Nostromo

by Joseph Conrad

English language

Published 2018 by Standard Ebooks.

(17 reviews)

Originally published as a serial, Nostromo is set in a fictional South American country where the outbreak of civil war puts the mining town of Sulaco in turmoil. Giovanni Battista Fidanza, known as Nostromo, is given the task of smuggling out a large amount of silver to keep it from the revolutionaries.

        <p><a href="https://standardebooks.org/ebooks/joseph-conrad">Conrad</a> was inspired to write the book when he read, in a sailor’s memoir, the tale of a man who singlehandedly stole a boatload of silver. He had first heard the same story a quarter of a century earlier as a young sailor.</p>
        <p><i>Nostromo</i> has met with critical acclaim: it is often regarded as Conrad’s greatest novel and <a href="https://standardebooks.org/ebooks/f-scott-fitzgerald">Francis Scott Fitzgerald</a> said he would rather have written <i>Nostromo</i> than any other novel.</p>

83 editions

moving to outside.ofa.dog reviewed Nostromo by Joseph Conrad (Dover thrift editions)

Review of 'Nostromo' on 'GoodReads'

2 stars

After a year of false starts, I finally admitted I just couldn't get into this book. It's strange because I've loved a lot of Conrad's work, and I certainly see the same beauty of writing here, but this one just wasn't grabbing me. I don't know if it's the slower pace than most of his (but his other relatively long books also start slowly), that he was writing further outside his experience than usual, or that I've changed and some of the troubling things about Conrad now bother me more than they used to.

moving to outside.ofa.dog reviewed Nostromo by Joseph Conrad (Dover thrift editions)

Review of 'Nostromo' on 'LibraryThing'

2 stars

moving to outside.ofa.dog reviewed Nostromo by Joseph Conrad (Dover thrift editions)

Review of 'Nostromo' on 'LibraryThing'

2 stars

Scott reviewed Nostromo by Joseph Conrad (Dover thrift editions)

Review of 'Nostromo' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

Dense fiction but a worthwhile read. I enjoyed the intriguing storyline, the excellent writing and the way in which Conrad attempted to wrestle with imperialism. It has its negatives, such as its sexism and racism, but what makes Conrad interesting is his effort to mediate a Eurocentric, racist, sexist world - which he has partially bought into - and his sense that all is certainly not right with the way things are. And on top of it it's some brilliant fiction. Check out Said's Culture and Imperialism for a more thoughtful exposition upon Conrad, Nostromo and imperialism.