A Clockwork Orange - Anthony Burgess

I remember catching the second half of the film adaptation of 'A Clockwork Orange' when it was on TV a couple of years ago and finding it really interesting: so when I saw it in my Amazon book 'recommendations' list I thought it might be worth a read and promptly purchased it. PLOT SYNOPSIS Alex, 15, is our protagonist and Humble Narrator (as he refers to himself). It is immediately evident that he is an out-of-control teen: at night he roams the streets with his friends; kicking, beating, mugging and raping innocent members of the public. Not only is he ?in with the wrong crowd?; he is the LEADER of such a crowd. He positively adores ...  Read the complete review

I seem to have got myself in to a 'reading books that have been made into films season' at the moment. I've recently read the The Two Towers and The Beach, both of which are far better than the films. Somewhat absent minded I picked up 'A Clockwork Orange' a novel by Anthony Burgess and film by Stanley Kubrick. Perhaps you are on of the few to have never found either, and this would be altogether surprising. Kubricks film, released in 1971, proved to be shockingly explicit in its portrayal of the story on which it is based, so much so that Kubrick decided us Britonians weren't capable of grasping its complexities and it was held from ...  Read the complete review

A Clockwork Orange is the horrific dream of Anthony Burgess' mind dramatically brought to life. Observing the life of reckless youth and unpredictable, unprovoked violence, A Clockwork Orange takes a look at society like you have never seen before. Ensued by the attractive characters and witty plot, the novel had me edging towards me but also pushing me away trembling with fear and anticipation. The dark side of society is unravelled and exposed; don't let the interpretation of Kubrick pollute this incredible novel for you. A Clockwork Orange is a novel that means something different for everyone; a film representation would not do it justice. Alex ...  Read the complete review

Superficially, "A Clockwork Orange" is a book about a very nasty young man who might or might not be reformed by the end of it. It is also a book about our fear of technology, the loss of free will, and msot importantly, the power of language. *************** The three sections of the book: Section one introduces Alex, a young man who gets his kicks by going out with his friends, stealing, ebating people up, raping, taking drugs and in fact doing any socially unacceptable thing you might care to tink of. it turns out that there is no honour among theives and his 'friends' set him up and leave him for the police. There ...  Read the complete review

Those of you who follow my reviews will know of my intense preference of novel over film so when the much celebrated Stanley Kubrick's Clockwork Orange was deemed to be fit for viewing, I decided to read Anthony Burgess' book first. The author had fifty or more works published in his writing career, spanning nearly 35 years yet it was to some disappointment that this novel was his most well known. He believed he had written much better books, and worried about the effect this tale of violence may have on youth culture. Astoundingly, Burgess had been diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumour in 1959. After being given a year to ...  Read the complete review