Obviously, this book was Golding's way of expressing his horror at the violence and chaos of the war he was living through, but doing it indirectly and through a medium that would be much more shocking to the reader- children. I actually found it, too to be an expose about children themselves and the dangers of requiring them to make decisions that they are not developmentally ready for.

As for Golding's style itself, it isn't really my favorite. I tend to like more flowing, pretty, descriptive writing. But there is something to be said for his straightforward, direct use of language in this book. I think this book needs that kind of writing. The situations become so chaotic and shocking, that a bald, undecorated narration seems best.

As to whether I liked it... I thought it was interesting. I'm glad I read it. But personally I'm not too excited about reading the classics right at this moment. I'm taking a college lit class and reading/reviewing this piece sort of felt like homework (except for the fact that our Lit professor would never assign us a book this interesting)