Binding: Paperback
EAN: 9780140620481
Edition: New edition
ISBN: 0140620486
Label: Penguin Classics
Manufacturer: Penguin Classics
Number Of Pages: 112
Publication Date: January 25, 2007
Publisher: Penguin Classics
Studio: Penguin Classics

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Rating: - Don't like a book because you think you should.
This is completely unreadable. I read A LOT and read very good books also. I thought I'd read the booklist for uni in my gap year and this was one of them. I am not looking forward to studying this book. My eyes would not stop glazing over. I fell asleep countless times reading this and it is only 110 pages long. Completely and utterly terrible.

I do feel bad because I hate this book and it seems to be regarded as 'a classic', but at least I have my own opinion. Dear god please don't ... Read More

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Rating: - I can't believe people are claiming the style is dry!
I first read this a couple of years ago as part of an English Lit course, in which we studied in depth the language used.

The first thing to bear in mind is that this book is a product of its time. Of course there's inherent racism (Conrad's dehumanising presentation of the Africans as 'black shadows') but despite this, Heart of Darkness was an absolutely groundbreaking piece of colonial literature.

As to the style, which people have claimed is dry and unreadable (sorry that ... Read More

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Rating: - Intriguing but lacks in style
The concept for "Heart of Darkness" was very interesting. One man goes into the heart of the post-colonial congo to bring back a man who has lost his sanity, and critiques how these colonists treat the native Africans along the way.

But that is where it ends unfortunately, the writing style I felt was very poor, it seemed to be an ordeal more than a book and I felt my mind wondering at certain points. There were quite a few characters, but due to the size of the book (around 110 pages) Conrad ... Read More

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Rating: - No better after 20 years
I originally read this novel as a first year undergraduate in 1988. I found it dull and very hard work. I still remember having to force myself to read a page or two each night just to get through it. The horror indeed. I recently thought I would try reading it again as, after so long and with more mature tastes I might enjoy it. But no. I gave it my best shot - and then gave up. Maybe I'll have another go in 2028...

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Rating: - Brilliant fable of empire
An extraordinary book, which was so far ahead of its time that some contemporary reviewers (see above!) haven't caught up with it yet! It exposes the whole vile fallacy of empire - that arrogant pretension to rule over other peoples, all, of course, in the name of humanity and democracy! One of the truly great novels of our time.

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