Nostromo by Joseph ConradMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Upon completion of Nostromo, Joseph Conrad told a friend, "Personally, I am not satisfied. It is something—but not the thing I tried for."
Conrad's "something"contains numerous characters, great and small, set in a violence-racked, fictitious South American country. As Costaguana's resources are tapped by American and European investors, resentment, greed, and betrayal roil the nation and spawn yet another revolution. Wealth is sought, gained, lost and hidden, always with a price.
Conrad jumps about in the time line, changing points-of-view, foreshadowing, advancing the story, then later filling in details. For substantial periods, I was left guessing as to which details really mattered and which character backstories would pay off. However, the last fifty pages raced along, indicating that, perhaps, other narrative sections might've been equally condensed.
As a note, I would avoid the Brent Hayes Edwards edition, since the introduction seems designed for people returning for their third helping of Nostromo and is a nest of spoilers.
Uneven, but fascinating book.
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