A review by julis
Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad

slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Another “read in small daily chunks” book. This time my reading was worsened by doing it on my phone screen, because I was predisposed to skim and this isn’t really one that benefits from skimming.

At any rate. This is about colonialism, and it is critical of colonialism for its time, which is to say that it’s reasonably racist and dismissive of Africans, and only some of that can be attributed to the unreliable narrator. Make of that what you will.

Originally rated 4/5. A follower recommended I read An Image of Africa by Chinua Achebe, which I did, and edited this review to 3/5 as a result; An Image of Africa otoh is 5/5 thought provoking.