Lord Jim Audiobook

" I love Conrad but this is not my favourite. The characterisation is stunning, Heyst's repression, disenchantment and longing are palpable and the villains are the best villains you'll read in a long time. The first two thirds is wonderful, rich, beautifully written but as soon as the romantic allusions start it suddenly gets stiff and mawkish and frankly unbelievable. Lena as a character and her dialogue is just not believable. "

" I initially decided to read this book because I wanted to look clever while carrying it around while I was backpacking... unfortunately, no prop can make me look clever, but this book definitely kept me entertained. Not a pick-me-up sort of book, but I guess if Conrad's writing it, you have expect that. What can I say, it's a classic. "

" I didn't get into this quite as much as the rest of Conrad's books. "

" Absolutely stunning. If you've never read any of Conrad's novels, or if you didn't enjoy Heart of Darkness, give Victory a try. It's much more accessible than his earlier work, yet it still retains all the elements that make Conrad great. "

" Initial reactions: Instantly draws you in. Conrad's powerful command of description and forward-moving plot make for a smooth read. What I liked the most was his thorough study of each important character. The relationship between Lena and Heyst is complex and not a simple love story. Ricardo and Mr. Jones offer beguiling studies of evil. I also got a sense of how one cannot ever be too sure of another body's intentions and vice versa, making for uncertainty, and the cause of all of Heyst's unlucky drama in the first place. "

" Joan Didion said that before she begins writing a novel, she reads Victory to remind her about the possibilities of plot, narrator, and fiction in general. "

" The book has humor, a bad guy parallel to Captain Hook, and a main character of my own mind. The easiest and most enjoyable Conrad book I've ever read. "

" I loved the lyrical use of language and had to look up a few words that really aren't used anymore. There was great development of character and a sweetness to the main character that I really liked. "

" Just a good read. Conrad is a great storyteller. Between Victory and Heart of Darkness, I'd hand the better story to the first. (But without less obvious thematic human elements than the latter) "

" I truly wonderful novel -- one of the classics. "

" Excellent book. I suggest you read it soon. "

" It has never taken so much willpower to get through one book, as it took me to finish this one. The only saving grace lies in the last fifty or so pages. "

" Beautiful writing and great storytelling! "

" Some exquisite writing, preparing to learn more about the reclusive Heyst, when the plot seems to devolve to comic strip characters and desperate actions. I was surprised to discover that this was a later work, as I found the last third of the story so two-dimensional. "

" Read many years ago,it moved me like no other book before. Then I entered my teens. haven't been back to it since. But I will remember it as a five star. "

" Victory: An Island Tale (Collected Works of Joseph Conrad) by Joseph Conrad (2000) "

" First half was a lot like Maugham's Razor's Edge except not annoying to read, second half felt like something from a Graham Greene book. Overall, I enjoyed this a lot more than Heart of Darkness. "

" The least scope of any Conrad book I've read yet, but still decent. And I suppose it's getting a little old pointing out white male early modernist writers couldn't write women. So I won't. "

" Really good well written story set in Indonesia, Conrad describes the area so well because he spent time there as a sailor and you feel that the characters were real people. "