Ciao - for people with opinions

Latest reviews Latest questions
Write a review Latest videos
Special offers
Home > Books > Fiction > Modern Fiction Books > A Modern Fiction Books > A Clockwork Orange - Anthony Burgess

User Reviews

for A Clockwork Orange - Anthony Burgess

Rating Summary based on 25 reviews

  • 5 Stars
    		21
  • 4 Stars
    		2
  • 3 Stars
    		1
  • 2 Stars
    		0
  • 1 Star
    		1

Detailed rating

  • Characters
  • How does it compare to other works by the same author?
  • How does it compare to similar books?
  • Readability
  • Story
  		• 4.4
  		• 3.1
  		• 3.3
  		• 4.4
  		• 4.6
Previous page Next page Page 1 of 3 | 1 to 10 out of 25 Review(s)
  • 211 of 211 Ciao users found the following review helpful
    Picture of chocoholic

    Level 6 chocoholic

    Member since 29/07/2001

    Reviews written: 130

    4 Stars Tick_tock_tick_tock 12/04/2004
    User recommends the product

    Advantages Advantages Learning nadsat, making use of the grey matter!

    Disadvantages Disadvantages Disturbing violence

    I own the 1972 Penguin Books edition with the distinctive cover designed by David Pelham. As I'm on holiday I thought it would be nice to reread this classic by Anthony Burgess. ANTHONY BURGESS Born John Anthony Burgess Wilson in 1917. Amazingly enough the man was in the Army for six years, then worked in education and only wrote books in his spare time. It was only in 1959 that Burgess turned writing into a fulltime occupation. This was because he was diagnosed as having terminal disease and given only a year to live. In this groundbreaking year he wrote five brilliant novels, and thankfully ... more
  • 57 of 57 Ciao users found the following review helpful
    Picture of emmaewok

    emmaewok

    5 Stars Sex, Drugs and....Beethoven??? 28/02/2005
    User recommends the product

    Advantages Advantages Makes you think

    Disadvantages Disadvantages Not the nicest subject matters ever

    I can’t remember why I brought this book, I just remember my 13 year old self dragging my mother round Waterstones in South Kensington, telling her we weren’t leaving the shop until we found it. Then 3 pages into it on the tube, wondering what on earth I had done. However, Ten years on and at least 30 re-reads later, although my book is looking remarkably dog-eared, I am still glad I brought this book. I adore this book, I will rave to strangers on trains about it and give copies away to the needy. The needy of course being those who still need to read it. Although it is not a very long novel ... more
  • 80 of 80 Ciao users found the following review helpful
    Picture of Kirsty1

    Level 7 Kirsty1

    Member since 23/05/2002

    Reviews written: 165

    5 Stars Can you pony this..? 07/11/2002
    User recommends the product

    Advantages Advantages A marvellous language and a wonderful concept...

    Disadvantages Disadvantages Not for the faint-hearted...

    Hello my Ciaoing droogs, I want to govoreet to you about Nadsat, so pour yourselves a long cold peet of breakfast moloko or a steaming chasha of chai to go with your eggiwegs and soldiers and I’ll begin. Do you think Kirsty1 has gone a bit bezoomny? Well you may be right. But before you ookadeet entirely cheeching “gloopy chepooka” let me tell you chellovecks something: I make no appy polly loggy for chumbling along in genuine Nadsat. What’s more I won’t be giving you a polyclef for every single slovo so no doubt you will soon all be platching in frustration over this oozhassny malenky opinion ... more
  • 33 of 33 Ciao users found the following review helpful
    Picture of Alex6655321

    Alex6655321

    5 Stars What's it going to be then, eh... 20/05/2003
    User recommends the product

    Advantages Advantages Innovative and thought-provoking.

    Disadvantages Disadvantages Ultraviolent. Language may prove inaccessible.

    I know this review has been done before, but I thought I might as well give my opinion on the book that I pinched my Ciao username from* - not because I identified with the ultraviolent ways of the main character, you understand, but rather because I thought it was kewl ;-) p.s. didn't intend for this to be so long(!) so please bear with me. THE AUTHOR - ANTHONY BURGESS Born in Manchester, 1917, John Anthony Burgess Wilson displayed a high level of interest in literature and music from an early age. He served in the army for six years, and then occupied several teaching and other educational ... more
  • 13 of 13 Ciao users found the following review helpful
    Picture of cobadee

    cobadee

    5 Stars Kupet this book or receive a tolchock. 21/10/2007
    User recommends the product

    Advantages Advantages Everything

    Disadvantages Disadvantages Slang will make many put this book down immediately.

    A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess is probably my favorite novel of all time, yet I rarely find myself recommending this book to my friends. With other favorite books of mine, like Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse Five and King's Misery, I found myself recommending them to everyone. Why won't I recommend A Clockwork Orange to everyone? Well, it takes dedication to read. The book is only about 200 pages yet it will probably take you about as much time as a 400 page book. Why is it such a challenging book to read? Well here is an average outtake from the book: But then I counted odin dva tree and ... more
  • 5 of 5 Ciao users found the following review helpful
    Picture of rose_of_sharon

    rose_of_sharon

    5 Stars Clockwork Codswallop 20/05/2001
    User recommends the product

    Advantages Advantages As literature, immensely entertaining…

    Disadvantages Disadvantages As philosophy and science, infantile.

    *A Clockwork Orange* is the story, written in an invented slang of miscegenated Russian and cockney, of a juvenile delinquent called Alex who wounds and rapes for kicks in between worshipping at the shrines of Ludwig V. and Wolfgang M. After many bloody adventures with his droogies, he is caught by the police and conditioned by government scientists to respond with nausea to the merest thought of violence. Unfortunately, because the films of concentration camps and Japanese atrocities with which they condition him are accompanied by classical music, he also responds with nausea to the merest ... more
  • 2 of 2 Ciao users found the following review helpful
    Picture of Lewman

    Lewman

    5 Stars Possibly the most importnat book ever 12/07/2000
    User recommends the product

    Advantages Advantages A really great read

    Disadvantages Disadvantages None

    It's been some years since I've read ACO. But the memory of it will always remain in my mind. It tells the story of Alex, a teenager who robs and pillages, rapes and commit's acts of ultra-violence with his band of friends. This continues on a daily basis until he is eventually caught during one such incident. He is then put through a therapy that will undo his maniac intent, but at what cost? This book surveys the messages of human nature, whether we as people are right in controlling one another. It is as satiriacal today, as it's ever been. Maybe more so in today's society. An incredible ... more
  • 12 of 12 Ciao users found the following review helpful
    Picture of mrbibbly

    mrbibbly

    5 Stars Beauty Born From Chaos 05/02/2001
    User recommends the product

    Advantages Advantages Visionary,original and well written

    Disadvantages Disadvantages the language can be tough going at times...

    Yes,you've heard the hype and you might have even seen the film.Nothing can quite prepare you for this book however... Set in the near future the novel "A Clockwork Orange" was born out of Anthony Burgesses' brutal experience of yob culture. It centres around a 14 year old delinquent called Alex,who brutally rapes, commits "ultraviolence" and generally terrorises all the public that he meets. It is written in a bizzare spoken language, with Alex as the narrator. The book details about his exploits with his gang (droogs), his eventual set-up by the gang and arrest. After his arrest he agrees to ... more
  • 4 of 4 Ciao users found the following review helpful
    Picture of gayleb

    gayleb

    5 Stars Really makes you think 16/07/2000
    User recommends the product
    I initially found this book kind of hard to read as part of the book is written in a strange language with words such as "rookers" for hands. However once you really get into the book the language is no longer a problem you quickly pick it up. The book is pretty addictive especially when you get to around the middle and end of the book. The story is unpredictable which keeps you reading and has plenty of twists and turns to hold your attention. The theme of the book is about freewill and this is highlighted by the extreme nature of the action. An excelent book although I found the ending ... more
  • 6 of 7 Ciao users found the following review helpful
    Picture of munky7

    munky7

    5 Stars Clockwork Orange Rules 20/03/2001
    User recommends the product

    Advantages Advantages Hard to put down

    Disadvantages Disadvantages May be to violent for some readers

    A Clockwork Orange, published in 1962, is probably Anthony Burgress's best known novel. The story takes a first person look at the protagonist's journey from teenage hoodlum, to model citizen, back to an improved hoodlum. Burgess uses his command of language to tell the story of Alex, the leader of a teenage gang, whose nights are consumed by pure violence. Alex and gang steal cars, rape women, beat and rob stores, fight rival gangs and much more. Although the book is violent, Burgess uses this violence to demonstrate government's "quick" fix attempts to "cure todays youth". As well, the ... more
Previous page Next page Page 1 of 3 | 1 to 10 out of 25 Review(s)

Compare prices

for A Clockwork Orange - Anthony Burgess
Compare all 11 prices