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What are readers saying about Sister Carrie (Barnes & Noble Classics)?
| Reviews of Sister Carrie (Barnes & Noble Classics) - Page 1 of 3 |
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-07-28 07:45:16.
(Language: English)
  
Meh.
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A Reader posted a review at 2008-04-16 12:56:49.
(Language: English)
Despite the fact that I loathed all the characters in this novel, it had enough aspects that made it an interesting read that I would consider to be worth the time. The rise and fall of Hurstwood is truly the most interesting aspect of this novel. I'm not in a rush to read more Dreiser, but Sister Carrie was not a poor introduction to the author.
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-08-31 03:42:24.
(Language: English)
i liked this book but i found it to be very sad!
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-01-07 03:55:02.
(Language: English)
This is a very interesting novel that seems to develop the idea behind Madame Bovary by Flaubert. The protagonist is a woman who leads a questionable life as far as the society in which she lives in is concerned. The narrator doesn't seem to judge the actions of the main character and not only does she go unpunished (whereas Madame Bovary is) she actually succeeds in her endeavors.
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A Reader posted a review at 2011-01-30 01:59:51.
(Language: English)
Sooooo, good! The ending was not what I expected. This was so enjoyable on the gray, snowy days of the past few weeks. I highly recommend it!
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A Reader posted a review at 2008-11-20 10:02:00.
(Language: English)
Striking portrait of character and circumstances.
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-11-13 05:47:13.
(Language: English)
Dreiser has a gods-eye view of humanity, compassionate and merciless all at once.
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Mary posted a review at 2009-02-20 02:19:24.
(Language: English)
Love Dreiser. Supremely well written and engaging.
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-05-02 10:31:29.
(Language: English)
Ugh! This is the last time I read a book cuz it has my name in the title. I couldn't wait to put down this "scandalous" nove.
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A Reader posted a review at 2008-12-18 06:26:06.
(Language: English)
Read this in high school. Another sad story. . .but good. REALLY Good. I don't recall much, but I know the characters had fallen on hard times. Good book. Worth a read. Will read more Dreiser down the road.
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-04-16 07:17:10.
(Language: English)
Great character development; haunted by one character in particular. Interesting time period in american history; definitely not thrilling or even exciting just a solid period piece
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-01-14 08:10:24.
(Language: English)
I had to read this one in college because it's part of the "English Canon." I remember thinking, however, that I wanted to launch it out of a cannon. It had a very strong emotive sphere, and it had a clear description of a depressing Chicago life, but it was not one that I ever want to read again.
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Caleb posted a review at 2010-08-18 12:47:58.
(Language: English)
Masterful, but Dreiser really takes his time getting to his point. There were several scenes that I thought were redundant. I found myself really caring about Carrie.
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-11-03 08:21:25.
(Language: English)
Although mildly depressing, I actually really enjoyed this book. I could see why it might have been scandalous during its time -- mistresses, adultery, crime -- maybe that's why I enjoyed it. I thought the characters all got what they deserved in the end, although I wish things hadn't ended up quite so rosy for Carrie. If you can get past Dreiser's long-windedness at times, this is a good story.
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A Reader posted a review at 2008-06-30 03:20:32.
(Language: English)
I read this book for my book club, and it's definitely one I would not have read otherwise. But, I'm very glad I read it. It's not one of the greatest books I've read and I didn't like any of the characters, but it was well-written, for the most part, and - I've learned - had a huge influence on American literature. The themes are timeless and it's sad to see how little our society has changed in the last century-plus. Our priorities (as a whole) are just as out-of-whack now as they were then. The story of Carrie, the young woman going to the big city looking for success, could just as easily have been set in modern times and the results would have been just the same. Quotes from this source:"Society possesses a conventional standard whereby it judges all things. All men should be good, all women virtuous. Wherefore, villain, hast thou failed?""After the occurrence of Wednesday, he could not refuse, though the Phillips were about as uninteresting as vanity and ignorance could make them.""The dullest specimen of humanity, when drqwn by desire toward evil, is recalled by a sense of right, which is proportionate in power and strength to his evil tendency. We must remember that is may not be a knowledge of right, for no knowledge of right is predicated of the animal's instinctive recoil at evil. Men are still led by instinct before they are regulated by knowledge. It is instinct which recalls the criminal - it is instinct (where highly organised reasoning is absent) which gives the criminal his feeling of danger, his fear of wrong. At every first adventure, then into some untried evil, the mind wavers.""The great create an atmosphere which reacts badly upon the small.""Little use to argue that of such [riches] is not the kingdom of greatness, but so long as the world is attracted by this and the human heart views this as the one desirable realm which it must attain, so long, to that heart, will this remain the realm of greatness. So long, also, will the atmosphere of this realm work its desperate results in the soul of man. It is like a chemical reagent. One day of it, like on drop of the other, will so affect and discolour the views, the aims, the desire of the mind, that it will thereafter remain forever dyed. A day of it to the untried mind is like opium to the untried body. A craving is set up which, if gratified, shall eternally result in dreams and death. Aye! dreams unfulfilled - gnawing, luring, idle phantoms which beckon and lead, beckon and lead, until death and dissolution dissolve their power and restore us blind to nature's heart.""Once seated, there began that exhibition of showy, wasteful, and unwholesome gastronomy as practised by wealthy Americans, which is the wonder and astonishment of true culture and dignity the world over."
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-09-27 07:58:48.
(Language: English)
The writing was a little dull and Carrie was not greatly developed as a character, but the story was good and I think he got his points across very well. I appreciated the craft in this novel, but I don't think that I'd say that I really enjoyed it.
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A Reader posted a review at 2008-05-28 02:50:26.
(Language: English)
This book is so unique in that none of the characters are good people, but they are written interestingly and dynamically; I had to keep reading! I wondered the entire novel if I even wanted the main character to be happy since she only is motivated to get out of the house if she is literally starving. I am still wondering if people who just take happiness where they can without moralizing (being stopped by marriage, poverty, manners) are transcending their circumstances or ignoring the basic rules of right and wrong we all should follow.
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b posted a review at 2009-11-09 08:16:47.
(Language: English)
I didn't like this book, but it is a good portrayal of the shallow "values" that seem to drive people's actions. It is ironic that Dreiser later edited Vogue magazine!! Maybe those were its better years. Anyway, the adage "be careful what you wish for..." is an apt one for this book. Having achieved her dream, Carrie does the same things as she did when she was penniless...daydreaming about happiness. The selfish and oafish characters in this book are the ones who fare best, and seem satisfied with themselves. Isn't that always the way...
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A Reader posted a review at 2008-06-03 06:17:16.
(Language: English)
I LOVED this book! I think this book and Jane Eyre are my two favorite books of all time! I just saw so much of myself in Carrie...her struggle from poverty and toil to supposed success and eventual disillusionment. I guess you could describe Carrie as a "maneater" but she was naive and vulnerable. And so ignorant of the culture and sophistication of the world her hear was set upon. And Dreiser was from Terre Haute and spent a year at Indiana University too - my alma mater! ha
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A Reader posted a review at 2008-03-21 06:00:18.
(Language: English)
This is a masterpiece, especially within the realm of naturalism. Dreiser creates a precise, unshakable fate for his characters with a logic and authenticity reminiscent of true crime. It is a wonderful, terrible American story that spans the technology, cities, and morals of its time, from the rapidly developing suburbs of Chicago to the gaslight palaces of the Great White Way in New York. The notes and resources included in the Norton Edition are essential.
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-09-26 07:08:16.
(Language: English)
I enjoyed the non-fiction historical threads at least as much as the story. Something sunk in me at the end, when I realized that Dreiser granted Carrie very little dimension - even though I think he was trying for something beautiful. He was reaching for something Nin evolved over a lifetime of work. And one caution - not exactly a feel-good book, so if you're looking for this, go hunt down some David Sedaris.
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A Reader posted a review at 2008-03-18 09:51:00.
(Language: English)
One of my favorite books! I can't believe that people wrote that it was dull. On the other hand if you don't care for Jane Eyre or Pride and Prejudice, you probably will not like this book ( granted Sister Carrie is more philosophical in scope ).I especially liked Dreiser's treatment of morality and social class.
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Christopher posted a review at 2008-05-09 11:24:37.
(Language: English)
Not a very good book, but not very bad either. Sister Carrie moves along at a lackadaisical pace worthy of a snail race, with about the same excitement to boot. The prim and proper prose of Dreiser's work only adds to the general lethargic feeling one gets while reading it. For example, Hurstwood's suicide is described so matter-of-factly that I had to read that passage twice. The only saving grace of the book is the character of Sister Carrie. Her vanity and naiveté, not to mention her stereotypical portrayal as a weak-willed woman of the early 20th century, which is as irritating as it is complimentary to her overall character, is what truly drives the story. What seems like a betrayal of the whole story is that her vanity and naiveté vanish and is replaced by the same complacency displayed by Drouet and Hurstwood toward the end of their stories. Overall, this book is not very interesting, but it has enough not to keep it completely boring.
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-03-06 11:44:47.
(Language: English)
An intriquing novel of the seduction of a young naive country girl, told in a matter of fact style, without judgement. It was considered to be a scandalous piece of literature when first read by the American public, as it is among the first to allow the heroine to meet a fairly satisfactory fate, unlike previous authors whose women of "loose morals" were either ruined or remorseful in the end.
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| Reviews of Sister Carrie (Barnes & Noble Classics) - Page 1 of 3 |
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