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The Lord of the Flies (Penguin) | 
 enlarge | Author: William Golding
Creator: Tim Pigott-smith
Publisher: Penguin Audiobooks
Category: Book
List Price: £9.99
Buy New: £4.00
You Save: £5.99 (60%)
New (23) Used (6) Collectible (1) from £4.00
Rating:  83 reviews
Sales Rank: 10006
Format: Audiobook
Media: Audio CD
Edition: Abridged Ed
Pages: 3
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 5.4 x 4.9 x 1
ISBN: 0141800968
Dewey Decimal Number: 813
EAN: 9780141800967
ASIN: 0141800968
Publication Date: September 2, 1999
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
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Amazon.co.uk Review
Lord of the Flies , William Golding's classic tale about a group of English schoolboys who are plane-wrecked on a deserted island, is just as chilling and relevant today as when it was first published in 1954. At first, the stranded boys cooperate, attempting to gather food, make shelters, and maintain signal fires. Overseeing their efforts are Ralph, "the boy with fair hair," and Piggy, Ralph's chubby, wisdom-dispensing sidekick whose thick spectacles come in handy for lighting fires. Although Ralph tries to impose order and delegate responsibility, there are many in their number who would rather swim, play, or hunt the island's wild pig population. Soon Ralph's rules are being ignored or challenged outright. His fiercest antagonist is Jack, the redheaded leader of the pig hunters, who manages to lure away many of the boys to join his band of painted savages. The situation deteriorates as the trappings of civilization continue to fall away, until Ralph discovers that instead of being hunters, he and Piggy have become the hunted: "He forgot his words, his hunger and thirst, and became fear; hopeless fear on flying feet." Golding's gripping novel explores the boundary between human reason and animal instinct, all on the brutal playing field of adolescent competition. --Jennifer Hubert
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| Customer Reviews: Read 78 more reviews...
 Great Book June 19, 2008
Jess (England)
I have just finished my GCSEs and I had to study this book. This is a novel not to be missed. The plot, you'd think, is simple enough. Some young boys are stranded on an island in the middle of the war. But there are many hidden meanings within the story, those of dictatorship, savagery and the true but terrible understanding of the "Beast". I think Golding does a wonderful job in portraying each of the characters; Ralph, Jack, Piggy etc. This book was written as a response to "Corral Island" and Golding wished to show what he thought would happen if young boys were put on a tropical island, without adults to enforce law and order. Throughout the novel, you are able to witness the change the boys go through at being left to their own devices. There is constant rivalry between Jack and Ralph, which becomes more brutal and prominant.
This is a classic read and not to be missed!
A Must Read May 25, 2008
Mrs. K. A. Wheatley (Leicester, UK)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I think this book is ruined for many people by it being forced upon them at school. Luckily I was one of the few that didn't have to read it, I chose to read it after reading The Inheritors and loving it.
Golding's prose style is deceptively simple and masks his true feel for the complexity of human emotion and interaction. This book is rather like watching a slow train crash, inexorable, horrible, and yet you're unable to turn your eyes away from it. The destruction of the world which forces the children onto the island in the first place is enacted in microcosm as the fragile society that Ralph as the elected leader tries to build is slowly eroded and descends into brutality, madness, violence and death.
It's not a cheery read, but it is brilliantly written, totally absorbing and you can see why it has become the classic it is.
Brilliant May 19, 2008
C. L. Heffer (UK)
Had to read this to school and I've never loved reading a book thats been forced on me so much. The story is imaginative and questions the need for rules in society and the way people regress to savages without much help. The characters are persued well, considering the books length, and there are times when you feel the same as the boys in the story, you can connect and understand the aspects of human nature the whole way through. I suppose it is slightly dated but considering when it was written and the fact that class and society is a theme that's not surprising. A good book, a bit like vintage Battle Royale, read it.
"The world, that understandable and lawful world, was slipping away." May 14, 2008
DangermouseZilla (Doncaster, Yorkshire, UK.)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
It's difficult to write a concise review for a book which touches so many issues and represents so many different ideas.
There are definite religious and political parallels drawn in Lord of The Flies, and the idea of how a society thrown together in a loose semblance of democratic order can quickly break down and become savage has since (and indeed before) provided a good spine for a story.
The real strength of this book however is the human story. A novel dealing with young boys stranded on an island was always going to be emotive - and Golding seems to have steered away from making the book over sentimental. This maybe takes away some of the raw emotion the reader ought to feel, but it also makes the book feel more authoritative - strengthening the underlying political messages.
Central to the book is the relationship between Ralph and Piggy. Ralph being the broody leader of the group; the nearest thing to an adult mind. And Piggy being his aide, albeit not officially - him being the only boy able to unite the group, even if it is a union of mockery. There are some tense moments in the book, particularly towards the end where there is a struggle for power between Ralph and choir-boy-turned-bad, Jack.
Golding manages to use subtle devices to convey a wider meaning with only a few words, or a simple gesture. The way the boys simply deny an event happened to ignore the horror of their actions. The way the conch shell seems to symbolise power, and how an innocent uttering can be loaded with vitriol.
It's the power-struggle and the desire to know the ultimate fate of the boys on the island which compel the reader to read on. This is a fascinating read and it plays on your mind for a while afterwards. The ending seemed a little flat, almost too convenient, but it also vilified Ralph's constant request to keep the fire burning.
 am I missing the point? April 28, 2008
Mr. Paul R. Stearne
1 out of 3 found this review helpful
Found it very hard to get excited about this book. The prose doesn't seem to exactly sizzle and it was tough trying to empathise with the characters. I found myself longing for something interesting to happen but it never came.
I'm well aware of the parallels Golding was trying to draw between the behaviour of the children and the real world. Countless essays have explored in depth of relationships between the characters as their plight worsens, so without a doubt it does stand up to critical analysis.
But it also 'does' bore me.
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