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  • Nostromo

  • By: Joseph Conrad
  • Narrated by: John Lee
  • Length: 17 hrs and 15 mins
  • 4.1 out of 5 stars (27 ratings)

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Nostromo

By: Joseph Conrad
Narrated by: John Lee
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Summary

Joseph Conrad’s multilayered masterpiece tells of one nation's violent revolution and one hero's moral degeneration. Conrad convincingly invents an entire country, Costaguana, and sets it afire as warlords compete for power and a fortune in silver.

Señor Gould, adamant that his silver should not become spoil for his enemies, entrusts it to his faithful longshoreman, Nostromo, a local hero of sorts whom Señor Gould believes to be incorruptible. Nostromo accepts the mission as an opportunity to increase his own fame. But when his exploit fails to win him the rewards he had hoped for, he is consumed by a corrupting resentment.

Nostromo, relevant both as literature and as a brilliant social study, ambitiously brings to life Latin American history and the politics of an underdeveloped country.

Public Domain (P)2010 Blackstone Audio, Inc.
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Critic reviews

"I'd rather have written Conrad's Nostromo than any other novel." (F. Scott Fitzgerald)

What listeners say about Nostromo

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Fine Recording of a Classic

Nostromo needs no recommendation, it’s a classic that speaks for itself. John Lee is a fine narrator and he does the text full justice. (I liked this reading better than the somewhat strained Naxos recording.)

Another review comments on the recording quality, observing that the sound dips in and out. It’s true that every few minutes it sounds as if the narrator has half a jam jar over his mouth for a few words; but they’re still perfectly clear, and I didn’t find that it affected my enjoyment of the reading at all.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Distractingly different sound qualities

Distractingly different sound qualities for a great number of inserts really lets down an otherwise fine read.

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

couldn't follow the narrative

There are wonderful passages but something about the narration made it really difficult to follow the plot. It seemed as though the reader was just rattling through without being aware of the story either. His voice was fine but there wasn't enough intelligence to bring it together.

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Wonderful reading, flawed recording

Conrad is one of the best early 20th-century mood-setters and John Lees reading is deep and dramatic with lots of good accents thrown in. But every 10 minutes or so the recording is damaged, as if Lees voice drops out. This is a great story and a great recording but a flawed product. I only keep it because I like the reading so much, but shame on Audible if they leave this in the shop and do not try to get a better copy. Steer clear of it until they do.

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7 people found this helpful