‘A Clockwork Orange’ is probably one of the most unique novels in the annals of literature. And by unique, I mean unique in every sense, including dark humor, language, and the way Alex has with music.
To those voracious readers of this ever-growing community, have you ever thought before picking up this book that it will be a hard read? Let me answer you. You will find the first chapter hard, I agree. But as you go on, you will find that most of the words are repeating themselves. The novel will be engrossing after this point. If you enjoy reading, then you will understand the meaning of Nadsat words from the sentence itself. The language is also pretty comical. Especially the words for 'good' and 'God.'
Then there is the music. Rock music was taking baby steps during the time this novel is set, that in the 1970s. But still, it was prevalent. And look at Alexander the Large's interests- Beethoven and Bach. Music is a nice element of this novel; for Alex, it is at first a pleasure, but later on, after the therapy, it is torture for him. A toying with his brains is what changed his response to music.
The humor- my god, it is out of this world! I mean, there is a limit to black comedy also, like all genres. But Burgess defied those boundaries and changed the way of this sub-genre forever. And speaking of limits, how can I forget Kubrick's film.
Kubrick's film is highly artistic, without a doubt. Not as futuristic and resplendent as '2001: A Space Odyssey', though. He has a habit of changing details, and adding that extra 'spice.' That is what I like about him. But the novel is entirely different than the film. Both the novel and the movie are good in their own way. The former uses background music to lift its humorous tone. The latter uses language. But there as some similarities too. They do not glorify violence; on the contrary, they use violence as a recurring theme to strike a ground reality in the readers. The harsh reality is that the future is not bright.
The story is told from the perspective of Alex, our protagonist. The theme is simple enough: is it better for a man to be bad than to be made good forcefully? And to this, Burgess replies yes. The person must himself realize his faults. He must be an orange, capable of coherent thought and decisions, not a clockwork, made to be better by force. The idea is disturbing and thought-provoking at the same time.
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Popular Highlights in this book
They have turned you into something other than a human being. You have no power of choice any longer. You are committed to socially acceptable acts, a little machine capable only of good.Highlighted by 570 Kindle readers- What does God want? Does God want woodness or the choice of goodness? Is a man who chooses the bad perhaps in some way better than a man who has the good imposed upon him?Highlighted by 526 Kindle readers
- ‘But the essential intention is the real sin. A man who cannot choose ceases to be a man.’Highlighted by 385 Kindle readers
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Reviews with images
Make sure you buy the Restored Edition with Orange Logo.
Reason for me saying is that it have the notes from the author itself and will clear many of the restrictions presented with the 'in book' language. This edition is bit costly but its worth it.The only down side is that it feels very cheap as even the cover page is not a glossy paper but a thick rough card like paper aka same material as the inside is used but bit thicker so it feels off and will get dirty and will be ruined with anything spilled on it. It would be good if publishers atleast used a glossy outer paperback as it provided bit of protection from smudge and what not.
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Reviewed in India on 12 December 2023
The only down side is that it feels very cheap as even the cover page is not a glossy paper but a thick rough card like paper aka same material as the inside is used but bit thicker so it feels off and will get dirty and will be ruined with anything spilled on it. It would be good if publishers atleast used a glossy outer paperback as it provided bit of protection from smudge and what not.
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Make sure you buy the Restored Edition with Orange Logo.
Reviewed in India on 12 December 2023
Reason for me saying is that it have the notes from the author itself and will clear many of the restrictions presented with the 'in book' language. This edition is bit costly but its worth it.Reviewed in India on 12 December 2023
The only down side is that it feels very cheap as even the cover page is not a glossy paper but a thick rough card like paper aka same material as the inside is used but bit thicker so it feels off and will get dirty and will be ruined with anything spilled on it. It would be good if publishers atleast used a glossy outer paperback as it provided bit of protection from smudge and what not.
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Reviewed in India on 25 March 2016
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Reviewed in India on 9 September 2015
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Reviewed in India on 8 May 2022
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It's a nice copy but all books from Amazon always come with some marks ruining the look of the book.
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Top reviews from other countries
Patricia
Muito bom
Reviewed in Brazil on 29 March 2024Verified Purchase
Barry Mcc
Great Read
Reviewed in Canada on 7 January 2024Verified Purchase
Lucas Bolton
Anthony Burgess’ Statement on the Security Risk of Authoritarian Control
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 27 April 2024Verified Purchase
MEDE
Erschreckend gut
Reviewed in Germany on 20 May 2023Verified Purchase
MEDE
Reviewed in Germany on 20 May 2023
Zur Kindle-Version:
Ich finde die Kindle-Version ok, aber nicht perfekt. Es ist toll, dass es Seitenzahlen gibt, das ist leider nicht immer so. Was mir fehlt, sind die Angaben zu der besonderen Wortwahl des Protagonisten. Wörter wie 'slovo', 'bratchnies', 'vonny', 'viddy' usw. werden nicht angegeben. Und leider sind diese besonderen Wörter, die der Protagonist benutzt, ein Merkmal des Buches, sie kommen in fast jedem Satz vor. Das ist ein absolutes Minus.
Zum Inhalt:
Ich werde nicht spoilern, sondern nur kurz etwas allgemein zum Inhalt sagen. Grob gesagt, dreht es sich um einen jungen 14jährigen Kriminellen, der raubt, schlägt und mordet. Nachdem er gefasst wird, soll eine neuartige Umerziehung an ihm durchgeführt werden. Erzählt wird die Geschichte aus der Ich-Perspektive, also aus Sicht des Kriminellen.
Die Geschichte ist sehr brutal, aber dennoch lesenswert. Man bekommt einen Einblick in die Gefühlswelt des Protagonisten, die absolut schonungslos ehrlich ist.
Zur Sprache:
Das Buch bedient sich einer sehr besonderen Sprache. Der Protagonist bedient sich eines Slangs, der durch seine besondere Wortwahl gekennzeichnet ist. Viele Substantive kommen aus dem slawischen Sprachbereich (z.B. 'moloko', 'slovo' usw.) aber auch aus dem Deutschen (z.B. 'Kartoffel' oder 'von' werden benutzt). Ich habe ein Bild als Textbeispiel angefügt. Als Nicht-Muttersprachler ist das sehr gewöhnungsbedürftig. Dennoch versteht man komischerweise worum es geht. Man kann sich die Bedeutung viele Wörter mit Hilfe des Kontextes erschließen. Dennoch sollte man schon recht gute Englischkenntnisse besitzen, sonst sollte man es nicht im Original lesen. Einfaches Schulenglisch reicht eher nicht, denke ich.
Vielleicht hilft das ja als Orientierung.
Vielen Dank für das Lesen meiner Rezension. Ich hoffe, sie ist hilfreich. :)
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Marco
Ottimo
Reviewed in Italy on 12 May 2023Verified Purchase
