Heart of Darkness Book Reviews

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Best book ever. But tough. This is easily one one of the best books ever written and one I've read. But is also one of the hardest to read. There are layers of underlying themes, allusions, and every possible literary goodness. It's hard to understand at times but it's worth it.

Heart of Daekness. Not sure if this is still required reading for desperately bored high school students or not. I found this book horribly racist; maybe it reflects a past time of acceptable cultural values (in which case a modern HOD would take place along the boarder in Arizona, no river required).

<3. This read was the tops!!!

Heart of Darkness. A tale of man's search for something more. A reaching for the undefined through a limited scope of the physical.

Got better with synopsis. I will admit, I had a tough time with this book in the middle of it, but reading a plot synopsis helped me understand the purpose of the book a lot. The ending was beautiful and made everything worth it, though the tone and style of the story being told definitely take a little time to get used to.

Heart of Darkness. I find this book pointing out the worst in men of power and greed. How they deceive. Yet they can’t deceive themselves ultimately.

A heart of darkness. Worst. Book. Ever.

Unimpressed. In a word, unimpressed. I knew there was a reason that I refused to read this book in high school after the first five pages — and having finished it just now only confirms my misgivings almost 25 years ago. Without the absurdly excessive and redundant descriptions and metaphors, this book would have been 10 pages, at the most. But the lengthiness is not my main issue with this story. My problem is how little time is committed to developing the extent of Marlow’s relationship with Kurtz, given Conrad’s insistence on convincing the reader how well Marlow knew Kurtz. That drove me nuts! Marlow is talking about Kurtz at the end of the book as if he had spent years in the bush with him, when the book seems to have dedicated less than 40 pages to the actual Kurtz-Marlow dialogue. In closing, I would like to note that Conrad’s style of writing, particularly his use of comma splices and long sentences is EXACTLY why I tell my graduate students to avoid comma splices and the passive voice as much as possible in their writing. Safe to say, I’ll never read anything by Conrad again.

Meh. I read this for summer reading and I guess it was okay. It's a classic but I'm not exactly sure why... it was rather difficult to read but oh well...

Heart of Darkness. Just wanted to read a classic.

Heart of Darkness Review. Okay, so this is a required summer reading book for my AP Literature class and it is so hard to follow and tell what's going on at times. The book does have some very beautifully described scenery. Other than that, if you would love to slowly die on the inside while reading, this "short story" is the one for you. Another plus is that it's free

A reflection on imperialism. This was assigned to me in high school as mandatory reading 30 years ago. It was interesting to read this again. It was and still is heavy subject matter.

Very mediocre. Hard to believe some consider this book a classic.

What a work. We had to read this for English class, and I absolutely despise English. This is the only book so far I’ve related and understood in thorough depth. From the adventure to imagery and symbolism, it is through and through an excellent work.

heart of darkness. a lot of fluff, not much story. very boring

Good copy. Many of these free download are rife with typos. This copy of HOD was fine—no problems. Of course it’s a stunning piece of prose—especially considering he came late to English.

Interesting. This is one of the best books I have ever read. Although very hard to understand, the plot is very well-developed. I had to read this for a class in college. I had to open SparkNotes to fully understand the whole story. Overall, such a great book with a very interesting theme. Captivates your attention.

I prefer the adaptation. I love this book, yet it is very slow. I prefer Apocalypse Now over this book.

Just a bit dated. The wonderful storytelling and insightful gaze into the psyche of man remains relevant and even poignant in 2013. However, the backdrop of the Dark Continent has lost much of the power it had in the period when Conrad wrote. As a result, the story suffers. Contrast this with Huck Finn or Tom Sawyer. The Mississippi River is no longer what it was, but the author there relied less on the power of the backdrop to set the tone for the story.

Heart of Darkness. Poe, Edwards, Melville, Hawthorne, Conrad

Great. Bringing back the Lord of flies

Heart of Darkness. This is a moral and magnificent meditation on what drives the soul under extreme unknown circumstances. The eloquent dexterity of the language able to amply describe circumstances with psychological understanding. A brilliant if chilling account of raw survival. A definite book to read slowly savoring the language and the world invoked. Lisa

HEART IF DARKNESS. I'm not sure if it was the six-page paragraphs or the unintelligible rambling and use of language, but this book was a nightmare to read. I guess you could say I was lost in the heart of darkness. Save yourself: if you really need to read this book, just use Sparknotes.

Staggering. If given the time and effort, this novella will give back more than one puts into it.

A true classic. Forget Jane Austin, this a truly great classic piece of literature! To all those who rated it poorly, well your going have to use that brain, it has a lot hidden elements to it. It also takes some time to get into it... But the time is worth it! It's not like reading twilight, you have to actually think a little and maybe do some research, I know shocking. Ppl did more of that back then...

Fine. Hyped By Others. It had a fantastic beginning, but quickly descended into the heart of mediocrity. I kid. It just got boring and Kurtz and Marlow were just not stretching me anymore. Anyway, they say it is a must read and it is free...so read it

Good book hard for a freshmen at high school to read. My high school has assigned this book to read I have mixed feeling because it was hard to read but very well written I would read it again when I am older but I thought it was good :-)

An Interesting and (Fairly) Quick Read. I was asked to read this book in college, so of course I didn’t at the time, but have been revisiting some of those books I wish I had had the time to give the proper attention to back then. (They’re classics for a reason). Now, having more time to spare, I decided to revisit this one. First an foremost, any fan of the film “Apocalypse Now” should read this but hopefully I don’t need to state that. The story itself is engaging and heavy at times when the language is outdated and there is not much going on action-wise. Due to the subject and time period at hand, there are some obviously offensively racist passages but when viewed in the proper light, they are a glimpse into that time and a reminder of the horrible atrocities of the colonization and subsequent dismantling of African countries for their natural resources. The main character & story teller, Marlow, is kind of ambiguous in everything. It seems he is not “on the side of” Africans but he does not treat them quite as poorly as most other characters. It is clear that he does not have the same fanatical admiration of Kurtz that many others do but he is fascinated by him in a different way. I felt myself slightly frustrated by much of this, although admittedly, perhaps his repeatedly calling Kurtz “remarkable” was meant to have deeper meaning attached than I attributed to it. Maybe a more scholarly approach to this book is the right one to take. All in all, this will probably not be the most interesting thing you’ll read for most people but it’s not long and there are moments that are surely worth the time and effort to spend reading it.

Read more than 50 yrs ago. I read this in college and enjoyed the symbol isms. I think this time around with it I have appreciated the meaning. It is like Plato's cave, our perceptions of reality are diffused by our own experience.

Heart of Darkness. a great book that describes the struggles as a african american. this book has many similies that make the story come alive. This book is not for kids but a great classic.

The Heart of Darkness. It is said that one should read a classic once when one is young, and once again when one is old. This is my second try, the first being in school more than 40 years ago. I didn't like it then. And now? In many ways, the book is not modern. The language alone will be a struggle for a young reader, and the philosophy, couched in exacting and elaborate metaphors is likely to be missed. In other ways, the book seems very modern, in its disjointed imagery, abrupt flashbacks, and also in its pessimistic viewpoint. I understand now that the book needs to be read slowly and chewed on. It's not like a modern TV show whose intent is to prevent one from concentrating. Instead, one must think - of the analogies to the search for knowledge, their contrasts to the search for experience, and with those, the search for other justifications for life. After a few decades of life, it would be hard not to take from it a sense of the real difficulties, so often passed over because of the struggle of grappling with them. In short - if you are 50 or 60 years old, and no longer sure it is possible to do what you once hoped, yet don't quite wish to give up, this book is a serious read. If you are under 20, don't bother. It will just seem pretentiously random. Come back in a few decades.

Good Book. Great literary devices and deep meanings.

Terrible. This book is completely racist and unethical to say the least. Waste of time and not worth the read.

Joseph Conrad is a genius. To read this book, a certain lens must be put on to fully understand its material: the lens of humanity. There is a moral credence that Conrad writes with to share his experiences with the world. If you make the mistake of reading from the lens of commerce or history, you would be sorely disappointed in the lack of detail. The characters are shaped by the darkness of the times where African people were looked upon as savages. The sympathy that one needs to give to another ruins those in power over the ivory industry of the Belgian Congo.

Heart of darkness. Hated this book. Did not finish it

Master of prose. By Jove, this man could write! There's so much heart in his prose that sometimes is seems to be too much to be taken all at once. I wish there were more like him...

Dissapointed. BAD BAD BAD terrible! 😠😠😠😠😠😠😠😠😠😠😠😠😠😠😠 The worst book ever!

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Awsome. Supercalafragalisticxbealidosios

Awesome. Brill!

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Heart of Darkness. Hard going...I know it's a classic, but...

Heart of darkness. Intelligent,perfect grammar, re read it you must , for when you re read that is you will learn . I understood it so much better, the horrer, the horrer

Masculinism in the darkness. All hail the great and glorious Conrad. His work shines as a beacon of literary hope and greatness. Modernism owes Conrad it's life and existence. The darkness as a symbol is the most powerful motif to have ever crossed Western literature. Marlow and Kurtz are a demonstration of two sides to the most interesting of characters of 19th, 20th and 21st centuries. Men in Heart of Darkness are represented as powerless. Nature is the superego. Conrad. Darkness. End.

Heart of the Apocalypse. I'm sure most people reading this know that Apocalypse Now was based on heart of darkness, but, if you haven't done so before, do yourself a favour and read/reread this then watch/rewatch Apocalypse now. It's worth it. C'mon this is probably the shortest modern classic in existence, after Of Mice and Men.

P. This is one of those books the ones that sneak up on you, they're not necassacerily easy (or much fun) to read, but years later you find that they've implanted images in you so strongly that they are sometimes hard to tell from real memories. They aren't always pleasant, but I for one have treasured mine for the thirty odd years that have passed since I first read this work. Such books are called classics and deservedly so; they change those that read them, and by extension, they change society-alex rieneck

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Superb. Heart of Darkness explores the most horrific and animalistic aspects of human nature in an eloquent manner that will never be forgotten. To read it is to embark on a dark journey of self-discovery.

No Foreword. A piece old extremely racist literature, belonging to the same class of artifacts as Mein Kampf : what does one do with a document such as this? The rating is not for the creator of the ebook - it is for Conrad. There is something Horrible and Terrifying in this Book and it is not Africa, the Congolese, or even the Protagonist(s) -- it is Colonialism manifest & perpetuated -- visible in this book are many of the mechanisms we still see affecting global discourse today. This book should be read with a very critical gaze. I think a foreword which discusses the racism and the context would be very helpful.

A window into the soul of man. A fantastic piece of 19th century literature by a respected Anglo-Polish author. Conrad’s writing about Africa is often three-layered, he often describes the geography, the mood, and the subconscious all simultaneously. The worldview of this novel is very old and outdated, African men are often described as primitive and savage. This novel provides the rationale behind that old colonialist way of thinking which is very interesting to those wanting to understand the roots of modern day racism.

Heart of Darkness. Joseph Conrad wrote this classic long, long ago, but it was very interesting, and will never lose its excitement, adventure and mystery. I found the story drew several parallels with the movie " Apocalypse Now". Whether or not the storyline of a boat going up the river to bring back a strange bwana was lifted for the aforementioned movie is anybody's guess-but it is my guess that it was.