cmbhusker 's review for:

Sister Carrie by Theodore Dreiser

3.0

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Pretty big downer, which I knew going into it--but damn, that ending is bleak. I can't say I loved this, but didn't hate it-- Dreiser really tried to make big points about human nature, but wasn't always up to executing that intention. I expected it to be more centered on the titular Carrie, but I think George Hurstwood is actually the main character. That's probably just as well--Dreiser seemed less able to fully draw Carrie. But we get a very uncomfortable front-row seat to Hurstwood's depression and descent, and it hurts to watch--even though I wouldn't say he's especially likeable (no one in the novel really is.)

I'd read the synopsis of this book before, so I had a general idea of what happens before starting, and I was a bit surprised at how tough a lot of the summaries out there are on Carrie. I came into this expecting a very cold, selfish, calculating, and maybe even cruel character. She's certainly self-interested, but definitely not the villain I was expecting.

Spoiler

Many of the things I read talked about how she "left Hurstwood because he could not provide her a fancy lifestyle" and that's kind of true... but he wasn't supporting her at all! She really stayed with him until the bitter end--it wasn't like he was working hard and she left because she thought she could do better. Justice for Carrie!

They're all sort of victims of the same delusion, that money and social standing will bring them happiness--it's very much a reflection of late Gilded Age America (or many different eras of America, really), though I don't think Dreiser takes many pains to show his readers what one should be pursuing instead--none of his characters really figure it out.

Also, it would have been better at 350 pages rather than 500. I know I sound like a disgruntled student with comments like that, but so it is.

This is my first book in my Century Project--kicking things off in 1900!