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A Clockwork Orange

By: Anthony Burgess
Narrated by: Tom Hollander
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Summary

In this 1962 classic, a novelistic exploration of modern crime and punishment, Alex is the 15-year-old leader of his gang of "droogs" thriving in the ultraviolent future, as prophetically imagined by Burgess. Speaking a bizarre Russian-derived slang, Alex and his friends freely pillage and slash their way across a nightmarish urban landscape until Alex is captured by the judicial arm of the state. He then becomes their prized guinea pig in a scientific program to completely "redeem" him for society.

If we had the power of absolute criminal reform, what, the novel asks, would this mean for our ideals of freedom and society? This edition reinstates the final chapter missing from Kubrick's film, in which Alex is on the verge of starting a family as he reflects on - and completely rejects - his adolescent nastiness. It also includes Burgess's introduction "A Clockwork Orange Resucked".

©1962 The Estate of Anthony Burgess (P)2010 Random House Audiobooks
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What listeners say about A Clockwork Orange

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    3 out of 5 stars

Hard to describe how I feel about it

I found it extremely hard to read therefore download audible to listen to it I do quite like the book although it isn’t a nice thing to read/listen to.I had to read it due to an essay I was writing for Alevel English literature with the theory of Marxism. It was extremely good book to examine and pull apart I got a B overall if that helps 😂 an interesting listen if nothing else

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brilliant

Excellent, you will love or hate it, I love it! Great narrator as well.

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  • Overall
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Hard to absorb it without thinking of the film

Would you consider the audio edition of A Clockwork Orange to be better than the print version?

haven't read the book

Which scene did you most enjoy?

The book is famous for its displays of graphic violence yet the majority of the book focuses on the moral aspects of controlling someone's free will, despite the individual being a criminal likely to cause more violence.

Any additional comments?

Interesting to listen to the original book as the film is so famous with so many connotations connected.What is particularly interesting is the reading by Anthony Burgess himself at the end. The characters in the film and the narrator Tom Hollander portray our humble narrator as resident of London with a slight cockney twang - yet Burgesses voice is a thick northern gruff. Burgess himself expresses this isn't one of his finest novels and had found fame from the movie. I could go on to identify some areas where there is a lack of imagination in the development of the story (for example meeting exactly the same characters from before prison, when out of prison) but I feel here the end is what matters, not so much the means of getting there.It is far from a perfect novel, but does bring some interesting aspects on the moral implications of conditioning.

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The "who ha". I think I get it know.

It's been like reading a foreign language book, that after a while you " be get" to understand - Bazaar. This book has been in the background of my years of life and I eventually got around to reading it. What a read. I now understand why there was /is so much hype. More questions are being asked than answered. For me the story has a parallel with Trainspotting. The language, drugs and violence all apparent, but also the youth. I now need to catch the film of this book to understand how they ended the film. Since they missed the last chapter. Also I never knew Antony was from "up North".

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Great

This is definitely one of those books which are much better to listen than to read. Amazing and intriguing story very well performed by Tom Hollander

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The narrator does an excellent job

Once I had gotten used to the weird slang, I really enjoyed the style. The narrator’s performance is excellent; I imagine if I was actually reading this book I would have struggled a little more with the language. It reminded me of David Firth videos.
An entertaining listen, I got through it fast!

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Chapter 22 . Anthony Burgess reads chapters 1,2&4 brilliantly..

My favourite book and I dearly wish he had read it all, delivered as he imagined it and moulded it into A Clockwork Orange .
I’ll take a glass of Moloko and synthemesc, drencrom or velocet and then happily itty out on my oddy knocky into the chill winter bastard with my pods in my oomnys while listening to his golloss .
The main narrator does a good job but influenced by Malcolm and of course how couldn’t he be ..

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Tom Hollander made me actually finish this book.

I always found this a difficult read, but the narrator has done it this book justice.

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Very thought provoking but not for everyone

Incredible performance and dealt with with thought provoking subjects. Uses very strong London slang too so you may find allot of the phrases difficult to interperet. Not for everyone but leaves you thinking afterwards and I'm glad I got to experience the infamous 21st chapter. However there is allot of sexual content, along with brief paedophilia in places and very graphic violence. so if your very uncomfortable with those subjects, this isn't for you.

Glad I finally got round to listening to it, and the performance with completely flawless, as if Alex himself was telling his story.

I you enjoyed the film, this is for you

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perfect narrator

great book and brilliant narrator who really helped make sense out of the nonsense. would recommend reading along with him.

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