Lord Jim

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Summary: "You don't think yourself a - a- cur?"
Review: A terrific examination of the human soul. The utter fraility of man, and his uncertainty of morality. I heard once that The Brothers Karamanzov was the only book you needed in life, but it's false. All you need is Lord Jim.

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Summary: Mind-Stirring, Amazingly Powerful Book
Review: This book is so powerful, it had me thinking for days and weeks after reading it. The more I thought about it, the more things I came to discover. One thing you should ask yourself is whether or not Conrad approves of Jim's actions throughout the book, after the Patna incident. Is it worth giving up everything to regain your honour? And is Jim's end really a tryumph? I beg to differ. In fact, I came to the conclusion that Conrad couldn't have approved of Jim's actions (after the Patna incident). (Marlow comments at the end of the book: "He goes away from a living woman to celebrate his pitiless wedding with a shadowy ideal of conduct.") What will confuse many readers is that Marlow appears both as the narrator and as a character in the book. As the narrator, Marlow does not approve of what Jim is doing to himself, and finds the whole idea of honour overrated. On the other hand Marlow-the character does nothing but -contribute- to Jim's destruction. It's quite puzzling to see him in the role of Jim's friend when he does nothing to help Jim spiritually, to bring him back on the right track. He sees Jim torment himself like that and what does he do? At some point he comments: "for a second I wished heartily that the only course left open for me was to pay for his <Jim's> funeral". Umm, ya, that's a nice friend... By no means will anybody get me to believe that Jim's end is positive, a tryumph over death, the solution to his problem... because it isn't. It isn't 'normal' for a young man to suffer like that, it is not 'normal' for a young man to see death as his only solution. He had his whole life ahead of him and enough opportunities left to regain his honour, even after the pilgrim episode. IMHO. I'd be glad to see more reviews, 'hear' more comments on this.

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Summary: A great work of art
Review: This book works on so many levels, it's mind boggling...it's an adventure story, it's a philosophical novel of ideas, it's got brilliant use of language. Like a painter, Conrad creates effects by deciding what to put in and what to leave out; he shifts narrators and fractures the time sequence to get maximum impact from his story. If you don't get it the first time, try again (I've read it many, many times). It's pure poetry and a genuinely profound book. The review below from VA that describes Conrad's theme (facing your fears) is totally right on the money -- so face your fears about reading a difficult book, buy a copy of Lord Jim and read it, and you'll be a better person for the experience.

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Summary: The Chance to BE THERE
Review: I read this novel a few monthes ago, and its impact has persevered. Frankly, I am just as thrilled about it now as i was when i read the last words. The aspect of LORD JIM that captivated me the most was how, with certain scenes, Conrad managed with great description and other tools to conjure up an unbeatable mood. The images transplanted into my mind felt, not like a memory, but as if I was THERE, living it as well. Somehow, Conrad has managed to cut out an infinitely interesting slice of reality; life, which we are offered in this book. The characters themselves, indeed, are living people.

See for yourself.

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Summary: "It is all in being ready." Terrific book, excellent!!!
Review: The best book I have ever read. This book is filled page to page with brilliant lines. It delves into the very heart and soul of Jim. "He was one of us." Each of us is capable of his one moment of cowardice. I read other reviews, and I couldn't believe how many people disliked it. Maybe they couldn't understand it. If you like great literature read this book.

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Summary: Not as good as Heart of Darkness
Review: As much as I love Conrad's style, this one was just too long. He shouldn't have tried to write a full-blown novel. Some things should just be kept concise. If you want to read something good from Conrad, go after Heart of Darkness.

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Summary: wonderful adventure surrounding an enigma
Review: conrad creates wonderful worlds of adventure, mystery and exotic people and locations. in the case of lord jim, our main character remains a tormented enigma, much like kurtz in heart of darkness. conrad's method of detailing everything around our young, romantic jim causes us to be drawn in by the sheer lushness, then left to darkly ponder the nature of honor, self and redemption. still amazing reading a almost a century after it was written.

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Summary: Good story but reading it felt too much like work
Review: I had mixed feelings about this book. On one hand, Conrad tells an interesting story with a great deal of literary skill. On the other hand, he overuses his skill somewhat, making the book very difficult to read. Most of the story is a narrative told by one character about his conversations with another character; thus, the paragraphs sometimes have quotes within quotes within quotes. What makes it worse is that many of the characters are nameless and referred to as "him" or "he" constantly. Many times I wondered who was talking, who they were talking to, and who they were talking about. I think the story would have been better as a short story than a novel...

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Summary: Blue Unicorn Editions
Review: Blue Unicorn Editions publishes the most complete, unabridged, uncensored texts of the world's greatest literary works, in English and/or their original languages.

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Summary: Dry and Dull
Review: It amazes me that an author who is considered so wonderful could be so dull. The book is dry and so hard to get through. I read this for a research paper on imperialism and hated it. Never before did I need to use Cliff Notes. I had to have them so I could understand the chapters as I went along. Only read any of Conrad's work if you really enjoy long, dull, winding, and pointless stories. There are so many descriptions of the setting, that Conrad necer can find the space to focus on the characters. Like Jim, the main character. I know less about him than I do about a stanger that I could meet on the street.