A Clockwork Orange

By: Anthony Burgess

Narrated by: Tom Hollander

Length: 7 hrs and 44 mins

Publisher's summary

A vicious 15-year-old "droog" is the central character of this 1963 classic. In Anthony Burgess' nightmare vision of the future, where the criminals take over after dark, the story is told by the central character, Alex, who talks in a brutal, invented slang that brilliantly renders his and his friends' social pathology.

A Clockwork Orange is a frightening fable about good and evil, and the meaning of human freedom. When the state undertakes to reform Alex to "redeem" him, the novel asks, "At what cost?"

This edition includes the controversial last chapter not published in the first edition, as well as Burgess' introduction, "A Clockwork Orange Resucked".

©1962, 1986 The Estate of Anthony Burgess (P)2007 HarperCollins Publishers

Critic reviews

"I do not know of any other writer who has done as much with language as Mr. Burgess has done here - the fact that this is also a very funny book may pass unnoticed." (William S. Burroughs)

What a read!

This book is very interesting. It took a while to get used to it. mainly because of the accent and the slang being used. I started off feeling iffy about Hollander's narration, but I got the hang of it a few chapters in and I was able to keep up. The slang also started to make sense once I figured out what some of the terms meant using context clues. This is the type of book that I love. One that leaves you with thoughts and questions long after finishing it. And one to be revisited repeatedly. I really dig the Nadsat slang, and I'm almost tempted to start using it in my real life. Is it better to let a person change their heart and actions naturally, or should change be imposed onto them? That's the question This book asks. The story does a great job at pulling your emotions. Making you dislike Alex, as well as feel sorry for him at times as well. The thoughts about good and evil that this book influences are great for conversation, and can be applied to real life. I totally recommend this book to everyone!!

Narrator

Anthony Burgess should have narrated this book. The last excerpt was read in a way that was more understanding than the person they hired to do the job. "Youth is wasted on the Young". Would be my explanation of the book. Tough to get there language but a good read in the end. Dark

Wonderful story with an amazing performance!

The story was a great read/listen of freedom of man and violence. The voice acting was so immersive with the accents that when I watched the movie after I felt like it was a watered down experience.

excellent though depressing

Great story. Very engaging to listen to the misdeeds of the main character and the consequences of his actions. But so depressing if you take it to heart - regardless of the final chapter which plops a cherry of hope on the steaming pile of dung that is human nature.

Great narration. And an encore of a small piece of the book at the end - i believe by the writer? Ironically my copy of this audio book had a 'get kids into reading' message on it. I sincerely hope no young children get ahold of this piece.

Brilliant!!!

Welly welly welly welly welly well.. What a fine piece of work.

As a twelve year old I found this book under my aunts bed and of course, went straight to the photos in the middle. Years later I vidded the flick and was fascinated.

I thoroughly enjoyed listneing to this, after watching the movie a million times over the last 25 years. The final chapter makes so much sense

Real horrorshow..Thanks

Not as good as I thought it would be

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

I have not read the print version but I would have probably enjoyed it better. There were too many slang words being said that I don't know how to spell so I can't look them up. Hearing a really British accent saying British slang didn't make for easy listening.

What did you like best about this story?

I really liked the descriptions of the clothes and fashion of the era.

Have you listened to any of Tom Hollander’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

This was my first time listening to Tom Hollander. He did a great job of bringing an excitement to the narration that fit the storyline.

If you could take any character from A Clockwork Orange out to dinner, who would it be and why?

Clearly it would be Alex. Although lethal, he'd be fun to talk about music with.

Any additional comments?

The last hour of the narration is of the author reading 3 chapters from the book. So the actual story isn't as long as described. It also has a pretty long introduction that is important to hear because it tells the listener an important fact about the end of the UK novel, US novel, and film.

NOT A BOOK FOR EVERYONE

If you could sum up A Clockwork Orange in three words, what would they be?

NOT PLAIN ENGLISH

Who was your favorite character and why?

I HAD NO FAVE.

What does Tom Hollander bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

IT MUST BE HARD TALKING IN CODE ENGLISH. TOOK A WILE TO FIGURE THINGS OUT.

If you could take any character from A Clockwork Orange out to dinner, who would it be and why?

ALEX'S PARENTS AND ASK THEM WHAT IT WAS LIKE TO HAVE A SON LIKE ALEX THEY WERE AFRAID OF HIM.

Any additional comments?

IT WOULD BE MUCH MORE ENJOYABLE WITH PLAIN ENGLISH. IT WAS QUITE VIOLENT. I WOULD LIKE TO UNDERSTAND WHY THESE KIDS WERE SO SADISTIC.

A must read

This is a classic science fiction/commentary on civilization type story in the style of the book "1984".
This is truly a classic book and should be read. It is not particularly long and worth the read. An excellent book for high school or college reading courses.

Excellent! Bravo!

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

I did not read the print version. I can't imagine the print version being better than this.

What was one of the most memorable moments of A Clockwork Orange?

When he reaps what he sows.

Which character – as performed by Tom Hollander – was your favorite?

Alex.

If you could take any character from A Clockwork Orange out to dinner, who would it be and why?

Alex. He would be very interesting to talk with.

Any additional comments?

This is what a good reader and good book can do. Keep it up!

Awesomely SICK! Real Horror-Show type, I loved it!

What made the experience of listening to A Clockwork Orange the most enjoyable?

The need to find a dictionary with his new words in it.

What about Tom Hollander’s performance did you like?

The voices and easiness of the vocabulary.