The Secret Agent

By: Joseph Conrad

Narrated by: David Horovitch

Joseph Conrad's The Secret Agent is a tale of anarchism, espionage, and terrorism. Our agent, a man named Mr Verloc, minds his own business while he keeps his shop in London's Soho, alongside his wife, who attends to her aged mother and disabled brother. Their lives are turned upside down when Verloc is reluctantly employed to plant a bomb and destroy an observatory in London. What was once the perfect bomb plot inevitably turns awry and Verloc, his family and his associates are forced to face the consequences. Conrad's later political novel bears all the hallmarks of his captivating style.

The Secret Agent brims with melodious and poetic language, alongside crystal-clear psychological insights that could only be the work of a uniquely gifted storyteller.

Download the accompanying reference guide.Public Domain (P)2014 Naxos AudioBooks

Critic reviews

"[David Horovitch's] warm, rich tone and English accent are a pleasure to hear. And once the action kicks in, his characterizations of gravel-voiced Eastern-European wanna-be terrorists, plummy government officials, and put-upon London shopkeepers illuminate the points that Conrad is making and add to the drama. This is an excellent and timely reissue of a profound novel." (AudioFile)

Life is too short to endure a bad novel

Perhaps it is the difference in times and cultures, but this book moves at a snail's pace, and the plot remains unclear after several hours.

As an avid listener to espionage novels, and classic lit.,... this one is a dud.

*It doesn't help that the narrator sounds like Yoda when performing the main character.

Dragged down by Muppet-like voices

My first Conrad novel. Good story. Not as action-packed as Three Musketeers or Casino Royale. More introspective.

The reader had a fine narration voice, but some of the character voices were awful, resembling British Muppets and difficult to understand. Thankfully those characters don't speak all that much. I think a different version may have changed my overall review.

Excruciating Detail

Though the reader was outstanding, and Conrad is truly a master of the language (amazing, as English was not his first language), the phrase "excruciating detail" must have been coined by readers who had read this book. A painful story about grandiose but petty people, with extensive rumination on their grandiose yet petty thoughts. Not an enjoyable read at all

a bit teadous

a bit wordy overall it was a good study of human behavior and cause and effect.

Pace is tough to endure

What did you like best about The Secret Agent? What did you like least?

This book certainly shows of the writing style of classic author Conrad. His descriptions of characters, situations, and their interactions are extremely detailed and yet at the same time subtle. I found myself at times amazed by his captivating descriptions. I also liked the ending...the book has a great payoff for all of its slower parts.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

I am not qualified to suggest how Conrad should change one of his novels! That said, as an audible book, it tries one's patience in the earlier parts of the book with the often long character discussions that seem to amount to very little in the end.

Have you listened to any of David Horovitch’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have listed to Horovitch before. I always enjoy his performances. Especially for books that deserve a steady voice and classic English accent.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

Maybe

Just getting started & might not make it through

How did the narrator detract from the book?

The narrator's portrayal of the main character and some of the minor characters sounded like the muppet show. It was so distracting, I had trouble understanding what he was saying.

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

While some of the story dragged on and on, the language and phrasing was descriptive.

Any additional comments?

Going to trudge through, rather than returning...hopefully things will pick up.

I should have read the description more carefully

Would you try another book from Joseph Conrad and/or David Horovitch?

No. I thought that the title would lead me to a more fast pace book. I got bogged down in all the commentary. Not at all what I expected.

Boring

The narrator does a fine job and I thought initially this would be an interesting listen. It's just too hard to follow. Maybe I haven't paid close enough attention. Still, I felt lost as I went from chapter to chapter. Just not enough substance to hold my interest.

Beautiful verbiage, boring story

I almost quit after 2 hrs, but plugged on, finally getting interested in the last 2 hrs. the writing is so well-done, many phrases made me smile, but,...ughh. what a drag. maybe some abridging is called for.

I don't think I am going to make it through...

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

Better narration. When the narrator is not doing speech work he is suburb but it goes downhill fast when the conversations get starterd.

Would you be willing to try another book from Joseph Conrad? Why or why not?

Yes

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of David Horovitch?

No.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Irritation. Straight up annoyed with the voices.