Oh boy, I'm so proud of myself for fighting through this book and finishing it within a week. 
 I'm from Germany, so no native English or Russian speaker and diving into this story with no knowledge about the plot/ background/ movie adaption etc. I was just overwhelmed. During the first twenty pages I barely understood a word (... Did they just gang rape that woman or what was that about? ...) and I had to read online chapter summaries to control my understanding. 
 20 pages in I decided to put the book down and read some light-hearted graphic novels (SEX CRIMINALS :D) but I couldn't stop thinking about this novel, it was tempting me and of course it was very frustrating (and a bit embarassing) that I had this language barrier. So I decided to tackle it. 
 My battle plan 
 1 read something about the author and his intentions 
 2 read something about the plot itself 
 3 check some nadsat - english translation (BOY THAT HELPED) 
 4 pick the book back up again 
 I succeeded in all points and was more excited for this story than every before (... So this book isn't just about pointless violence expressed in a queer way ... This could even classify as a Classic Dystopia ... What? YAAAASSSS!) 
 My reading pace was still very slow in the First Part of the Book. It was very unsettling to read about this Ultra-violence and how unreasonable Alex was (that scene with the two 10-year-olds... Uggghh what nightmares are made of! A real shocker!). 
 The Second and Third Part of the book I enjoyeeeeed sooooo much. Oh my god, the plot was captivating and the big question (IS IT BETTER TO BE BAD OR TO BE CONDITIONED GOOD?) is very thought-provoking. I still havn't figured an answer to that out for myself. 
 A big reason as of why I enjoyed Part II and III more was the usage of "normal" english (how the doctors and politicians spoke) (easily understandable for me, Yay) and the realization that I managed to pick up some of the nadsat slang Alex used. 
 Alex is such a tragic figure. Not a hero. Not a likeable person. Not a GOOD person. But yet somehow I managed to feel for him and sympathize with him (sometimes) which is an unsettling experience. 
 I'm so glad I didn't give up on this book. It was such an unusual and interesting read! 
 --- 
 Should I check the movie out?