Customer Reviews

The Rover

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The Rover is one of Conrad's least known and regarded novels. Written near the end of his life (his final finished novel), it covers the last years of a retired sea captain as he returns to his home country of France with a pirate's treasure. Much has changed while the captain was away at sea, however--namely, the French Revoluton. He finds refuge at a remote farm on the southwest coast, but must share it with an assortment of cryptic characters. Yet, as the story quickly unfolds, the characters around the captain come to life, and the reader is presented a tense climax. Where, if anywhere, do the captain's loyalties lie? And, what motivates him in the end?
Compared to Conrad's other works, the Rover certainly is a more conventional novel, and it tells a far less complex story. Still, there is great beauty in this simplicity, and Conrad nonetheless succeeds in conveying much of how he viewed human nature. This fine story, while not as rewarding as Conrad's masterpieces, has a great deal to offer to a wider range of readers, all while requiring minimal effort. This is a very fast read with less of the dense atmospheric passages Conrad is known for. If Conrad could analogized to Steven Spielberg and Lord Jim was Schindler's List, then perhaps the Rover is one of the Indiana Jones films. Not a classic by Conrad's lofty standards, but very enjoyable and rereadable. Again, not his best, but in many ways, my favorite.