Lord of the Flies

By William Golding

Book Overview

Before The Hunger Games there was Lord of the Flies

Lord of the Flies remains as provocative today as when it was first published in 1954, igniting passionate debate with its startling, brutal portrait of human nature. Though critically acclaimed, it was largely ignored upon its initial publication. Yet soon it became a cult favorite among both students and literary critics who compared it to J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye in its influence on modern thought and literature.

William Golding's compelling story about a group of very ordinary small boys marooned on a coral island has become a modern classic. At first it seems as though it is all going to be great fun; but the fun before long becomes furious and life on the island turns into a nightmare of panic and death. As ordinary standards of behaviour collapse, the whole world the boys know collapses with them--the world of cricket and homework and adventure stories--and another world is revealed beneath, primitive and terrible.Labeled a parable, an allegory, a myth, a morality tale, a parody, a political treatise, even a vision of the apocalypse, Lord of the Flies has established itself as a true classic.

"Lord of the Flies is one of my favorite books. That was a big influence on me as a teenager, I still read it every couple of years."
--Suzanne Collins, author of The Hunger Games

"As exciting, relevant, and thought-provoking now as it was when Golding published it in 1954."
--Stephen King

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1573226122
• ISBN13: 9781573226127
• Release Date: August 1997
• Publisher: Penguin Books
• Length: 272 Pages
• Weight: 0.58 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.5" x 8.3"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 12 and higher

Customer Reviews

classic for a reason

I've always loved this one.

A must read classic

William golding tells this story so thoroughly. The book starts out cute and charming and ends brutally. I really enjoyed it. This is a great book and a strong piece if literature that I think everyone should pick up at least once In their life

"All we have are the rules."

Ever fantasize that you are on an island free from the restraints of society? William Golding has taken that scenario to the nth degree in this story of a bunch of English boys whose plane wrecked on an island during WWII. We see the fabric of society slowly and most assuredly ripping as the rules are discarded one by one. Golding is very graphic in his description of the demise of pigs and plants. One will never look at fun and games in the same way. In some places, this is mandatory reading as a classic; in other places, it is banned. The book is best known for what it says, not how it says it. In any case, you must read for cultural literature knowledge.

“Very good condition”

Wouldn’t say that it’s in very good condition. Pretty rough shape very old copy.

A classic good read

As someone who is picky with fiction, I genuinely enjoyed every part of this book; I rarely found myself bored and loved reading all the annotations left my the previous reader, it made it so much more immersive and fun

A really enjoyable book

English is not my native language, but now I see why they recommend this book to students. It was really really worth it for me to give it a try.

Sooo Good!

This was a required book for my lit class. I enjoyed it so much I regret not buying a copy. Even the kids who don't usually enjoy reading books for class enjoyed this book.

High School

Many of us were forced to read this novel in High School English class. I am glad I had to read this book, it made me think, but I remember it being gruesome as well!!