a psychologically intense read

My father gave me the complete works of Joseph Conrad for my 21st birthday, and over the 30 odd years since then, I must have read Lord Jim 4-5 times as well as listened to it on audio twice. Each time I have got something different from the book. When I was young, I was tremendously attracted to the strange mixture of Lord Jim's intensely romantic and mysterious nature; this last time, I could not help musing about the clash that always seems to occur between a person's inner world and the world we all live in, and the ultimate futility of acts of honour.

All that said, I can well understand that the book would not be everyone's cup of tea - my wife tried reading it a couple of times but gave up! But if you enjoy psychologically intense, analytical novels, you might give this a try - the prose flows so well and Conrad wraps you up in his intensely drawn world with such skill. I am always amazed that english is not his native language.

Lord Jim is particularly suited as an audiobook as much of it consists of Marlowe's own narration of Lord Jim's tale. Frederick Davidson does a superb job; his natural ironic and acerbic style is perfectly suited to to book; his delivery and his judgment of pace, character and mood are perfect.

I loved it and I am sure I will be listening to it again.

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