La taronja mecànica (1962)

Siento que este libro llego a mis manos tarde, tal vez en otro momento el resultado seria otro pero en este se queda así. ( )

The only word that I can find to adequately describe this book is "phenomenal." ( )

This book was really slow going for me. It often felt like wading through mush, and I really feel that I am more of a fan of the concept of Clockwork Orange than actually reading it. Still, it was oddly compelling. I love that the theme of freedom of choice is shown through the lens of someone we are supposed to find repulsive. It's hard to sympathize with Alex at all, and yet the treatment they use on him is more repulsive still. It really made me think on concepts of being human and punishment and free will in a way that a morally refined character couldn't get me to do. I also enjoyed the last chapter that was apparently left out of early American editions. It doesn't precisely redeem Alex, but it does provide a small window to the possibility of change.

I doubt I'll read this again, but I'm glad I read it once. ( )

So in my senior year of AP english we had to read a "classic" novel from this list and then do 20 annotations on it. It was the bane of every senior's existence for 3 months. I was friends with a lot of the kids in the grade above me and remembered that all they would talk about was "annotations this or annotations that" so I was prepared for the suckiness that was to be annotations. For this very reason I chose a short book. It really was nothing more than that. I wanted to not have to spend a lot of time reading cause I knew I would need extra time to write. That, and I sort of hate classic books. (something I am working on changing). So the shorter the better.

I had almost no idea of the contents of this book. I knew it was a dystopian novel about teenage boys and they did some bad stuff. I knew free will was involved.

Holy shit.

Bad stuff, doesn't even begin to cover it. I almost changed books within like the first 10 pages or so. I mean these weirdoes were dressed in idiotic clothing, walking around beating up on old people, stealing, raping 10 year old girls and having themselves a jolly good time. The main character is essentially a shithead. It goes on and he gets caught or something, and they try to "fix" him through these horrible brainwashing techniques that kills his love for classical music (Beethoven I think, its been 4 years since I read it so I don't really remember). I do remember feeling some sympathy for him during the whole brainwashing thing.

The only reason I have some appreciation for this book is because I had to do 20 fucking annotations on it. For a stupid short book about sociopathic teenage boys, it has a lot of articles written about free will and a ton of other stuff that after turning my annotations in, I blocked out of my memory forever. I remember being interested in the topics and things other people had to say about the book. But I also remember hating the book. So, the second star is for you Mrs. Schmitt, you and the horrid annotation project. ( )

This like book is about Alex, a naughty young malchickiwick still only fifteen, that with his droogs ittied down the streets to tolchock who they liked or slashslashslash with their cut-throat britvas, or to do some shop-crasting, to fill their carmans with some cutter. The rozzes finally caught him and locked him up in the the Staja, but when he slooshied a new like treatment that gets you out of prison in no time so that you never go back, he govoreeted with the prison charlie about it, and is chosen as the first to try it.

It is an interessovatting book, if you can look past the humble mumble chumble that's hard to pony, the boohoohoo emotions, the vonny dirty salvos from the rots of malchicks, the red red krovvy ultra-violence, the old in-out in-out, and the sometimes cally and grahzny salvos of Bog and Government with no appy polly loggies. I did not think it was all too horrorshow, but to each veck their own. Three starry stars.

Translation from Nadsat (teenager slang):

This book is about Alex, a rebellious youngster only fifteen years old, who with his friends walked the streets striking who they liked or attacking with their knives, or stealing from shops, to fill their pockets with some money. The police finally caught him and locked him up in the State Jail, but when he heard about a new treatment that gets you out of prison in no time so that you never go back, he talked with the prison chaplain about it, and is chosen as the first to try it.

It is an interesting book, if you can look past the nigh-incomprehensible language that is hard to understand, the heart-string pulling high emotions, the foul language from the mouths of youths, the bloody gore and graphic violence, the sex scenes, and the sometimes bad or disagreeable messages of God and government with no apologies. I did not think it was all too great, but to each person their own. Three stars. ( )