appear in the film. This, to me, was the weirdest thing in the book. The fact that Alex sees that the novel by F.Alexander is called 'A Clockwork Orange' and carries this title in his head with him, whilst he is actually becoming a clockwork orange. A brilliant book, definitely recommended. If you are appalled by the violence, you should be, thats the whole point, Burgess is painting a picture of a violent society out of control.
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