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earth_to_haley's review against another edition
informative
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
deegee24's review against another edition
5.0
There aren't too many novels about financial crimes. This one is a masterpiece. The layers of history, the penetrating insights about municipal politics and the criminal justice system are simply astonishing. And don't let anyone tell you Dreiser is a bad prose writer. There are fewer bad sentences in this long novel than you will find in the best of Updike. Sadly, the political corruption and social inequality that gave rise to Frank Cowperwood are all too familar in the 21st century. Why nobody has tried adapting this novel for film or TV is anyone's guess.
medwards1771's review against another edition
2.0
Unrelentingly moralistic. Female characters are one dimensional. But mostly, a gigantic bore. Who edited this thing?
One of the many dumb things Dreiser says about women: "The average woman, controlled by her affections and deeply in love, is no more capable than a child of anything save sacrificial thought - the desire to give; and so long as this state endures, she can only do this. She may change - Hell hath no fury, etc. - but the sacrificial, yielding, solicitous attitude is more often the outstanding characteristic of the mistress."
One of the many dumb things Dreiser says about women: "The average woman, controlled by her affections and deeply in love, is no more capable than a child of anything save sacrificial thought - the desire to give; and so long as this state endures, she can only do this. She may change - Hell hath no fury, etc. - but the sacrificial, yielding, solicitous attitude is more often the outstanding characteristic of the mistress."
nastiapats's review against another edition
challenging
informative
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
kassiopeija's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
pained_creations's review
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This book was recommended to me and upon reading the reviews, I saw someone mention the Wall Street Journal article written about it. The article recommended the book for the financial story, as it is based on a real life story (the business details, not the personal life of the main character).
This book uses a LOT of words and adjectives for everything, and especially people! A page or more can be spent on the facial features and build of a man, along with a complete description of his outfit. This is a bit tedious to read, and I found myself skimming at times (which is why I couldn't give it more stars).
The story is interesting, especially knowing the "rags to riches to jail to riches again" plot is based on a real person. It goes into a lot of specifics of banking and the financial markets, and even some of the legal case presented. It takes more than 250 pages to cover 2 years, and then the next almost 2 years are over in about 30 pages.
This is the first in a trilogy, and I liked it enough to move on to the second book, especially since it is based in Chicago. I will likely take a break and read something else first before going back into another one of his super descriptive books though!
This book uses a LOT of words and adjectives for everything, and especially people! A page or more can be spent on the facial features and build of a man, along with a complete description of his outfit. This is a bit tedious to read, and I found myself skimming at times (which is why I couldn't give it more stars).
The story is interesting, especially knowing the "rags to riches to jail to riches again" plot is based on a real person. It goes into a lot of specifics of banking and the financial markets, and even some of the legal case presented. It takes more than 250 pages to cover 2 years, and then the next almost 2 years are over in about 30 pages.
This is the first in a trilogy, and I liked it enough to move on to the second book, especially since it is based in Chicago. I will likely take a break and read something else first before going back into another one of his super descriptive books though!
chasewrenn's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
slow-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
wmhenrymorris's review against another edition
A fantastic piece of classic American realism. And really a must read considering what the financiers have done (yet again) to the U.S. One begins to realize that Goldman and Bear Stearns and AIG etc. etc. is an old old story. And one in which somebody always walks off with a whole lot of loot.
Dreiser's psychology of character may not be 100% convincing, but it's pretty damn close and the rest of -- the dirty politics, the gray financial dealings, the desire for social climbing, the attitudes and habits of the old guard and the noveau riche -- is very much on target. Not a pretty look at people and society, but one that captures something about a portion of the American spirit as much as any classic in the canon.
Also: Cowperwood would eat Gordon Gecko for lunch.
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I'm still working on this novel -- mainly because it's on my PDA (yeah, I don't have a Kindle but this was the closest to an e-edition I could choose) and so I read it when I don't have anything else to read. But I can report this: this novel is amazingly current in relation to the economic crisis. Also: show me a novelist alive today who can write about complex financial transactions as well as Dreiser.
Dreiser's psychology of character may not be 100% convincing, but it's pretty damn close and the rest of -- the dirty politics, the gray financial dealings, the desire for social climbing, the attitudes and habits of the old guard and the noveau riche -- is very much on target. Not a pretty look at people and society, but one that captures something about a portion of the American spirit as much as any classic in the canon.
Also: Cowperwood would eat Gordon Gecko for lunch.
--------------
I'm still working on this novel -- mainly because it's on my PDA (yeah, I don't have a Kindle but this was the closest to an e-edition I could choose) and so I read it when I don't have anything else to read. But I can report this: this novel is amazingly current in relation to the economic crisis. Also: show me a novelist alive today who can write about complex financial transactions as well as Dreiser.