THE SECRET AGENT (Joseph Conrad) - February 20/13

Well, okay. I guess I really, really, really hate Joseph Conrad. The guy is just a horrible writer, filling his books with almost nonsensical paragraphs that mean nothing. There's no momentum as a result, with Conrad's overcooked writing style snuffing out the possibility of entertainment. He just goes on and on about things that nobody cares about in this laughably flowery style that's often infuriating. Having said that, there are a few halfway decent stretches here - with the final 20 or so pages, in which Mrs Verloc kills Mr Verloc and Ossipon cons Mrs Verloc, standing as a relative highlight. Still, this was an ordeal to get through and it's the kind of book that makes me hate reading. * out of ****