A Clockwork Orange

“When a man cannot choose, he ceases to be a man.”

In a dystopian future, where everyone works for the good of the state, a group of teens take some drugs and wreak havoc - and Burgess creates Ultra-Violence.

I've read this before and I remember that the language alienated me so that I couldn't get into the story. Not this time, I was so engrossed that nearing the end I didn't want to read any further for fear of what was to come!
I found the words flowed like music (apt considering Burgess' dream to fuse the two) lifting the story to a higher level, drawing me in to the strange world and terrifying mind of Alex, your Humble Narrator.
The beauty of the language is juxtaposed with the horrific violence graphically described throughout. Worsened somehow by Alex's lack of emotional attachment to his crimes, they are just something for him to do with his time.
The apparent hopelessness is echoed by the near repetition of the first chapter at the end. But there IS a glimpse of light as Alex decides to turn his back on the lifestyle (unless you are reading the US version which excludes the final chapter).

I've made it sound awful but it's not, it's visceral and real and you are trapped there, inside Alex's head with all the sights and the music - so when it ends you feel like a bucket of water has been poured over you. And you want to go back and do it all again.