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nisanatreads's review against another edition
- 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
3.0
#bookreview of 'A Clockwork Orange' by Anthony Burgess
The story of 'A Clockwork Orange' centers around 15 year old Alex who is the leader of a youth gang and together with his 'droogs' he commits all sorts of violent crime. At some point Alex is caught and imprisoned. During that time he does not abstain from violence and finally he gets admitted to an experimental study called 'Ludovico's technique'. The experiment is supposed to condition his body to react negatively when confronted with crime and/or violence. I think we probably all know the scene from the eponymous film where Ludovico's technique is depicted in graphic detail so I will spare you further explanation.
This book was hard to get through. It's even harder to review. There are very graphic depictions of violence so I'd strongly advise you to read the trigger warnings beforehand. I couldn't really discern if such descriptions were necessary to get the point across that Alex is a really bad guy but it certainly painted a really dark picture. In turn I thought that the execution of the characters was immaculate. The author came up with a slang called 'nadsat' which is only used by the youth and especially by the youth gangs. In a way it's a very descriptive language but it makes the characters sound very childish as well. There's a strange discrepancy when you hear the characters talk and at the same time they do these atrocious things which you'd never want to associate with a child. In my opinion this implicitly poses the question if criminals might just be less evolved like a child is less evolved than an adult. There are several instances when Alex clearly doesn't get what's happening around him which coincides with this thesis of mine. Other questions of ethics, morality, the criminal justice system and the freedom of choice come up as well. None of these are answered directly but the text offers different solutions and leaves the reader with a lingering sense of discomfort.
You can see why it has cult status and is seen by many as one of the classics. There's much more to be discussed so feel free to comment or text me.
Graphic: Rape, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Murder, Torture, Animal cruelty, Vomit, Pedophilia, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, and Police brutality
average's review against another edition
- 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
3.5
Graphic: Sexual assault, Blood, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, Rape, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Pedophilia, Murder, and Drug use
_daintybunni's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Rape, Pedophilia, Sexual violence, and Violence
bruxinhas's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Sexual assault, Pedophilia, Rape, Suicide attempt, Sexual violence, Police brutality, Violence, Sexual content, Misogyny, and Murder
kendall_readz's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Murder, Pedophilia, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Animal cruelty, Rape, Sexual content, and Suicidal thoughts
pescemariana's review against another edition
- 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
3.5
Graphic: Rape, Violence, Pedophilia, Torture, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual assault, Police brutality, Physical abuse, Gore, Death, Child abuse, Bullying, and Blood
Moderate: Abandonment and Drug use
r0se's review against another edition
4.25
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Pedophilia and Rape
kiralovesreading's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Alcoholism, Blood, Body horror, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Domestic abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Gun violence, Homophobia, Misogyny, Murder, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual violence, Torture, and Violence