The Secret Sharer and Other Stories

Rating:
Summary: creepy, wonderful
Review: Conrad knew how to pack a punch in a small number of pages. He knew how to evoke dread. And he knew how to tell a story of the sea. It's not as involved or incredible as Heart of Darkness (but few things written in the English language have ever been)-- this little story about a stowaway is tightly told. Still, it will leave you with an appreciation of the abilities of a master.

Rating:
Summary: emotional intelligence is no fantasy
Review: Conrad, once again, out does himself with his insights into the human psyche. Second only to "Heart of Darkness," this thrilling short novel delves deep into the protaganists mind and leaves the reader questioning his own capabilities. Fanatstic character developement defines this piece of work and his constant reference to the main characters similarities keeps the reader thinking with every turn of the page. Conrad is able to capture human emotions in a clear manner that is normally hard to articulate. A brilliant novel that left me wanting more...

Rating:
Summary: Two Thumbs way up
Review: Excellent book. Had to read it for class and loved it. Would recommend to anyone.

Rating:
Summary: Can be taken to so many levels....
Review: Great book...good overlying story, but there's so much more, dealing with the Captain's "Id" and his initiation (which Conrad believed everyone went through). Good read -- great descriptions!

Rating:
Summary: Uninteresting and Dreadful
Review: I'm sorry, but this book is much too full of description and symbolism. If you juxtapose it to other short stories, I'm sure you will notice the negative difference. My advice is: Do not buy this book!! Find another one - you will enjoy it more! When you unpack the story, you'll find that the first paragraph is full of description about an empty ocean, all mysterious and strnage. Other settings are a ship deck and an L-shaped cabin. I think I need not say any more - this book is dreadful!

Rating:
Summary: Good book, good story
Review: The Secret Sharer is a good novelle about an English sea captain on his first command. It deals with his "double" and the mental strain put on him by the "double".

Rating:
Summary: Barely worth the dime-store paper it is printed on
Review: The Secret Sharer was a fuzzy, illogical and overly dense novel. Anyone who read it was dumber for having done so.

Rating:
Summary: All good stuff
Review: The Secret Sharer was one of the best books I've read in a long time. Even though it is really short there is a large amount of importance in every line. Whether its symbolism or some type of hidden meaning its there and it is what makes the book great.
Conrad puts you in the mind of of his characters and you seem to experience what they are going through. It gives you the sense that you are right there on the boat with the captain and his hidden passenger. You feel as if your the only one in on there little secret and if they are found out you will be too. Conrad then puts so much description into his characters you can actually get a feeling of what they look like and the way they act. The similarities between the two main characters is so great that at points you can't see a difference between them. This constantly keeps you on your toes and thinking about what is going on.
What makes the book though is the symbolism and how much meaning each little thing holds. You can read a paragraph and just take it s a regular story or you can think more into it and it holds so much more. It almost completely changes the way you look at what is happening.
This book is definitely worth reading. It makes you appreciate the genius that some people hold in there writing abilities. You will come out of this book with a changed perspective on the way things happen in life.

Rating:
Summary: All good stuff
Review: The Secret Sharer was one of the best books I've read in a long time. Even though it is really short there is a large amount of importance in every line. Whether its symbolism or some type of hidden meaning its there and it is what makes the book great.
Conrad puts you in the mind of of his characters and you seem to experience what they are going through. It gives you the sense that you are right there on the boat with the captain and his hidden passenger. You feel as if your the only one in on there little secret and if they are found out you will be too. Conrad then puts so much description into his characters you can actually get a feeling of what they look like and the way they act. The similarities between the two main characters is so great that at points you can't see a difference between them. This constantly keeps you on your toes and thinking about what is going on.
What makes the book though is the symbolism and how much meaning each little thing holds. You can read a paragraph and just take it s a regular story or you can think more into it and it holds so much more. It almost completely changes the way you look at what is happening.
This book is definitely worth reading. It makes you appreciate the genius that some people hold in there writing abilities. You will come out of this book with a changed perspective on the way things happen in life.