sgkelsey 's review for:

A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess

3.0

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So I saw the movie back in 1988. It was interesting. I particularly loved the language, the droog slang. The book, which I finally got around to reading, provided total immersion into that language and I also got the author's original version with the chapter at the end that provides resolution, not the truncated American version. I understand the American publisher felt that Burgess had pulled his punch by giving the narrator some kind of closure, a change of heart, but I thought he illustrated perfectly that shift from senseless hooligan (I love that word!) behavior to a more mature perspective. The fact that this hooligan phase seems an unavoidable step in the process for some is disturbing enough without leaving the audience hanging in the end. I'm tempted to say something snarky about the 'me generation' and yuppies here, but I'll console myself with the knowledge that they're busy retiring amid a terrible market slump. Schadenfreude is another great word.