A Clockwork Orange

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Summary: the slang forced me to think of what i'm reading
Review: I'll be the first one to admit that I am something of a bookacholoic, and a result of that was that I speed read. I read the new version without any glossary and the slang actually made read every single word and that is a quite of a feat for a book.

In this era of Colombine, you would think that I would shy away from this book, being a high-schooler myself. Many people think this book is the mirror of the future, but this book really is a form of our past, making us see that we will have to do something about teenage violence before this world turns into a negative uptopia of violence displayed in A Clockwork Orange.

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Summary: adding and subtracting
Review: I scanned through a good deal of the reviews below and decided it was time to reinforce the most fascinating thing about the book -- the use of an English/Russian hybrid in the form of teenager slang at a time in the world where attitudes towards Russia were not exactly open arms. Seeing the movie first can add and subtract to the reading of the book. It can add to it by hearing how the language is handled by a real human voice. The movie can subtract from the reading of the book by giving you images of the futuristic society and the characters that really are not given to you in the book. Plus you will never believe that Malcolm McDowell is fifteen years old. The age of Alex is part of what makes the atrocity of the crimes so horrid and terrifying, both by Alex and by the State. The other bit of adding and subtracting has to do with this edition of the book. Sure it has a great new cover (to attract the MTV generation) and the restored chapter (which always should have been there). But it is missing the very helpful glossary of terms that my original copy has. There are some of you out there who would feel that paging back and forth to a glossary would ruin the pacing of the book, but is reading the same passage five and six times to guess at what the heck a certain word means any better? I recommend getting this for the missing chapter, and then going to the local used book store and finding the older version with the ugly orange cover for the glossary in the back. This could help make this amazing book a more rewarding experience to read.

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Summary: This is one of the books at the top of my favorite book list
Review: This book is a marvel of all books and should be read by everyone. Burgess' satire on control and the government add great humor to the story. His use of the teenage dialect creates a unique atmosphere that keeps the interest level up, while forcing you to translate his created lingo.

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Summary: O my Brothers, Read This
Review: This is what literature is all about. Good storytelling, good characters, good everything. I will not overlook the violence at all, but you must realize that that must be included for this to make any sense at all. This is an excellent look at how we as a society work with our more deviant members, and how ethics and morals are often forgotten in the face of peace.

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Summary: A Clockwork Orange is definitely a book for the thinkers
Review: This book is strange, but wonderful. It can truly make a person think and will stay in your head for weeks or maybe even longer after you read it.

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Summary: A great book that was made into THE best movie EVER!!
Review: Some may say this book was too violent in too many ways. I just felt all the violence helped establish character (The best character establishment I'VE ever seen!). This book also had the best plot I've ever seen. There are only three cases where the movies are better than the book and that's "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest", "The Shining" (which doesn't really count because the only correct things are the characters and setting) and this. This is the only movie that still brings tears to my eyes (on the part where Frank gets his revenge), gives me goosebumps (almost the whole movie) and makes Beethoven's ninth symphony my favorite musical peice ever. But this movie never would have been made without this beautifully crafted story.

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Summary: very very twisted but wow it was a great boook and movie!
Review: A most read book!! i can and do watch the movie over and over again and read the book over and over again!

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Summary: Sit back and enjoy
Review: Screw all the talk about politics and youth culture in the world when reading this book. Throw out the reviews, good or bad, especially when they mention the graphic ultra-violence and sex which is very comman throughout. Instead, sit back, relax, grab a cup of joe, and enjoy a funny, sarcastic, and exciting book from Anthony Burgess.

The story is about a young man named Alex. He is the leader of a group of droogs, or a gang of friends as it seems, who spend they're nights getting stoned on milk laced with drugs, beating up defensless people, and raping women. Perhaps none of this seems very funny, especially in this day and age when violent crimes are becomming more common, but the language and humor that Burgess puts in the mind of his humble narrator, Alex, makes it nerely impossible to resist. Even during Alex's darkest days the book's humor is kept in tact by the charisma, charm, and almost poetic languge used by our Humble narrator. and P.S., make sure you pick up the newest copy when buying in the states...and older version won't have the final 21st chapter...

Rating:
Summary: "...real horrorshow"
Review: I have constantly heard good things about "A Clockwork Orange", and finally decided to see for myself. I started out reading the book (yes the 'slang' was a little hard to get used to at first), and then in the middle of the book i rented the movie. GOOD MOVIE. I would suggest renting the movie first and then reading the book. I flew through the book...it was so interesting that i found myself not being able to put it down. I found the movie left me hanging...so if you want some closure (as i call it) read the last chapter of the book. Anyway, i can't express how much i liked this book...

Rating:
Summary: an excellently written book with a brilliant last chapter
Review: A Clockwork Orange is one of the best books ever written. Burgess's narrative style is well crafted and never fails to capture the reader's interest. The novella makes one think about how our post-modern societies view criminals and gives a grim look at one free-will robbing form of rehabilitation that may very well be used in the future. The entire book is excellent, but the final chapter drives Burgess's point home for the reader. It shows that one need not be conditioned by horrific technological means in order to be reformed, especially at the cost of free will and choice. Instead, it shows that one can grow out of deviant behavior as one matures and naturally becomes responsible and wise enough to choose right over wrong without being turned into a "clockwork orange" (something natural that has been forced to act a certain way by unnatural means).