Want to hear about boys getting naked on an island? (The Lord of the Flies (Audio CD))

Member Name: bruffyboy

Product:	The Lord of the Flies (Audio CD)
Date:	12/05/09 (30 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: great story

Disadvantages: none

ABOUT THE CDS:
In terms of the CD, this is an abridged version (it misses out some of the original text). However, it is useful, and the narrator does a good job of making the story interesting. I have had the displeasure to hear Golding's own reading of the novel and this one here is much better. Golding (for some reason) sounds so dull when he reads, but this is fine.
The story is on 3 CDs, and can currently be found on Play.com for £6.99 delivered which is a real bargain.

ABOUT THE STORY:
Lord of the Flies is a novel by William Golding. A group of British children are shot down in their plane and land on a mysterious island. Desipte being no older than twelve years old, they soon establish rules and regulations, but these are promptly ignored when a 'beast' is discovered, and the group spiral downwards into oblivion.

IS IT ANY GOOD:
I read this book only a couple of years ago, and am now teaching it at my school for GCSE. I have to say that it's a book adults tend to enjoy more than children, and I'll explain why:
1) The pace - whilst there are moments of intensity and excitement, a lot of the book is quite slow, and there are large periods of time where very little happens. Page upon page of dialogue and debate certainly bore my students, and they're a top set.
2) The date - written around 50 years ago, it's fair to say the language is outdated for today's society; the boys run around shouting things like "whizzer" enthusiastically, and this is lost on the youth of today.
3) The sexism - there are only boys on the island, and this tends to put female readers off. Golding himself wanted to produce a critique of society, and felt that an all female island would not dissolve into madness as authenitcally as one with males in it. He also felt that a mixed sex island would mean that sexual topics had to arise, and he didn't want to do that.
The whole message behind the novel is about how a man made culture is doomed to fail. The island is a 'mini-world' where we can see the group dissolving into madness and violence in much the same way as the real world.

In conclusion, the story is an allegory with a deep and interesting message at its root, but the story itself is slow and outdated, and will bore many readers.

Summary: do it!