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mariahistryingtoread's review against another edition
Heart of Darkness was a let down. I'm not sure if that was because I've become desensitized to violence against Black bodies or if my lack of understanding was working against me. Either way I felt like people severely overhyped how traumatizing this book was. However, I do acknowledge that I had trouble following what was going on. This was a lot like iGulliver's Travels in that I felt like I was missing a significant amount of context. I followed along better with this than Gulliver's Travels but that was through sheer force of will alone.
This is merely a placeholder review, but I wanted to make a note for myself to reflect on in the future. As such I won't be rating it at this time. I'm going to get an annotated copy or take an English class and come back later.
This is merely a placeholder review, but I wanted to make a note for myself to reflect on in the future. As such I won't be rating it at this time. I'm going to get an annotated copy or take an English class and come back later.
vengefuldime's review against another edition
Maybe this is one of those books that is special because it got there first. It doesn’t really seem like a “scathing” critique to me, but perhaps that is just because I’m reading from so far away. Despite not being very interesting to read, it is decently interesting to study.
catherine_grace13's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
justin92's review against another edition
3.0
I don't know why I was expecting more from this book, whether it was my prior knowledge of the movie Apocalypse Now or my lack of knowledge about the culture and events of the late 1800s and early 1900s Imperialistic movement. I anxiously waited for the fated meeting with Kurtz and his group. Once it happened, I was no closer to understanding his purpose than I was when I began reading the story. I had to read the added commentary that was my version of the book to catch things I missed, due to not knowing that specific time period. The book did not age well.
The story was relatively good. The narrator was good at explaining the events around him. I personally did not like his jump of time though. One minute he was on a boat, the next he was talking to Kurtz's "friend." He was in Kurtz's house, now he wasn't. The story has multiple spots where you have to catch on that the narrator is no longer where he was originally and transported to a new spot/time without actually letting the reader know.
The book could have received a 4 or 5 just by adding more to the story, especially Kurtz. The whole story builds up to this lackluster meeting. I did enjoy the story overall, just wished for more detail and a better streaming of the story.
The story was relatively good. The narrator was good at explaining the events around him. I personally did not like his jump of time though. One minute he was on a boat, the next he was talking to Kurtz's "friend." He was in Kurtz's house, now he wasn't. The story has multiple spots where you have to catch on that the narrator is no longer where he was originally and transported to a new spot/time without actually letting the reader know.
The book could have received a 4 or 5 just by adding more to the story, especially Kurtz. The whole story builds up to this lackluster meeting. I did enjoy the story overall, just wished for more detail and a better streaming of the story.
rottenjester's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0