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5.67k reviews for:

Heart of Darkness

Joseph Conrad

3.03 AVERAGE

Loveable characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes
challenging dark emotional mysterious medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

absolutely hated reading this
adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes
adventurous challenging dark medium-paced
challenging dark slow-paced

Noise cancelling headphones, ambient soundscapes, and reading aloud to myself in a barely audible whisper. I have slowed down in my endeavour to really know this novel and still grasp fruitlessly for some morsel of understanding other than a vague sense of dread; but a nightmarish anxiety is all I am seemingly able to extract from Heart of Darkness.
Sometimes a novel does not exist to be understood but to be viscerally felt. It is raw. It is chaotic. It is unflinching. Heart of Darkness is a glimpse of the deepest abysses of the human soul and forces you to reckon with your own potential for evil.
adventurous challenging dark slow-paced
adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: No
adventurous dark mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I don't understand why the community gives this masterpiece such a low rating. Did the bad adaptation of the movie Apocalypse Now lead us astray?  

Even though the book was written more than a century ago, the theme is still poignant today, and the character Captain Kurtz is striking and unforgettable. I was particularly moved by the ending when the narrator Marlow traveled back to England and lied to Kurtz's delusional fiancée that Kurtz's last word was her name instead of "The Horror! The Horror!"