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Rating: 
Summary: Full of crazy characters and vivid images
Review: Heart of Darkness is, without a doubt, one of the best and most confusing books ever written. It is probably the most discussed book of the 20th century, and an obscene number of academic papers, criticisms and interpretations have been written about it. What does it mean, everyone wants to know. It is so impenetrable, to use one of Marlow's favorite words. Even if you don't want to spend the time figuring out the "message" (if there is one), this is a great novel simply for the characters and the images. Our narrator, Marlow, is a fascinating character in himself, and he always makes me smile with his wit and insight, though he can be a little pretentious. Kurtz is an enigma, a man who has set himself up as a god with unclear motives. He is taken care of my a Russian harlequin, a hilarious idealist who forgives that Kurtz once threatened to kill him (you can't judge a man like that by ordinary standards!) Marlow comes across many others, such as the fat Englishman who cannot stop fainting on their way to see Kurtz. The imagery is evocative and haunting. A group of starving indiginous men are referred to as a "bundle of acute angles." The scenery is described better than a movie could portray (Apocalypse Now does the jungle no justice.) It's a short book too, so you have no excuse for not reading it!
Rating:
Summary: One of my favorites
Review: How can an author who did not begin to learn english until he was twenty have such control over the language? Like Joyce, and other masters of the English language, Conrad can at times be difficult to read, and confusing to follow, but underneath the complex exterior is a powerful tale that has the potential to give you a deeper appreciation for literature and maybe even for life. Although the book has been called both racist and sexist, I do not believe that this is the case. I believe Conrad illustrates the feelings and "the horror" of the time as only a master artist could. If you read the novel, do not do so looking to label it as racist or sexist, but rather look at it as an attempt to bring light upon the oppresion of both non whites and women that was taking place at the time. Is the "heart of darkness" really the African jungle and its people as one might naturally assume, or did Conrad want to ironicly portray the colonist, the white europeans, to be the true savages, the true heart of darkness? There are many questions in this book, and it would be impossible to read the novel without finding yourself moved. How can an author who did not begin to learn english until he was twenty have such control over the language? Like Joyce, and other masters of the English language, Conrad can at times be difficult to read, and confusing to follow, but underneath the complex exterior is a powerful tale that has the potential to give you a deeper appreciation for literature and maybe even for life. Although the book has been called both racist and sexist, I do not believe that this is the case. I believe Conrad illustrates the feelings and "the horror" of the time as only a master artist could. If you read the novel, do not do so looking to label it as racist or sexist, but rather look at it as an attempt to bring light upon the oppresion of both non whites and women that was taking place at the time. Is the "heart of darkness" really the African jungle and its people as one might naturally assume, or did Conrad want to ironicly portray the colonist, the white europeans, to be the true savages, the true heart of darkness? There are many questions in this book, and it would be impossible to read the novel without finding yourself moved.
Rating: 
Summary: Book = great - durability = awful
Review: I was assigned Heart of Darkness as part of my summer reading regiment for my english class. I usually don't enjoy assigned books because I often try and pay attention to all the details rather than just read it for fun. However, this book, albeit a bit confusing, is definately good. It really gets your brain going as you question your own opinions on imperialism. Plus, it contains explanatory notes in the back, which definately help to understand the context. However, its MAJOR fallacy with THIS exact publication is its shoddy manufacturing. I've had the book only for one month and the pages that Heart of Darkness are on are already falling apart from the binding of the book. And I treated it well - all I have done is placed it in my backpack when traveling to a few places. Overall, the literary piece is good and so are the explanatory notes, but if you can't stand your book falling apart (trust me, it's really annoying), then search elsewhere for a different copy of this book.
Rating:
Summary: Book = great - durability = awful
Review: I was assigned Heart of Darkness as part of my summer reading regiment for my english class. I usually don't enjoy assigned books because I often try and pay attention to all the details rather than just read it for fun. However, this book, albeit a bit confusing, is definately good. It really gets your brain going as you question your own opinions on imperialism. Plus, it contains explanatory notes in the back, which definately help to understand the context. However, its MAJOR fallacy with THIS exact publication is its shoddy manufacturing. I've had the book only for one month and the pages that Heart of Darkness are on are already falling apart from the binding of the book. And I treated it well - all I have done is placed it in my backpack when traveling to a few places. Overall, the literary piece is good and so are the explanatory notes, but if you can't stand your book falling apart (trust me, it's really annoying), then search elsewhere for a different copy of this book.
Rating: 
Summary: 4 Monkeys
Review: If you gave an infinite number of monkeys an infinite number of typewriters, would they eventually produce the complete works of Shakespeare? Who knows? What I do know is that "Heart of Darkness" could be the result of 4 monkeys doing about 2 hours of work. To read the book is a chore. My daughter had to read this book as part of a summer assignment for English. I, being one to read classics, looked forward to reading another good book. Conrad's rambling tale is difficult to follow, but even more, BORING to follow. I can more easily read a book on quantum physics. To require someone to read Conrad is more like punishment than education.
Rating:
Summary: 4 Monkeys
Review: If you gave an infinite number of monkeys an infinite number of typewriters, would they eventually produce the complete works of Shakespeare? Who knows? What I do know is that "Heart of Darkness" could be the result of 4 monkeys doing about 2 hours of work. To read the book is a chore. My daughter had to read this book as part of a summer assignment for English. I, being one to read classics, looked forward to reading another good book. Conrad's rambling tale is difficult to follow, but even more, BORING to follow. I can more easily read a book on quantum physics. To require someone to read Conrad is more like punishment than education.
Rating:
Summary: Actually haunting...
Review: The word's thrown around a lot, but this is the only case where I've actually been literally haunted by a book. It surfaces in the mind when I don't intend for it to, and its disturbing. I've never been really psychologically messed with by a book like this. I mean, not bad, but I get chills thinking about it. Like someone said, the images are great. The ship firing into the continent is one of those I can't get out of my head. And for those of you who are curious after seeing Apocolypse Now, I think they really messed up the Kurtz character. Its one of, if not the one of, my favorite movies, but he's so overacted and the script never really tells what the horror is. From the movie I got that it was the situation and man's situation, but from the book it is definitely the mind and soul, in my opinion. Any social commentary in the book is secondary to the more philosophical and psychological, here, I feel.
I also enjoyed Lord Jim and every one of his other short stories I've read, but none have been as good as Heart of Darkness. I'll probably read Nostromo pretty soon, too. If you want another take on a somewhat similar situation in colonial Africa, check out Journey to the End of the Night by Celine. I didn't so much care for the book as a whole, but that part has stuck with me.
Rating: 
Summary: A look at how Marlow saw the mistreatment of natives.
Review: This book is an example of how natives are mistreated. It also show what happens to people put in certain environments and around certain people. It was not as exiting as I had been told and I found it hard to understand, but it is a good book.
Rating:
Summary: Only for the worthy
Review: This is a great book. The publisher does a great job explaining the metaphors that would be impossible otherwise. but, if you are the kind of reader that reads only words, not comprehending them and reading between the lines, like trying to see what marlow was trying to say, then this book is too advanced for you and you will not enjoy it or learn from it. Be sure you can understand hard books or else the meaning and the time you took to read this will be useless and wasted.
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