Lord Jim

Joseph Conrad

I randomly picked this book. It was sitting on a shelf near some other classics so I thought it might be interesting. I deeply regret spending my time on it. This was probably the most boring book I have read yet.

The story of this book could be told in less than half of the time. Its about a young sailor named Jim that has some hard luck with a shifty captain. They jump overboard, along with a few other mates, from a ship that they believe to be sinking, abandoning several hundred people to sink to the depths of the sea. Unfortunately the ship didn’t sink and the crew is blamed for poor behavior and is banned from sailing.

Jim takes this very hard because he is a romantic. He dreamed of bravery and magnificence, but failed miserably and suffers for it. He ends up going to a forgotten trading location where he tries to escape his past. He succeeds in becoming a sort of hero to the natives. In the end he dies because of a misunderstanding. I’m telling you this because that is the whole story and you don’t need to waste you time telling it.

It sounds like it might be interesting, but I think my problem with it is the style of writing. I don’t really know how to describe it. Its like its being told from a narrator that is at a dinner party. The narrator is a part of the story and knows Jim as an acquaintance, and maybe his only friend. The boring part is that he draws out the story when you just want to get to the point.

Personally I would not recommend this book to any one. I was sorely disappointed.