Rating: 
Summary: Complicated, confusing, a waste of time
Review: I first read the Secret Sharer, which confused me into chaos. The story leaves you guessing on what happens. The only good quality of both short stories is that they are short. Next, I read Heart Of Darkness, lets just say I dont want to go back down that memory road again. Both short stories are very complicated and are not for youg readers. Although I have read many great classics, Heart Of Darkness is by far the most complicated and aggravateing short story I have ever read. Some novels are worth the difficulty, because they are really good, but Heart of Darkness is not worth reading. Neither is The Secret Sharer. This is the most dissapointing piece of so called "classic literature" I have ever read. )-:
Rating: 
Summary: Into the dark
Review: Several people I am acquainted with have questioned my reading of "Heart of Darkness," using as argument the fact that they read it "in high school." Apparently, for these very well-read souls, if the book was in their high school reading list, then it should never be approached again. Well, both the poem of "El Cid" and the novel "Don Quijote" first revealed their wonders to me when I was in high school, and now that I have read them again (and "Don Quijote" complete this time), they have just proved to be timeless classics with something to tell a person of any age. "Heart of Darkness," by Joseph Conrad, is a classic that, given its length, invites several readings, particularly if one goes beyond the "high school-depth" sadly evident in those acquaintances of mine. The different, dark, alien world of the Congo as barely seen through Marlow's eyes, juxtaposed with the author's subtle-but-powerful condemnation of a system that promotes exploitation of those seen as "inferior," is one of this novella's most important, and often missed, commentaries. Marlow is the English sailor who does not, and cannot, understand anything that is not English, from the nameless city across the Channel (Brussels, most probably), to the ghost-like figures that people his employer's offices, to the multi-coloured map that shows how Africa has been carved, to the multi-coloured Russian whose language Marlowe cannot recognize and believes is cypher, to the river itself, to the native inhabitants of the land he is invading. This trip up the Congo river that Marlow tells his shipmates about while on the Thames is a journey after a man's voice, his treasure of ivory, and his report on the natives. This man, Kurtz, is the one who will state "kill the brutes!" in his report, expressing the opinion of so many Europeans regarding most, and maybe all, non-European races. "Heart of Darkness" can be read simply as an adventure, but there are several, better, adventure books that have better "hooks" and are, at the same time, more easily forgotten. This is an extraordinary short book by an extraordinary author. Do not deprive yourself of a magnificent, early 20th century masterpiece of literature, just because someone was not hooked by it, or because someone read it in high school and it just wouldn't do to read it again. The power of this book is not in its "easy" prose, because its prose is definitely not easy. It is not in an artificially complex prose, either. This second fault seems more the refuge of other writers, plenty of them modern ones, who have confused "good" with obscure, and "better" with unreadable. Conrad knows how to tell a story, and there is a method to this dark tale told by Marlow, a man much closer to Kurtz than he would like to admit. Since the reader is presented only with Marlow's account, the jump from the reader to Marlow to Kurtz and back to the reader is a troubling one. Here is Conrad's mastery. Read the book. If you have read it, try it again. It may surprise you what new revelations prowl its pages. This 3rd Norton Critical edition is the best I have seen so far. The essays are all good, but Chinua Achebe's deserves special attention: the Nigerian author advocates not reading "Heart of Darkness" at all, a statement that, coming from a writer, is not just surprising, but deeply disturbing. I sincerely believe that this form of intentional ignorance, of voluntary censorship on the part of the reader, only serves to foment a generalized, public ignorance of the world around us.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent
Review: I would have given it a five, but the tremendous complexity of Conrad's writing mars somewhat the fantastic novel. The book is about a British sailor, Marlow, who ventures into the depth of the African continent - to Congo, which at the time (beginning of the 20th century) was colonized by the British. The deeper Marlow's steam-boat penetrates into the continent - the looser are the ties with the western civilization, until it seems to Marlow that the western civilization exists only in his mind. Marlow witnesses the unbelievable cruelty on behalf of the British towards the natives, and starts questioning whether humanity and all the ideals that we are brought upon are nothing but arbitrary abstracts. The black continent draws Marlow in deeper and deeper and engulfes him in the shroud of darkness, and as Marlow takes his boat further to the heart of the continent - he gets ever closer to the heart of darkness, where he encounters Kurtz - an employer in the company that trades ivory. Kurtz is an incredibly ambiguous character, and on a symbolic level he is the heart of darkness. Kurtz, who essentially becomes a king of a native tribe, is torn between Good and Evil. He is overwhelmed by compassion and understanding towards the natives, and the compulsion to rule by terror. Great book - if you can get through the dense stuff - read it!
Rating:
Summary: A chilling look into our dark side
Review: Many people call this novella, published in 1902, the first real book of the 20th century, in that it deals with loss of innocence, moral ambiguity, exploration of the subconscious - all issues that factored prominently into the past hundred years. In college I tried to read "Heart of Darkness," but couldn't make it through, despite its small size. Conrad's thick prose just put me to sleep. But I recently read "King Leopold's Ghost," a gut-wrenching book about the exploitation of the Congo around the turn of the century. With that book as factual background, I took another shot at "Heart of Darkness," and this time I tore through it. The book works at a purely surface level, as an exotic adventure, but it's even more powerful when read as a symbolic journey - either to the core of an individual psyche or to the mysterious heart of the human condition. And what Marlow, the narrator, discovers there is enough to convince him that truly letting go - as Kurtz did - is to become immersed in a spiritual darkness that cannot be explained or escaped. "Apocalypse Now" (based loosely on "Heart of Darkness") introduced me to the phrase "The horror! The horror!" - but reading it in Condrad's book was far more chilling.
Rating:
Summary: speechless
Review: This is without a doubt one of the most amazing books I have ever read. First, let me say that I find it very hard to read, as i do with all of conrad's writing. If you have the same problem, I suggest you just take it slow and don't be afraid to write down what you think he might be talking about at times. The time and energy pays off tremendously. Conrad unravels the intense impact that the jungle has on a mind produced by civilization. This novel is loaded with subtleties about our contact with the dark, primitive aspect of human existence. It is essential to look for these. Otherwise, you'll feel like you're simply reading abotu a guy steaming up a river to get some eccentric dude who collected amazing amounts of ivory. i picked up on these, and I have not been the saem person since.
Rating:
Summary: Whatever You Want It To Be
Review: Heart of Darkness is a masterpiece. Joseph Conrad's story of British imperialism in the Congo is eerily, brilliant, and thoughtful, to sum it up in a few words. Symbolism, imagery, and ambiguity in the novel allows readers to fathom what evil, darkness, and good really is. And most people don't really understand that. . . Although Heart of Darkness is a little over 100 pages, its a thick read if readers wish it to be. If not, people can whiz through it in a couple hours. Yet, its a masterpiece for it depth, not its length. I encourage anyone who wishes to read a deep novel to pick up a copy of Heart of Darkness. Its writing is amazing, the story is intriguing, and the afterthought will remain with you for a long time. For those who don't want to read a book, watch Apocalypse Now, the Americanized version (American "imperialism" in Viet Nam, spreading democracy).
Rating: 
Summary: a disappointing classic
Review: This novella is one of those classics that people talk about more often than read. THere are references to it everywhere, from Apocalyse Now to journalism about Africa. Well, I sat down to read it and was unimpressed. Perhaps it is the horror COnrad wants to portray that put me off, but I didn't find it very believable and couldn't allow myself to be swept into the world he portrays. One of my tests for a book is that it makes me want to learn more, to go to other sources, and this one just didn't.
Rating:
Summary: Entangling
Review: Conrad's Heart of Darkness, while being a short book, is certainly energy consuming. Conrad's language emphasizes the tangled masses of the Congo's Jungles and the twisted nature of the characters. As the result of his stylistic devices, which create vivid images, the reader goes away feeling tangled. One looks back and mentally sees nothing but great green masses of tangled vines hanging from trees, and a massive wall of words. One thing that is indisputable is this: Conrad is a brilliant author. Upon examining his other books one realizes that Conrad can actually change his writing style at will. Every single tangled mass of words in the Heart of Darkness is nothing but elaborate emphasis on the plot and the overall imagery.
Rating:
Summary: Traveling to the depths of your soul
Review: What would you be if there were no limits, in a place where you are condidered God. Would you be a benevolent God or become Evil. Which anyway is irrelevant, since God means power, good or bad, or does not???...How can we know if we were never given the chance. Would you recognize yourself after taking the journey to the depths of your soul. Kurtz got his chance. He never returned.
Rating:
Summary: Conrad's Heart of Darkness was Eerie!
Review: This was one of the most fightningly wonderful books I've ever read. It was both scary and adventurous at the same time. A story about venturing into the unknown, fighting cannibals, disease, and doubt. The book was wonderfully descriptive and fun to read. Read it at least once before you die.
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