Heart of Darkness is a short novel about the ivory trade. It reflects many of the sensibilities of the the past days, with natives seen by the whites as "cannibals" and other racial terms that would not be acceptable today. It can, however, be read in various ways, including a condemning of the view of European superiority. It is a tough, dark novella to get through.
The Red and the Black feels like it should be an interesting psychological exploration of a man's life in early 19th century France. Alas, the narration of audiobook just makes it seem boring. It is if they decided it was a book of European Literature, so they had to give it a snooty narration. The novel explores the life of a man who is willing to do what it takes to advance in the way he sees fit. Being French, there is of course a great deal of time spent conquesting women. There is also working through the intellectuals and the church to advance his position. Eventually he is convicted for killing somebody. Only she survived... But he is guillotined.
