sanjana1510's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
jake_'s review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
4.0
Exceptionally written, as always with Conrad, and with a plot quite masterfully woven. While the setting and themes were not as memorable as those of Nostromo and Heart of Darkness, I was pleasantly surprised by how good this book was, even if it did lose my interest a little in the middle.
gideon's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.75
jdelloso's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
akaonna's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
anabbesteves's review against another edition
4.0
I didn't realise how great this book really was until I actually had to write a whole paper about it. I highly advise it. If you read it, be prepared to notice the special nuances in the writing <3
kattha's review against another edition
2.0
Didn't actually finish this, but stopped reading this. I read excerpts and I know the entire plot but I just could not for my life finish it. Sorry, Joseph Conrad!
miramichi_jim's review against another edition
4.0
I can't recall when I first read The Secret Agent, but it was likely 25-30 years ago. I do recall that it was the first of Conrad's novels that I had read that nothing to do with the sea. At the time I was heavily into sea stories and nautical history, so the full import of The Secret Agent was lost on me. I had no understanding of anarchy and what they hope to accomplish. Reading it again, with the advantage of the intervening years and observing history, The Secret Agent takes on more meaning in a worls where anarchists carry machine guns into school and murder children. Others commandeer airplanes and fly them into skyscrapers. What would Conrad have thought of today's world?
"An impenetrable mystery....this act of madness or despair."
"An impenetrable mystery....this act of madness or despair."
nonsensicaljourney's review against another edition
4.0
This book is really gripping for a "classic". it reads generally like a police procedural in the middle, and is interesting in its description of the Verlocs at the beginning, but otherwise unmemorable until the last few chapters with Mrs Verloc. Those scenes are worth it in the end - they are amazingly written and keep you in the mind of characters, and provide compelling reasons to follow the characters through a very stressful climax to the novel.
lauragonzalez's review against another edition
1.0
unsurprisingly, i hated every second of this book. conrad suxxxxxxxxxxxx, tell everyone.