Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad–Book Review

This beautiful, hardcover edition of Joseph Conrad’s “Heart of Darkness” is the second in a series of classics released by B&H Publishers.  It includes an introduction by Karen Swallow Prior, a professor of English at Liberty University.  There are also reflection questions at the end of each of the three sections of the book.  They will help you read like a Christian, and make this an excellent choice for your book club.

The book itself has been called both a novel (short) and a short story (long).  The narrator, Marlow, is a mariner who recounts his journey into the heart of the dark continent (Africa).  However, the more important story is centered around a different kind of voyage–into the dark hearts of men.  Marlow encounters hypocrisy, greed, idolatry (several kinds)and racism, as well as disease and death. The nature of truth is also a major theme. This is a read that is neither fun nor uplifting.  It left me feeling “uneasy” (a word used over and over again in the story) and dismayed at being brought face to face with how uncivilized we civilized people really are.  It is unfortunately based on both biographical and historic fact, but it also transcends the time by addressing concerns that are universal.

Ms. Swallow points out that although Conrad is a skeptic, in this work there is:

“… an implicit acknowledgement of the human need of something bigger than and outside ourselves to check our basest human impulses and most craven tendencies.”

This is a book to be read slowly and carefully.  The language is evocative and poetic.  It is not easy, but it is important.  It will challenge you to examine our own culture and how it influences us to view what is “truth.”

VERDICT:  5 STARS.  I look forward to more in this series.

If you would like to see a review of another classic in this series, visit this post:

Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen–Book Review

If you would like to purchase this book, follow the link below:

https://www.lifeway.com/en/product/heart-of-darkness-P005802329

The Lutheran Ladies received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.  Disclaimer pursuant to FTC 16 CFR part 255.

 

Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen–Book Review

This is a book to warm the heart of an English major!  It is attractively designed with a hard cover in silver and gray and a ribbon bookmark attached.  Part of a new series of classics being offered by B&H Publishing, the goal is to help readers understand these works in light of the gospel.

The author of the introduction and reflection questions at the end of each section is Karen Swallow Prior, a Professor of English at Liberty University.  She reviews the work in the context of its’ time, and gives pertinent details about the writer.  For example:

“Jane Austen was a Christian–a devout believer.  She did not sermonize or proselytize in her novels (she was too good an artist to do so), yet the language and themes of her work reflect a life steeped in her Christian faith.”

There are also footnotes throughout to explain words and phrases that might be unfamiliar to present day readers.

If you haven’t read this well-known classic, I won’t give away any details of the plot.  Suffice it to say that it touches on the topics of love and marriage, forgiveness and moral character.  Which is most important and valid in making decisions?  Sense (logical reason and self control) or sensibility (emotion)?  Austen uses misunderstandings, irony and satire to poke gentle fun of her characters.  It falls into the genre of a comedy of manners.  You’ll find yourself smiling often and recognizing different kinds of people you know today in her witty characterizations.

VERDICT:  Definitely 5 Stars.  This would be a great selection for a Christian book club.  I look forward to seeing more in this series.  Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad is already available, and other titles are forthcoming.

If you would like to purchase this book follow the link below:

https://www.lifeway.com/en/product/sense-and-sensibility-P005802328

The Lutheran Ladies received a free copy of this book in return for a fair and honest review.  Disclaimer pursuant to FTC 16 CFR part 255.