Rating: 
Summary: Marvelous
Review: I read this book because it was on the Modern Library's list of the 100 best books. It is certainly a book that deserved to be there. This phychological character study is a book that no serious reader should miss.
Rating: 
Summary: A journey into the dark reaches of teh soul.
Review: Mercifully this novella was less than 150 pages long. Incredibly difficult to read, I read it and immediately re-read it but still had to deciper some paragraphs line by line. There were a number of undercurrent themes in this novella including the evils of European colonialism brought to primitive peoples. The setting could have easily been the American West of the early 19th Century. Conrad has an amazing mastery of the English language especially when you consider he never spoke it until he was almost twenty years old. If you are looking for a challenge, read this book because Conrad has wonderful insight into the darkness of men's soul. But if you are looking for a simple plot and easy to understand language skip it.
Rating:
Summary: It makes me vomit to give this book 5 stars, but...
Review: Yes, why would I give five stars to a book that has given me a headache and almost put me to sleep both times I have read it? Am I mad? Do I have a terrible fever? Have I been eating rancid hippopotamus meat? No. It is because it is one of the seminal works on human nature written since the end of the 19th century. OK, so I realize that it is a bit presumptuous for a young person to make a claim like this, not having read every book that has been written since 1850 or so. But from the little I have read, I understand where it stands in literature. It stands at the crossroads of what Lionel Trilling called "sincerity and authenticity." This book is clearly a turning point. All the Victorian novels I've read seem to conform to the idea that sincerity is that which actualizes the human spirit. A sort of Howard's End ingenuousness, if you will. Conrad, however, is all about authenticity. It is not in being truthful that Kurtz or any character in the book is able to realize any sort of immutable fact about existence, it is in being true to one's self. That is what makes Kurtz a "great man." I am, in saying this, only scratching the surface of one of the main thematic channels in this novella. Conrad manages to say an incredible deal in so few pages. The void within or the mutability of the human psyche, the role and influence of society, and several other topics are explored to a surprising extent. If one can stand Conrad's rather repetitive narrator, Marlow, then there remains to be found one very dense and rewarding book.
Rating:
Summary: Beyond Ranking
Review: Simply put, the best, most indispensable novel of the 20th-century. The archetypal descent into darkness followed by illumination begins with Homer, is renewed by Dante, and culminates in Conrad's inexhaustible narrative. Welles started scripting the novel before changing to "Citizen Kane," which retains many of Conrad's meanings. Coppola's version of the novel may be the quintessential film adaptation of a literary classic.
Rating:
Summary: The alpha and omega of literature.
Review: Conrad says it ALL in less than 100 pages.This book gets better every year.
Rating:
Summary: Great book...... Great story
Review: I read this book and I thought it beautifully written, beautiful, beautiful book....... I love this book.
Rating:
Summary: Incredible Novella
Review: Conrad's brilliant novella, Heart of Darkness, revelas the dichotemy of man's civilized being and primeval instincts. His central character, Marlow, travels into the African continent in search of the mysterious Mr. Kurtz. On his pilgrammage, Marlow discovers the failings of European thinking once it contrasts against the background of Conrad's personified jungle. The European mindset limits comprehension of the jungle and its aawesome power. Once discovered, Mr. Kurtz - "the best Europe had to offer" - reveals the disastrous effects the jungle can have on someone's psyche. Although incredibly complex and slow to read, Heart of Darkness offers a stunning view into the fallibilities of man and his creations.
Rating:
Summary: The Horror!
Review: Three connected pieces of creation: Hearts of Darkness, Apocalypse Now, The End by The Doors. All three give the same effect - Wow! There really is nothing to say after reading this book - it says it all . . . so I guess I'll shut up
Rating:
Summary: The Secret Sharer
Review: Every day people have moral issues they have to grapple with. They may have witnessed an accident, but decided to keep it to themselves because of fear of getting involved. They might have gone to the store and seen someone steal, but ignored it. When this moral issue has to do with a murder, though the offense can not be taken lightly. This is what happens in Joseph Conrad's story "The Secret Sharer". In the Secret Sharer, a young captain of a large ship quickly finds himself in a tight situation. A complete stranger finds his way upon his ship during the middle of the night. As the captain hears and listens to the stranger's story about how he killed someone in self-defense on another boat, he welcomes the stranger inside and hides him. In a way the captain often describes himself as being "a stranger on the ship," because the whole crew already knew each other and spent a lot of time together. The fact that the captain and the newcomer were both strangers brought them closer together. This new stranger was soon accepted into the captain's life as being a friend. The captain even hid him in his own personal living quarters. The fact that the captain was housing a known murderer caused a conflict in his life. He had to decide whether to turn the stranger in or persuade himself that it's morally correct to keep the secret hidden. The "Secret Sharer" compares a lot with "Huckleberry Finn". In Huckleberry Fin and Secret Sharer at least one main character was hiding and not liked by "civilized society". Jim and Huck soon became friends just like the Captain and the Stranger. Throughout the Secret Sharer the young Captain was torn between duty to the ship and loyalty to his new friends. In Huckleberry Finn, Huck was torn between duty to society (harboring a slave was wrong) and his friendship with Jim. The Secret Sharer is a story which I think is definitely worth reading. I specifically like Joseph Conrad's style of writing, his attention to detail and strong story line. Everyone who reads this book can identify with the difficulty of making good decisions.
Rating:
Summary: DEFINES MAN'S BASIC SEARCH FOR MEANING AND ITS RESULT
Review: This masterpiece works on multiple levels to address man's struggle with his inner self and his search for meaning. It is rich work that could be read multiple times. It's profundity undoubtably exceeds the author's conscious understanding.
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