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mokasin's review against another edition
5.0
До чего же сложными могут быть решения в повседневной жизни. Не каждый решится пойти на убийство, хотя и не каждый оказывался в подобной ситуации в подобное время. Автор не зря не единожды повторяет множество фактов и размышлений героя (что в данном случае меня, так ненавидящего размусоливания и повторения, нисколько не раздражало), напоминая читателю, что за все в жизни когда-нибудь придется расплачиваться...
lama_py's review
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
raulbime's review
5.0
Every hour of it at Golgotha!
The words used to describe what the Eastern Griffiths felt during Clyde's trial and the same words that describe how I felt from the beginning to end of this book.
Theodore Dreiser introduces the character Clyde in a manner that is sympathetic. The first male child of staunch christian missionaries, forced to walk the streets and sing with his family as they preached.
The first two parts of the book are spent fully describing the scenes and state Clyde Griffiths finds himself in, and Mr. Dreiser takes the reader step by excruciating step of all the misteps that Clyde Griffiths takes in his ambitious quest for money, power, beauty and wealthy and the tragic incident that leads to the downfall that was imminent from the beginning.
The book is not short of imperfections. For one it is perhaps 400 pages more than it ought to have been. Too repetitive and wordy.
Howeveer, the author manages to toy with the reader's emotions in a way that I love yet hate at the same time. Building up sympathy and love for Clyde who commits a murder, which was plotted and thus arouses disgust yet Mr. Dreiser still builds up sympathy for him in a cruel and conflicting manner as we are taken to "Golgotha" and lashed during Clyde's trial and the book's eventual end. Yet I absolutely loved the hell that Dreiser put me through in a masochistic way, through and through an incredible book and one od the best I have read thus far!
The words used to describe what the Eastern Griffiths felt during Clyde's trial and the same words that describe how I felt from the beginning to end of this book.
Theodore Dreiser introduces the character Clyde in a manner that is sympathetic. The first male child of staunch christian missionaries, forced to walk the streets and sing with his family as they preached.
The first two parts of the book are spent fully describing the scenes and state Clyde Griffiths finds himself in, and Mr. Dreiser takes the reader step by excruciating step of all the misteps that Clyde Griffiths takes in his ambitious quest for money, power, beauty and wealthy and the tragic incident that leads to the downfall that was imminent from the beginning.
The book is not short of imperfections. For one it is perhaps 400 pages more than it ought to have been. Too repetitive and wordy.
Howeveer, the author manages to toy with the reader's emotions in a way that I love yet hate at the same time. Building up sympathy and love for Clyde who commits a murder, which was plotted and thus arouses disgust yet Mr. Dreiser still builds up sympathy for him in a cruel and conflicting manner as we are taken to "Golgotha" and lashed during Clyde's trial and the book's eventual end. Yet I absolutely loved the hell that Dreiser put me through in a masochistic way, through and through an incredible book and one od the best I have read thus far!
kahale's review against another edition
3.0
A young man wants to socially climb but he also starts dating a girl at the factory where he works. He gets the factory girl pregnant and 'accidently' drowns her in a lake in the Adirondacks. It kept nagging me where I had heard this storyline before when I realized it was the movie A Place in the Sun with Montgomery Clift, Elizabeth Taylor and Shelley Winters.
disreputabledog's review against another edition
challenging
dark
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
bobbo49's review against another edition
4.0
This is a monster of a novel, and it's been on my "to read" list all of my adult life because it is so highly regarded (on everyone's "best of the 20th Century" list) and so long (850+ pages). I finally picked it up as a book club choice, and while the style and language are a bit dated (written early in the 20th Century), it is a fine read. The story follows the life of a young, poor mid-western boy into adulthood, as he struggles to achieve the financial and social successes of his east coast uncle's family, in the process gradually losing his moral grip and descending into darkness. Much of the tale reads like a well told mystery. The middle portion of the book, which vividly follows his internal debates over which course to choose, and the fear of discovery once he has chosen his course, is simply gripping. The ending is not quite up to the story, but this is still a great read.
letsgolesbians's review
4.0
I didn't like any of the characters in this book. The male protagonist is an idiot and hard to sympathize with, and the women are all awful. Everyone in the book does something illegal or stupid, and I was annoyed the entire time I read this. However, I was interested in the story enough to stick through the 800something pages because the book is well-written and interesting. Other reviewers have said that this can be considered the great American novel, and I would agree. You're not left wanting more, and the things that happen in the book are a decent representation of what can happen if you're a selfish idiot.
pbandgee's review
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
sif's review against another edition
dark
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75