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A review by dedalus_diggle
Victory by Joseph Conrad
5.0
This is the best Joseph Conrad book I've ever read. Okay, so I've only read four of his novels so far (Heart of Darkness, Lord Jim, Almayer's Folly, and now this one) but seriously this thing is incredible.
It has a deeply relatable philosophical undertone, solid, well-developed male and female characters, and a plot that gradually builds to an ending rivaling the best of Shakespeare.
Oh, and aside from all that- an incredible setting conveyed perfectly to the reader. Conrad's prose is basically unrivaled. Beautiful, effervescent, and lush. It's really hard to believe that English was his second language. The dialogue is snappy and Conrad slowly builds tension through conversation in an organic, almost Tarantino-esque way.
I would recommend this book to basically anyone, with one caveat, and that is that this book is very much a product of it's time. The existentialist philosophy within its pages is timeless, yet there are portions that espouse early 20th century racist attitudes. Approaching a work like this with a critical eye is essential.
It has a deeply relatable philosophical undertone, solid, well-developed male and female characters, and a plot that gradually builds to an ending rivaling the best of Shakespeare.
Oh, and aside from all that- an incredible setting conveyed perfectly to the reader. Conrad's prose is basically unrivaled. Beautiful, effervescent, and lush. It's really hard to believe that English was his second language. The dialogue is snappy and Conrad slowly builds tension through conversation in an organic, almost Tarantino-esque way.
I would recommend this book to basically anyone, with one caveat, and that is that this book is very much a product of it's time. The existentialist philosophy within its pages is timeless, yet there are portions that espouse early 20th century racist attitudes. Approaching a work like this with a critical eye is essential.