I've attempted this beast before, but quickly decided you need a freakin' cipher to decode it. The language used is an obscure future-slang and you have to use context clues to figure it out. I actually started a list of the words and my definitions...ended up with 3 columns on a post-it.
If you've seen the movie, you know it's super violent, involving rape, people being beaten, and pretty much any graphic content you can imagine. As much as I complained about the slang, that's what saved this book for me. What it has going for it is that the weird language had me unscrambling what they were saying, so I was responding more intellectually than emotionally, if that makes sense. If regular English would have been used, it probably would've been too much.
I ended up enjoying this one, which surprised me. The edition I have includes an extra final chapter that Burgess added to the British version originally...so it ends differently than the film. And I prefer the book ending...but I kind of hated the movie.
Favorite passages:
- "Oh, just to keep walking," I said, "and viddy what turns up, O my little brothers."
- But, brothers, this biting of their toenails over what is the cause of badness is what turns me into a fine laughing malchick. They don't go into what is the cause of goodness, so why of the other shop?
Rating: 7/10
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