In Conrad's haunting tale, Marlow, a seaman and wanderer, recounts his physical and psychological journey in search of the enigmatic Kurtz. Traveli...
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Jan 14, 2011
elisa
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my recent reading of the poisonwood bible definitely enhanced my reading of this book (for context) because it talks about nearly the same situation - white colonization of the congo, and the ravaging of the land and people by the whites, as well as their lack of understanding of the native people. i had to keep in mind while reading, that it was written in 1899 and it's not fair to judge a writer by today's standards for social justice. i recognize that it might be easier for me to say that a
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Jun 21, 2011
"And this also,' said Marlow suddenly, 'has been one of the dark places of the earth."
And with those words Polish born under Russian occupation Conrad has set us up to see Britain under the Romans as being like the Congo under the Belgians. To grasp that all empires are at best self-deluding and at worst outright lying about their activities and motivations.
The fine words of the noble societies in Brussels degenerate into 'kill them all' by the time their speaker h More...
And with those words Polish born under Russian occupation Conrad has set us up to see Britain under the Romans as being like the Congo under the Belgians. To grasp that all empires are at best self-deluding and at worst outright lying about their activities and motivations.
The fine words of the noble societies in Brussels degenerate into 'kill them all' by the time their speaker h More...
Sep 15, 2009
Zachary
rated it: 
Conrad is one of the most influential writers of the modern era. His narrative and character development set a precedence for nearly everything written in the 20th and 21st century. Along with Steinbeck, I'm not sure I can name another author I enjoy reading more.
I remember HoD being of one those summer reading books that was tortuous in high school. Reading it twelve years later, I'm baffled at how I did not appreciate it more the first time...I'm sure it's due to maturity and expo More...
I remember HoD being of one those summer reading books that was tortuous in high school. Reading it twelve years later, I'm baffled at how I did not appreciate it more the first time...I'm sure it's due to maturity and expo More...
Sep 10, 2011
Kendall
rated it: 
As a combination, these are three stories about life at sea. Seperately, each one has its own tone and underlying agenda.
Because I read these stories over a series of months, I hardly recall "Youth" except that it, obviously, had a very youthful tone of anticipation and excitement. Also a very short read.
"Heart of Darkness" (my real reason for picking this book up in the first place) is more dark and complex in its narration as well as its deeper mean More...
Because I read these stories over a series of months, I hardly recall "Youth" except that it, obviously, had a very youthful tone of anticipation and excitement. Also a very short read.
"Heart of Darkness" (my real reason for picking this book up in the first place) is more dark and complex in its narration as well as its deeper mean More...
Aug 28, 2011
Bernard
rated it:
I'm glad from the start I was unaware of the popular reference or homage to this book - Apocalypse Now. It was difficult at first to get a sense of the plot and the characters, but you get a sense of the adventure that made colonialism appealing to so many (young) men - much like war today offers the same masculine experience. Marlow is an ancient seaman who is telling his story of travelling to Congo with a colonial trading company. Marlow's steady calmness and maturity provides the contrast th
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Jan 14, 2011
Wayne
rated it: 
What a great rich read this is.
From Marlowe's boyhood fascination with maps of unexplored territories,
specifically a tortuous snakelike river its tail lost in a vast country Conrad is already striking ominous notes-"it fascinated me as a snake a bird - a silly little bird." For this romantic naivete will soon disappear when confronted with the brutal reality of colonialism.
We see Marlowe growing in sympathy for what he has considered an alien, inferior and savage race More...
From Marlowe's boyhood fascination with maps of unexplored territories,
specifically a tortuous snakelike river its tail lost in a vast country Conrad is already striking ominous notes-"it fascinated me as a snake a bird - a silly little bird." For this romantic naivete will soon disappear when confronted with the brutal reality of colonialism.
We see Marlowe growing in sympathy for what he has considered an alien, inferior and savage race More...
Sep 14, 2010
Catherine
rated it: 
I hate to admit it, but this book defeated me. If there's one thing I dislike in this world it's starting a book and not finishing it. That said, I could not slog through the end of this book. I enjoyed some of the dark and morbid descriptions, but on the whole I did not really enjoy the story. First of all, this narrative style always annoys me. I don't understand why 19th and early 20th century authors felt the need to tell a story by having the character tell a story. I suppose it's bec
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Jul 07, 2011
Mel
rated it:
The heart of darkness was undoubtedly replicating the true events that transpired in the Belgian Congo. What makes this book so riveting was how Joseph Conrad uses descriptions, styles and his experiences in writing a complex and deeply charged work of literature. He too also discusses how the nature of man is never exonerated of evil, it has tendencies of embedding itself deep within our subconscious and it thrives on our emotions and decisions which results in malevolence, greed and intrigue.
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Jan 14, 2011
Sam
rated it:
This is an enthralling and captivating read. It is well written and surprisingly easy to read given when it was written. It is set in what is referred to as the Dark Continent (Africa) but it shows that the real darkness is within individual men and not a place. It exposes Kurt's ambition to built up a new society to be arrogant and misguided and although the reader never fully knows what happened it is clear that the result was an unspeakable evil that destroys Kurt's ambitions and takes his
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Jan 15, 2012
Sheila
rated it:
This classic has been lounging around in my TBR pile forever. I picked it up over Christmas break, figuring I'd breeze through it in a day or so.
Nope.
It was like wading through wet cement.
The first story, "Youth", actually wasn't too bad. Story #2, "Heart of Darkness", was painful. The third one, "The End of the Tether" - man, I couldn't even finish. I struggled through over 1/2 and finally called it. Conrad's writing is so suff More...
Nope.
It was like wading through wet cement.
The first story, "Youth", actually wasn't too bad. Story #2, "Heart of Darkness", was painful. The third one, "The End of the Tether" - man, I couldn't even finish. I struggled through over 1/2 and finally called it. Conrad's writing is so suff More...
Jul 07, 2011
Tom
rated it:
A book I read because it is considered a classic. The message is good... the whole "falling into madness as one gets deeper into Africa" thing... but his style of writing is just painful to digest. Paragraphs that last well over a page and, when finished, leave you wondering what you just read.
Jun 22, 2011
Lacie
rated it:
Only 99 pages, but The Heart Of Darkness is a journey your mind won't forget, or be able to escape from. Most definitely NOT a light read, but totally incredibe.
Jan 05, 2012
pHil
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
Apr 15, 2009
Diajeng
rated it:
Definitely told us about the humanity, the history of African and its colonialism of the European
Apr 03, 2009
Keith
rated it:
Youth; Heart of Darkness; The End of the Tether (Penguin Classics) by Joseph Conrad (1995)
Jan 07, 2012
James
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Would give this 3 1/2 stars, great stories of the stages of a man's life. Sacrilegious to say that I enjoyed Apocalypse Now more than the story Heart of Darkness?
Jan 14, 2011
Kirsten
rated it:
How have I not read this before? "Heart of Darkness" was, of course, powerful, insightful, etc. etc. I also enjoyed, if less-so, the other two stories in this collection "Youth" and "End of the Tether". I think they give a nice context for the British/European explorer ideal of the time, without which the characters in "Heart of Darkness" might seem less plausible. Nevertheless, this kind of literature (adventure/travelogue) is possibly my least favorite,
Jan 14, 2011
Rebecca
rated it:
The descriptions were too large and too in depth for my liking. I realise Conrad was trying to create mood by them but he failed in my opinion. What I did like was Kurtz's last words: "the horror, the horror!" now that, I think is apporpriate. I would have perhaps like it more if the narrator had told Kurtz's fiance that this was how he used his last breath rather than telling her lies about Kurtz saying her name, but alas, it seems Conrad was less cruel than I.
Jul 06, 2008
John
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"Heart of Darkness" is important, but "Youth" is the real treasure here. One of the greatest short stories in the English language, it's unfortunately too long for certain high school British Literature textbooks. It's also one of the better examples of Conrad's humor ("I thought people who had been blown up deserved more attention."). Great collection.
Jul 29, 2008
Beth
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This wonderful little book combines some of Conrad's best short novels into one book that becomes his exploration of man in all of his ages. Heart of Darkness remains his definitive work, but End of the Tether will surprise you with its beautiful conjunction of symbols and exploration of the father/daughter relationship.
Feb 07, 2008
Ainsley
rated it:
Two-for-one offers are usually crap. You feel like you are getting more, but the add-ons are rubbish, anyway. Not so with this. I brought it for the highly recommended 'Heart of Darkness'(after seeing Apocalypse Now, nach) and ended up also getting absorbed in the short story 'Youth'in a big way. Oozing with sentiment.
Jan 14, 2011
Blake
rated it:
Perhaps it's my lack of knowledge as concerns this part of history? Or worse, perhaps there are fictions that I'm not yet opened too? But this book, while having a wilderness about it's prose, lacked much coherency as far as narrative. It flew over me a little, I suspect. I may read it again someday in future.
Aug 12, 2008
Brian
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I have a different edition of this, but it contains the same stories (mostly). I have only read Youth, thus far. Youth was great. I look forward to reading the rest of the stories in the book.
Jul 07, 2011
Matt
rated it:
This is an excellent collection of Joseph Conrad's stories. The additional stories are just as good as the more famous Heart of Darkness and The Secret Sharer.
Jan 14, 2011
Patty
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I know that this is a classic, but I just found it boring. Just me I guess.
