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This has to be one of my favorite novels of the year. I‘ve read Heart of Darkness a few times so I knew I needed to read it slow. Conrad rewards the patient reader with beautiful descriptions of characters and life in underworld London. A dark satire that isn‘t as hopeless as it may seem. The introduction (best read after finishing the novel) sums up “the novel‘s irony consists of an amused, sad and compassionate derision.” But it is compassion.

#bookspin Crossing the Caton
#doublespin The Secret Agent
#bookspinbingo #october

A classic Edward Gorey cover. A half-dozen of these have gone by as I cataloged my dad‘s books. But I‘m not a collector per se; I can‘t see the point in keeping a book for its cover. #cataloging

#bookhaul from a really cool coffee shop, art show Brandon and I went to last night! I've never read Joseph Conrad, mostly I bought these books for their #edwardgorey art work! 😄 The pin and artwork are by Brett Manning, she's on instagram check her out because she's awesome!

I don't know if I've ever disliked a book this much. Maybe it just wasn't to my taste, but I didn't like the story or the characters at all, and it's a dumb ending in my opinion.

So many #classicstbr! Will be backpacking through Europe in July so hopefully I'll get a lot of reading done on the train. #junebookbugs @RealLifeReading

This went much better for me than Heart of Darkness. It helps if you read Conrad out loud using a British accent...I'm not kidding...The end is what makes it worth reading. 60/1,001 #1001Books

This book suffered because I read it shortly after Nostromo, which left me with few positive feelings toward Conrad. However! It managed to transcend that somewhat and the end in particular is tremendously good. Conrad's prose is confusing and keeps you at too much of a distance. I wish I liked him better.

I suspect my enjoyment of this book suffered by my own weariness. I've been running on fumes the past 6 weeks or so, and I could never quite fall in line with Conrad's prose like I have with some of his other books. Still, I recommend for the sly plot and absolute jackhammer of an ending.

This will be the third year of the Twelve Hectopages of Xmas readathon that I do on my blog. I'll be choosing books from this stack. So excited!

#12hppofxmas

#secretsantagoespostal This Santa doesn't just go postal, he goes 2-day priority mail! I didn't take a photo of the whole box, so this is just a sneak preview. 😁 I hope it finds its new home on time!

Received this with my last completed book on @SerialReader and I didn't even notice!

#1001books read 165. I had never heard of this novel before finding it on @SerialReader and choosing to knock off another list book. I enjoyed this more than I expected--the secret agent, his clueless wife who thinks their quiet shop supports them, her disabled brother, her mother who so worries about her son's future. An inspector, a police chief, an embassy employee, and a cast of revolutionists.

I liked this better than Heart of Darkness -- the narration was easier to follow -- but I felt distanced from a lot of the story, even the really action-packed bits. I also found it difficult to keep the anarchists sorted out. Maybe a TV adaptation would work better for me.

A thumbs up, but with reservations. It's well done and Conrad obviously had keen insight into the foibles of agents of revolution and reaction alike. Plus, the lesson that change is both made & resisted by flawed, foolish humans is important. But the underlying contempt for humanity was offputting.

My first Conrad since Heart of Darkness more than 20 years ago. So far, an unpleasant feel to it, but skill and insight too...