Reviews tagging 'Murder'

時計じかけのオレンジ 完全版 by Anthony Burgess

144 reviews

euannn900's review against another edition

dark reflective 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

1.5

Spoiler Review

The concept of this book was so intriguing but it was such a let down. 
One of the things Anthony Burgess tried to investigate in this book was how youth change language, and to do this he wrote from the perspective of a teen who thinks and speaks in Nadsat or teen speech. While the concept was interesting it was incredibly frustrating to read. 

Another major flaw was that the main character, Alex, that you are meant to be rooting for is a horrible person. The book explores free will, and is meant to push you against "the man", yet instead I ended up hoping that they succeeded in ruining Alex's life

On top of this the little character development that happens quickly becomes null and void, making a large amount of the plot end up meaning nothing.

The themes being explored are very psychological but the book is not nearly as dark as I'd hoped. And also the "controlling, brainwashing government" actually have very little effect on the world. The only redeeming feature of this novel was the exploration of free will.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape

Moderate: Violence

Minor: Murder

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

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Addiction, and Alcohol

nanna_reads's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcohol, Blood, Rape, Sexual violence, Violence, Murder, Confinement, Torture, Emotional abuse, Police brutality, Suicide attempt, Drug use, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, and Suicidal thoughts

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

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

turtlebones's review against another edition

challenging dark hopeful tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• 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

from what i remember, you really watch Alex develop from being a violent being to a troubled one. The end of the book left me w/ questions and wondering what ever happened w/ Alex and his inner conversation he had w/ himself after seeing his old friends.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Cursing, Drug use, Panic attacks/disorders, Addiction, Alcohol, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Physical abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Violence, Vomit, Toxic friendship, Torture, Suicide attempt, Rape, and Murder

m11cc444's review against another edition

dark reflective sad slow-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

3.75

Did not enjoy this book at all in the first half. Super hard to get used to the new slang and I had a hard time picturing the universe. However, about halfway through I started to enjoy the story/message. Ended with lots of feelings and reflections. Glad I read once- probably won’t reread but good book. ……… A good/interesting message, hard to read book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Physical abuse, Violence, Sexual violence, Rape, and Police brutality

kai_okay's review against another edition

challenging dark inspiring fast-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Adult/minor relationship, Cursing, Death, Blood, Murder, Police brutality, Sexual violence, Violence, Drug use, Hate crime, Misogyny, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, and Torture

Moderate: Suicide attempt

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

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

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

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