Rating: 
Summary: a delicate picture of rough brutality
Review: After reading this book (along with several other of Conrad's books) I am under the impression that Joseph Conrad may very well be my favorite author. Here is another masterpiece, a deeply incisive study of character of the motivation and the ultimate failure of all high-minded ideals. Granted my own personal world view falls directly in line with this realization and therefore prejudices me towards anything the man might write, but, when considering such a lofty title as 'favorite author' one must regard other aspects of the novelist's creation. As with the others, Conrad wins by the power of his stories.Lord Jim is my least favorite of the the four books I have read by Conrad. The story is rather scattered: a righteous young man does something wrong that he holds himself far too accountable for and the public shame the action brought him exaggerates the reality of his failure and makes him believe the rumors swirling around about his so-called cowardice. He spends the remainder of his life trying to reclaim his self-regard, mostly exaggerating his own importance in matters he hardly understands. His goal is to liberate the primitive people of the jungle paradise he inadvertantly finds himself in (due to an effort to escape every particle of the world he once inhabited) and his once high-minded ideals and regard for himself lead him to allow those people to consider him almost a God. Jim likes being a God and considers himself a just and fair one. He treats everyone equally and gives to his people the knowledge of modern science and medicine as well as the everyday archetecture and understanding of trade that those primitive folks would otherwise be years from comprehending. Of course everything ends in failure and misery and of course Jim's restored name will be returned to its demonic status, but the whole point of the novel seems to me that one can not escape their past. Jim, for all his courage in the line of fire has tried to avoid all memory of the once shameful act of his former life and by doing so becomes destined to repeat his mistakes. Lord Jim is far more expansive than the story it sets out to tell, ultimately giving a warning on the nature of history and general humanity that only a writer of Conrad's statue could hope to help us understand. If there is a flaw it is not one to be taken literally. Conrad was a master of structural experimentation and with Lord Jim he starts with a standard third person narrative to relate the background and personalities of his characters and then somehow merges this into a second person narrative of a man, years from the events he is relating, telling of the legend of Jim. It is a brilliant innovation that starts off a little awkward and might lead to confusion in spots as the story verges into its most important parts under the uncertain guidence of a narrator who, for all his insight into others, seems unwilling to relate his personal relevence to the story he is relating. Nevertheless (with a heartfelt refrain), one of the best books I have ever read.
Rating:
Summary: A flight from conscience
Review: Each one of us has a personal "ideal"...each different in its contours and each varying in its influence on our actions. For the most part, the ideal is hazy and evolving but there are elements which are distinct and rigid...and a compromise on these core principles strikes at the very root of a person's self concept. Most of us are fortunately flexible enough to "adjust" and carry on. For a few, however, the failure to adhere to one's own ideal is as good as a death sentence. Lord Jim is the extraordinary tale of one such extraordinary person. For me the most interesting character of the novel is the narrator himself. Jim is the focal point, of course, and an exceptional character, but quite predictable. The drama of Jim's life after the incident on the Patna is really orchestrated by Marlowe who recognizes the inevitable doom of his friend even as he tries everything in his power to stall it. It is doubtful whether he really wanted to succeed - It is clear at many points in the narrative, that Marlowe was unable to sign off on Jim's character certificate, even in his conversations with others. He represents, in a way, the conscience of the "western world" - the conscience Jim betrays and attempts to flee from. Jim recognizes that and so does Marlowe...but he also loves Jim...so the dilemma is really his - should he allow his friend to redeem his honour in the only acceptable manner or should he prolong Jim's onerous journey through an unforgiving life by creating an illusion of redemption, which he probably knew Jim's stint in Patusan would. He is, therefore, equally a party to the betrayal and Jim's fatal purging is also, to an extent, his own. A wonderful book and a subject equal to Conrad's literary class. The only thing that left a bad taste was the implied superiority of the Westerner's ethics and character. I guess it has to be judged in the context of a period when the "sun never set on the British Empire". Vijay
Rating:
Summary: Where does Joss Ackland end and Joseph Conrad begin?
Review: If you have already listened to Ackland's reading of 'Heart of Darkness' you might suspect that it would be impossible for a rendition of a lesser-known work to live up to the impossibly high standards that the extrraordinary combination of writer and reader had set. Let me put your mind at rest, this is, perhaps to my own surprise, if anything, even better still. Ackland makes Conrad's character's voices entirely his own. The words spring to life and build pictures so vividly that TV, movies and even real life experience are all made to seem less memorable and compelling. The emotions and thoughts of the characters seem so convincing that to reflect upon the fact that this is fiction whilst you are listening to it, is to entertain the unimaginable. Like certain collections of music, the recording is unimpaired by endless replaying. If I could only ever have one audio book, it would be this one.
Rating: 
Summary: Lord Jim
Review: Just after the first few pages I was already a little confused. I think just because I don't think I have ever read a book that was told in third person. Eventually you get used to it, and the fact that his descriptions of almost everything is both extremely detailed and long, perhaps a little too long. I think Conrad just wants us, the reader, to know exactly what is going on and to be focused on the story. Most of Jim's story is told by a fellow seaman(a captain) named Marlow who Jim met at a meeting where Jim loses his hopes and dreams of becoming a "hero of the sea". Jim is a young man who has big plans to become a sea captian, but after pushing through the ranks and becoming chief mate he makes a bad mistake. The ship he was currently boarded, "the Patna", became damaged and without thinking Jim and the rest of the crew abandoned the ship leaving innocents stranded on the boat. This mistake costs Jim his life as a seaman. This is where he meets Marlow, who seems to take interest in Jim. Marlow assists Jim in finding a new way to live in Patusan, where people begin to look up to Jim as their leader. In my opinion I don't really think we are suppose to think of the story as what is so great but looking at Jim the character as what is. I think Jim is a little to full of himself and everytime the memory of the Patna arises he hides in fear like a coward. He thinks he is superhuman for stopping a bandit in his little town. He needs to realize that heros are only in fairy tales. I rated the book three stars because it was a good story, but the book for me was a little too confusing and way to long of a book to get the story he was telling across to everyone. Overall, if your looking for a something to do everynite before you go to sleep then I recommend this book to you.
Rating:
Summary: Lord Jim Review (Lestitian)
Review: Lord Jim is the novel of one man's fight against his own past and his attempt to prove himself to the world after he has made one terrible error. Like so many of books it is a story of the sea, although it is not a non-fiction story. The story opens with the fated voyage of a vessel, the ship of Eastern pilgrims which are Muslim with the ship called Patna, which Jim the head mate and the rest of the crew leave and abandon with its passengers still on board the Patna. Jim does not wish to act so shameful and dislike his actions but does so in the horror of the moment. Put on trial for his error the young idealistic Jim is stripped of his papers and is left to follow an existence avoiding his own identity and seeking mystery as he travels the entire world. Marlow organizes a meeting at which Jim goes to Patusan, a remote or ancient region. Jim brings order and strength to the area with his strength of character and leadership. The arrival of the two-faced Gentleman Brown shakes the peace Jim has created and his value systems are called into question before the horror of the ending. The horrors of the ending would be when the angry old man shoots Jim and falls dead.
I really did not like the novel because simply Jim had abandoned a bunch of Muslim pilgrims aboard a ship which he thought was sinking. Then he soon discovers that the ship is not sinking. After going to trial he escapes and goes to a remote. Jim in this part of the story he had done wrong escaping and not paying his consequences. That is basically why I think this novel isn't great. It would have been efficient if Jim had not escaped and to see what has happened.
Rating:
Summary: An amazing novel
Review: Lord Jim turned out to be one of the best novels I have read, and I admit around page 180, for the first time I can remember, I was considering not finishing a novel I had started. The first novel I read by Joseph Conrad was Heart of Darkness, which was narrated by Marlow. Lord Jim is also narrated by Marlow, which was an interesting twist. However, it also made the first 180 pages difficult to follow. Instead of reading a story, a story is being told to the reader. But the book is composed of two parts: Marlow telling us the introduction, and Marlow's letter to one who also heard the story the night Marlow told it. I felt this added something to the novel, making it more thrilling. The last 60-80 pages flew by, the conclusion was exciting, and then it was over. I have read three of Conrad's novels, and I like how he finishes them. What happens. Jim is a sailor who dreams of glory, but falters in his first trial. He spends time trying to avoid his past and eventually finds himself the guardian of a people in remote India. When trouble seeks him again, he makes a decision with horrible consequences. But instead of running from the consequences as he had earlier in his life, he faces them. An amazing novel.
Rating:
Summary: Surprisingly Disappointing
Review: Maybe my expectations were too high. I had purchased a Modern Library hardcover copy of Lord Jim for myself at a second hand bookstore for my birthday. I was really looking forward to reading it. However I struggled to finish the book, which in my edition was 400 pages long. I normally don't have a problem with books that long, and so I can't say that this was the turn-off. So, what was it that disappointed me? I never really felt empathy for any of the characters. In my book if you are looking for a classic tale of moral failure and attempted restoration try Thomas Hardy's "The Mayor of Casterbridge" or Graham Greene's "The Power and the Glory".
Rating:
Summary: Brilliantly written
Review: One of the best books I've ever read. Brilliantly written, this books tells the story of a young man struggling with guilt about his past. Demonstrates the impact of a single event on an individual's soul and life.
Rating:
Summary: "a shred of meaningless honor"
Review: There is no doubt that Conrad is one of the master writers of the previous century, however I tend to find him rather a chore to read. Not that reading is supposed to be "easy" of course, but that's just by way of a warning. In this novel, he not only embarks on epic page-long sentences, but engages in a whole range of innovative (for the time) techniques for telling the tragic tale of Tuan/Lord Jim. These techniques include abrupt shifts and jumps in time, and a great deal story within a story constructions. The bulk of the story is recounted by a seaman named Marlow (who also was narrator for Heart of Darkness), who is often retelling what he heard from another source, or even third-hand. Some may find this a little confusing at first, but it shouldn't be a surprising device for the modern reader. Technique aside, this is an exceedingly dense work, rich in lengthy descriptions, and requiring the reader's utmost attention. Jim is a well-bred young Englishman who takes to the sea, envisioning a series of adventures in which he will prove his mettle and emerge as a well-regarded man. Alas, when a ship carrying a load of Malay pilgrims to Mecca strikes something and seems destined to sink, and his senior officers all abandon ship without rousing the passengers, he experiences fear and abandons ship as well. But when the ship doesn't sink, Jim is the only crewman to step forward and present himself to the maritime court of inquiry, which strips him of his sailing papers. Thereafter, Jim knocks around the South Seas, working as a water clerk in various ports, and departing whenever someone recognizes him. Finally, the narrator Marlow arranges for Jim to be installed as manager of a remote Malaysian trading post. There, he becomes the ruler and protector of the native people. The story is not really of importance though; really, we are meant to be taking a long and careful look at the character of Jim. Some may find him to be a tragic and romantic figure, however I view him as the embodiment of self-absorption and pride. Jim's vision of himself as a brave and true fellow is so key to his ego that he literally can't face his own past actions, even though they are utterly understandable and human. And far from seeking to prove or redeem himself, he seeks to remove himself from the sight of anyone who might recognize him. His self-imposed exile among the Malays allows him to fulfill his dream of being an respected leader, and allows him to avoid introspection. Indeed, had he been even slightly introspective, he might have eventually recognized that his overwhelming adherence to a code of honor has not served him particularly well. Ironically (or maybe predictably), at the end of it all, his misguided sense of honor brings death to him, and destruction to his people. It's not too hard to figure out what Conrad, who spend several decades on the high seas, thought of this ideal of honor. One character gives voice to Conrad's views, by saying that Jim died for "a shred of meaningless honor".
Rating:
Summary: "a shred of meaningless honor"
Review: There is no doubt that Conrad is one of the master writers of the previous century, however I tend to find him rather a chore to read. Not that reading is supposed to be "easy" of course, but that's just by way of a warning. In this novel, he not only embarks on epic page-long sentences, but engages in a whole range of innovative (for the time) techniques for telling the tragic tale of Tuan/Lord Jim. These techniques include abrupt shifts and jumps in time, and a great deal story within a story constructions. The bulk of the story is recounted by a seaman named Marlow (who also was narrator for Heart of Darkness), who is often retelling what he heard from another source, or even third-hand. Some may find this a little confusing at first, but it shouldn't be a surprising device for the modern reader. Technique aside, this is an exceedingly dense work, rich in lengthy descriptions, and requiring the reader's utmost attention. Jim is a well-bred young Englishman who takes to the sea, envisioning a series of adventures in which he will prove his mettle and emerge as a well-regarded man. Alas, when a ship carrying a load of Malay pilgrims to Mecca strikes something and seems destined to sink, and his senior officers all abandon ship without rousing the passengers, he experiences fear and abandons ship as well. But when the ship doesn't sink, Jim is the only crewman to step forward and present himself to the maritime court of inquiry, which strips him of his sailing papers. Thereafter, Jim knocks around the South Seas, working as a water clerk in various ports, and departing whenever someone recognizes him. Finally, the narrator Marlow arranges for Jim to be installed as manager of a remote Malaysian trading post. There, he becomes the ruler and protector of the native people. The story is not really of importance though; really, we are meant to be taking a long and careful look at the character of Jim. Some may find him to be a tragic and romantic figure, however I view him as the embodiment of self-absorption and pride. Jim's vision of himself as a brave and true fellow is so key to his ego that he literally can't face his own past actions, even though they are utterly understandable and human. And far from seeking to prove or redeem himself, he seeks to remove himself from the sight of anyone who might recognize him. His self-imposed exile among the Malays allows him to fulfill his dream of being an respected leader, and allows him to avoid introspection. Indeed, had he been even slightly introspective, he might have eventually recognized that his overwhelming adherence to a code of honor has not served him particularly well. Ironically (or maybe predictably), at the end of it all, his misguided sense of honor brings death to him, and destruction to his people. It's not too hard to figure out what Conrad, who spend several decades on the high seas, thought of this ideal of honor. One character gives voice to Conrad's views, by saying that Jim died for "a shred of meaningless honor".
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