Community Reviews
Re-read this as a follow on from reading the Poisonwood Bible and looking into the Congo, King Leopold, etc.
Wow this book is amazing. Sometimes Conrad pours it on a little with "impenetrable" terror and horror and very mysterious descriptions, but honestly it feels appropriate. I can't decide if I wish there were more details about Kurtz' ideas or if leaving them implicit and vague enough to be read into makes the story more interesting for a wider readership later down the years. I think probably the latter.
He wrote this in English, which was his THIRD LANGUAGE. Insane.
Oh and apparently most of the stuff in here that might seem shocking is really very tame compared to what was actually going on - by a factor of like 100. But the story is largely autobiographical until you get to the figure of Kurtz.
Any way, it's an absolute travesty this somehow has a sub-4 average. I would guess it's people applying modern standards of representation to a 1905 work, which is dubious if you ask me. If it were all you could read, I'd be disappointed too, but it turns out I can read both this book AND Things Fall Apart (for example).
Wow this book is amazing. Sometimes Conrad pours it on a little with "impenetrable" terror and horror and very mysterious descriptions, but honestly it feels appropriate. I can't decide if I wish there were more details about Kurtz' ideas or if leaving them implicit and vague enough to be read into makes the story more interesting for a wider readership later down the years. I think probably the latter.
He wrote this in English, which was his THIRD LANGUAGE. Insane.
Oh and apparently most of the stuff in here that might seem shocking is really very tame compared to what was actually going on - by a factor of like 100. But the story is largely autobiographical until you get to the figure of Kurtz.
Any way, it's an absolute travesty this somehow has a sub-4 average. I would guess it's people applying modern standards of representation to a 1905 work, which is dubious if you ask me. If it were all you could read, I'd be disappointed too, but it turns out I can read both this book AND Things Fall Apart (for example).
See why thousands of readers are using Bookclubs to stay connected.