Set in the imaginary South American republic of Costaguana, this work is an illustration of the impact of foreign exploitation on a developing nation. As Sulaco, site of an English/American controlled silver mine establishes its independence, its ideals are inevitably compromised.
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Rated by buyers - Defects in this Kindle edition
This Kindle edition of Nostromo has many instances of a phrase misplaced in the text, requiring the reader to unscramble a sentence or two. While this is generally possible to figure out, it interrupts the flow of ones reading. Since there are many Kindle editions of this title, I suggest that you purchase a different one than this:
Nostromo, A Tale Of The Seaboard +
Rated by buyers - Money corrupts once again
An "incorruptible" man (Nostromo) becomes corrupted by the dishonest acquisition of "filthy lucre" (silver ingots) when the lighter (barge) he is operating with the silver on it sinks; he is able to hide the ingots on an island for his later personal gain. His impeccable reputation allows the citizens to believe the silver is actually on the bottom of the sea. Nostromo justifies his actions by concluding that he was duped and used by the silver company - the self-deluded victim. In the last section, considered the weakest by some critics but magnificent all the same, Nostromo falls in love with two sisters (Giselle and Linda) and they with him; he chooses falsely by choosing Giselle: it is Linda at the novel's end who cries her heart out for him after his death. But by now Nostromo, once hero to all, is making very bad decisions.
Many consider this Conrad's greatest novel, and in it he paints a very large picture of corruption, revolution, love, and material gain; as in all his novels the writing is suspenseful and dramatic. Nostromo, on his death-bed, confesses to the kindly Mrs. Gould (the mine owner's wife) how he had stolen the silver, but she refuses to let him tell her where he hid it: "Isn't there enough treasure without it to make everybody in the world miserable?" Indeed. Money is the destructive force here: only Linda's love for the man is worth praising.
Rated by buyers - Lord Jim Meets the Heart of Darkness [47]
Protagonist Nostromo experiences the life which the author seeks for the reader to envy - or does he or she?
Living amid the fictional South American country torn with civil war and military coup's strife, Nostromo works for foreign miners whose ill begotten gain is admonished by the countrypeople and the leaders of the coup. Eventually, even the loyal and most helpful to the English Nostromo must concede that his purpose should be more than aiding the rich to extract his country's riches for their personal financial gain.
Conrad is a master of telling great stories in incredible detail. And "Nostromo" is his only novel set on land - although a great amount involves a boat pulling off shore to an island not far away from the site of the majority of the novel. And, quite candidly, the boat parts of this book are the most gripping in detail and style.
Conrad's other great novels have dealt with great characters of the sea: the almost perfection of man with "Lord Jim" ; or the eery recantations of the life in the third world where people would kill another for nickels and dimes in "Heart of Darkness." This novel mixes the greatness of "Lord Jim" in the character of Nostromo and encircles him in a world of relative anarchy as the warring coups' leaders and the old government involve serious and severe physical harm to all.
The major theme of the story is about the cache of silver derived from the foreign man's efforts in the town in which Nostromo lives. Those involved must ask: Let the military leaders come in an take the silver or save it for the old rule or for those who mined it? Not previously involved in the politics of his own country which are grotesquely intertwined and muddied by foreign money or manipulation, Nostromo becomes very much involved in politics with his handling of the hiding of the silver ingots. People are subsequently tortured to death for information about the silver. But, only one man knows what happened to it and where it lies. Is this good? Conrad described Nostromo as "The slave of the San Tome silver [who] felt the weight of the chains upon his limbs. . . " He was fettered by the knowledge and being involved with the hiding of the silver. Before he became involved, life was good. After the hiding, life remained good - until he suffers an unfortunate disruption with a woman scorned.
Like a Greek tragedy, this novel laments the hero for his humanity and human weaknesses. Unlike a Greek tragedy, this is a long and drawn out struggle involving a great amount of reading.
Conrad learned English after the age of 21, and when he wrote, he wished to convey to the reader his knowledge of the vocabulary of the English language. In short, Conrad writes in a style that is neither quick paced nor easily absorbed as many uncommon words are shoehorned into certain sentences for what can commonly be proclaimed as affectation or even grandiloquence. Regardless of this truism, this book should be read.
Rated by buyers - Hold On...It Gets Better...And Really Good in the End...
Don't give up on this book, especially if you are reading it for fun. If you are reading it as an assignment, you don't have that choice, but either way, don't give up on the book. The very first 126 or so pages can be hard and difficult to follow, but when a character named Decoud comes in, the whole plot, the characters and the thrust of the book come together. Seemingly little things and small characters in the very first 100 pages take on epic proportion for the remaining pages. Once Decoud is in the story, it takes off, to a surprising and unexpected conclusion. How we react to that conclusion tells us, the reader, how we view ourselves and the world around us. Good book.
The story takes place in a Latin American country torn by revolution and counterrevolution. It is not about war and revolution, however. It is about the people who live through those revolutions, what kind of lives they have, what kind of lives they seek, what kind of lives have meaning for them.
It is about the corruptibility and incorruptibility of man, even good men. Every man has his price, even in pursuit of good causes. What do we value, what do we care for, to what extent would even the best of us use others to further our own ends, interests, ambitions and values.
Follow Nostromo's venture as he found out about the good and bad in his country,the people he trusted and cared about. It is a good and fascinating story. But it does take some time, 100 or so pages, to get there.
A memorable thought from the book, from Donna Gould at the end of Chapter 11, Part III, The Lighthouse: "For Life to be large and full, it must contain the care of the past and of the future in every passing moment of the present. Our daily work must be done to the glory of the dead, and for the good of those that come after..."
The question becomes: "What part of the past is worth honoring; what part of the future is worth having?"
Rated by buyers - Conrad's Greatest Novel
Nostromo is simultaneously a great political novel and a great psychological novel. A large part of Conrad's achievement is his fusion of these 2 elements into one seamless narrative. Nostromo describes the penetration of a Latin American country by European/North American capitalism and the ensuing revolution. All the characters in Nostromo are engaged in the intensely political acts carrying the plot forward. Conrad based his narrative on a considerable amount of research on contemporary Latin America and the articulation of the plot elements is elegantly realistic and gripping. The psychological elements concern characters' motivations for their acts. A recurrent ironic theme is that important characters are driven to act by motivations that have nothing to do with political objectives or economic gain per se. Unlike most of his other novels which offer a psychological portrait primarily of a single character, Nostromo features several characters whose motivations and actions are explored by Conrad. The focus shifts from character to character is a way that consistently advances the plot, a brilliant piece of formal construction. Finally, Nostromo features some of Conrad's best descriptive writing. Because of the complexity of the plot and characterization, Nostromo is not the easiest of Conrad's novels to read. Nostromo is ultimately well worth the effort expended.
- Defects in this Kindle edition
- Money corrupts once again
- Hold On...It Gets Better...And Really Good in the End...