Alvan Hervey is a proper bourgeois. He has been married to his wife for 5 years, and they live in a large house with all the comforts that correspond to their class. They have no children, and both of them flaunt a rich social life, continuously expanding their circle of friends.

One day, when Alvan returns from work, he doesn't go to the club as usual and arrives home earlier. He finds an envelope addressed to him and recognizes his wife's handwriting. This surprises and irritates him.

"An unusual fact was already indecorous in itself; but the circumstance that his wife was the cause of it made it offensive doubly."

This work, which is only 113 pages long, is a social and psychological portrait of the era that can be perfectly transferred and understood in our time. It is a profound and intense narrative that masterfully covers the different angles of a relationship between a couple enslaved by appearances.

Boredom and monotony represent positive concepts for Alvan, which give him security and dignity. Passion and the expression of various emotions are relegated to unstable, primitive people, certainly not of his class or position.

On the other hand, his wife rebels against the boredom of her daily life and believes she has found the path to her liberation in her lover. There is no love in their marriage, there never was, only a "convenient arrangement". After leaving the letter to her husband, she abandons the house to start a new life. However, as she walks away, she weighs her situation, the precariousness she is exposed to, the uncertainty of living with her lover... Is it worth it?

She decides to return, and when she does, everything convulses in such a way that it surprises us with its unexpected ending.

This is a very good book. I enjoyed it very much. You will love it.

Pretty good example of how not to be married. Conrad evidently didn't think much of British marriages.

He seemed to believe that there were many pitfalls and flaws in the institution. Perhaps he had witnessed or experienced some less-than-ideal situations himself. It could be that the expectations and traditions associated with British marriages were too confining or restrictive for him. Maybe he saw how people got trapped in unhappy unions, unable to break free. Or perhaps he thought that the idea of a lifelong commitment was too idealistic and not always achievable. Whatever the reason, Conrad's view serves as a cautionary tale. It reminds us to carefully consider our motives and expectations before entering into a marriage. We should not simply follow the crowd or conform to society's norms without thinking things through. Instead, we should strive to find a partner who truly understands and supports us, and with whom we can build a fulfilling and lasting relationship.

As someone who has been going through an extremely tough and heart-wrenching personal situation for almost a year, this book has made me stop on more than one occasion to calm my heart. It really hit home.

Life without love is unthinkable. When one has had love and seen it leave, it feels as if life is also departing.

He never returned.

This experience has been so profound and painful. The words in the book seem to resonate with my own emotions, providing a strange sort of comfort. It's as if the author understands exactly what I'm going through.

I find myself reflecting on the past, on the moments when love was present and full of joy. But now, it's just a memory.

Despite the pain, I know that I have to keep going. Maybe one day, I'll find love again. But for now, I'll hold onto the lessons this experience has taught me and try to move forward, one step at a time.

In this novel, one can observe Conrad teaching everyone how to create an intimate bourgeois novel.

And when others began to attempt it, he simply went to the sea to create his own stories.

Conrad's approach was unique. He seemed to have a profound understanding of the essence of such novels.

By showing others the way, he was not only sharing his knowledge but also inspiring them to explore this literary form.

However, when it came to his own work, he chose a different path.

The sea became his muse, his source of inspiration.

Perhaps it was the vastness and mystery of the ocean that appealed to him, allowing him to create stories that were both captivating and unique.

Conrad's decision to go to the sea and create his own stories shows his independence and creativity as a writer.

It also adds an element of adventure and excitement to his work, making it all the more engaging for readers.

Pretty good!

This is my first time reading a book by Joseph Conrad. I have to say that I very much enjoyed the rich vocabulary and unique style of this book. It really added a lot of flavor and depth to the story.

However, I do have one small wish. I wish there could’ve been parts written from the wife’s point of view. It would have been interesting to see the events and relationships from her perspective. Maybe we would have gained a better understanding of her character and her role in the story.

Overall, though, I am still very impressed with this book and I look forward to reading more of Joseph Conrad’s works in the future.

Get together every conceivable word to describe an emotion and every possible tone in which you could express them. Then, pack it all into a story of just 70 pages. It was an intense experience, to say the least. At first, I was completely engrossed in the detailed descriptions and the various emotions being conveyed. However, after a while, it became so over the top that I found myself skimming some pages. I was eager to get to the parts that actually moved the story forward.

It is a tight and claustrophobic little story. The author seems to have crammed in every possible emotion and description, leaving little room for the reader to breathe. I suspect that it may not have stood the test of time particularly well. In modern writing, we are used to a more streamlined and faster-paced style. This story, with its dense prose and slowish moving plot, may seem a bit outdated to some readers.

Despite its flaws, there are still some aspects of the story that I found interesting. The author's ability to describe emotions in such detail is quite remarkable. However, I think that the story could have benefited from a bit more editing and a more focused plot. Overall, it was an okay read, but not one that I would rush to recommend to others.