Heart of Darkness (Dover Thrift Editions) by Joseph Conrad Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Heart of Darkness (Dover Thrift Editions)
Book Review: Must Read and Re-read
Summary: 5 Stars
"We live in the flicker." Need I say any more? As much meaning as can be packed into just over 100 pages. Best read in a quiet place with a good bottle of red wine at your side. Not for the weak of mind or heart. Be prepared to discover. Book Review: the darkness of man has never been so ....dark
Summary: 5 Stars
This book will take you on a journey and as you go deeper into the jungle you fall deeper into the dept of mans corruptibility. This book is brutal and honest. Marlow is the type of good man that does nothing and his goal is the type of man that has fallen from everything. Marlow ends up seeing the very essence of the darkness of men. You realize that he too could be corrupted just as easily by this evil that has stolen his targets soul. I too felt that I could be corrupted by the same evil if I was in their place. That is the scariest thing of all. I felt disgustingly empowered by this book and by the end I had chills down my spine at the absurdity of that perceived power and the great cost it took on all the innocents around it. Book Review: Going Deep into the Heart of Darkness
Summary: 3 Stars
After reading Heart of Darkness, one of English Literature's great works, one question will come to the reader's mind: Are people really that heartless? An allusion to the imperialism era, Joseph Conrad centers the story of Marlow's adventure into the African jungle with story of human corruption, greed, and lust for power. Readers are just like the main character, Marlow, as the reader and he not only will learn, but also be disturbed by the dark secret of Kurtz; the secret of Kurtz's obsession for ivory and god-like status. But more interestingly, Joseph Conrad uses highly eccentric character development. What keeps this suspense in the story is that the author does not establish a clear and solid connection between the reader and the characters. Even though Marlow and Kurtz's character is revealed to some extent, the reader will have a hard time figuring out who the characters really are. For example, the readers will be perplexed by the two side of Kurtz: one is the multi-talented Kurtz who had come to help "civilize" Africa and other is the sick, brutal, and insane man who wants nothing but money and power. As the plot thickens, interestingly, the readers will notice the increasing darkness surrounding them as the imagery of shadows and blackness is more prevalent as the famous last words of Kurtz will disturb its listeners.
These are some components of the Joseph Conrad brilliant style that are hidden deep within the story just waiting for the readers to explore. Readers must think critically as they read this novel or they will find this novel boring and difficult. However, every reader will understand and be marveled, yet troubled, by the Joseph Conrad's portray of heartless and materialistic human civilization; the real Heart of Darkness.
Book Review: Deep
Summary: 5 Stars
Many have complained that Heart of Darkness is difficult to read or that it doesn't make sense, but I think such reviewers miss the point of this novel. It is a deeply psychological novel, rather than a straightforward adventure story. As a psychological novel, there are lots of impressions, and a certain amount of jumping around within Marlow's consciousness. It is definitely worth reading to gain some insight on how man reacts when seperated from his civil society, and how the forces of colonialism corrupt those who come in contact with it. Check it out but be prepared for a wierd experience.Book Review: One should have been shorter; one longer.
Summary: 2 Stars
As Elaine would say, Heart of Darkness is an enigma. There are moments in this novella that are sheer beauty of prose. But they are few and very far between. Basically, it is a story being told by one man, Marlow (a Conrad regular,) to three others. Throughout the telling, which is on board ship in the darkness of night waiting for the tide to change on the Thames, Marlow can't often tell if his listeners are awake or asleep. It is easy to understand why they would be asleep: most of what he says is nonsensical. For 40 years I was a broadcaster and have found that I can often understand concepts I don't grasp while reading silently when I read them aloud. I tried this often during this book and the passages still didn't make sense. Long sentences grouped together in lengthy paragraphs that just don't seem to have a point. There are points made: the rape of a continent by the white industrialist, the inhumane treatment of the natives, the class conscious attitude of the Brits. But, the nut of the story could be told in a couple of paragraphs: the rescue of a dying agent in darkest Africa. Thankfully, Conrad chose the shorter novel form not a full-length book. Reading this is like devouring a bowl of spinach ice cream for the three or four chocolate chips buried deep inside. For this tale, one star. On the other hand, in the short novel companion piece The Secret Sharer, we find two interesting characters drawn together on a sailing ship. One is a captain just assigned to a ship in the Sea of Siam; the other, a charged murderer who flees his own ship and swims miles to the new captain's ship. On that night, only the new captain is on deck. He hauls the exhausted seaman aboard, discovers they have so much in common the Captain considers the fugitive his double and vows to help him escape. Whereas Heart of Darkness should have been a short story, there are enough interesting aspects and unresolved issues to make The Secret Sharer the basis of a full-length novel. I give it three stars.