Customer Reviews
Creative and Disturbing - By: Mrs. K. A. Wheatley, 27 May 2008 
This is a fantastic & clever book. It follows in the same vein as Orwell's 1984, but takes things that one step further. The book is narrated by the compelling anti-hero Alex. It is written in the language of the gangs of the streets of this dystopian future place, which now is not so very unlike our own society. Alex hates school & rails against authority, hanging out with his gang of thugs in the Corova Milk Bar, taking drugs, raping girls & enjoying nights of bloody mayhem.
An ill-judged robbery goes hideously wrong & Alex is incarcerated in prison, where he becomes the subject of a new social experiment which claims to reprogramme the brain so that violence is no longer an option. Alex takes us through these events & their aftermath in his peculiarly charming & yet repellent words.
Burgess takes on the big themes of social control, anarchy & free will in this fascinating & brilliant book. If you have read the book you will want to see Kubrick's film, which is also brilliant in a completely different way. If you have seen the film prepare to be wowed by the book. Stick with the language, after a while it becomes easy to read as you become immersed into Alex's world & it's well worth the effort.
Couldn't put it down and surprisingly understood it! - By: C. L. Heffer, 19 May 2008 This book orginallly sat in my boyfriends bathroom for a year because I felt this was going to be a hard book to read. When you look at a page without reading it, what stands out is the large amount of words not in standard english, slang & foreign words. Just glancing in it maybe you'd think this was a foreign language book. However when I had nothing else to read & was 'forced' to read this book, I found it surprisingly easy to read & was delighted by the fact that I didn't have to look in the glossary once.
I loved the way the story panned out, was shocked in a way, that the book was more graphic, more controversial than the film. I also think that one feels more sympathetic to the narrators plight than in the film, I suppose this is uncomfortable for some people.
Uncomfortable or not this is a good book.
Better Than The Film - By: Mr Presley, 08 Apr 2008 Like most people I saw the film before I read the book & I am glad that I have viewed both.
The film is a wonderful `work of art` & the book is a modern day masterpiece.
Anthony Burgess painted a picture of modern society 30 years before `youth culture` was invented.
This book compares with Orwells 1984, Bowies `Diamond Dogs` & `Till Death Us Do Part by Garry Jackson.
My biggest wish is a remake of the film.
Till Death Us Do Part & More - By: Fred Bookie, 05 Apr 2008 This is the book that inspired a thousand films & a hundred books. This is a true classic that rates alongside 1984 by George Orwell & The Traitor by PJ WEllings.
It was written before teenage cults & punks & skinheads but it captures the `gang` culture better than any other book.
This book will still be topical in 100 years from now & the closest book to compare to this is Till Dearh Us Do Part by Garry Jackson.
The film is fantastic but the novel is a true work of art.
Just brilliant - By: Lexy, 31 Mar 2008 At first, A Clockwork Orange is very hard to read, it being written in a strange slang callled Nadsat which uses some russian words for inspiration. However, please dont be put of, as this is a wonderful book. Alex is the perfect amoral antihero that you eventuallly grow to feel for & dispise. The film has a very different ending to the book, as it is based on the American version which does not have the final 21st chapter that the British version has.
Im currently doing my GSCE English course in school & I can safely say that no book or play we have been 'forced' to study has inspired me quite as much as this.
