A review by clockless
Welcome to Hard Times by E.L. Doctorow

4.0

This is certainly not a book for everyone. It is excessively dark, in ethos if not in content, though the content is no picnic either. The ultimate message is that society is just a veneer over the darkness at mankind's heart, which is always ready to return if you only scratch the surface. It could have been a little more subtle, really. The book is so heavy with allegory that it never is allowed to get on its feet, and that's the real shame. Molly's dress for instance, not only a cast-off wedding gown but also described as the only thing she wears, allows her to look like a respectable woman until it gets torn and everyone gets to see her for who she really is. The whole book is like that. It's competently written, but I can't endorse the worldview.