Rating: 
Summary: A Must Read of American literature
Review: It's a tragic but story about Clyde Griffiths a poor relation to a rich, factory owner. In Book 1 he gets in trouble with the law after being a car that killed a young girl. He gets a job at his uncle's factory where he eventually meets poor but beautiful Roberta Alden, a factory hand. He meets Sondra Finchley, a rich girl who associates with Clyde's cousin. However I believe the reason he was with Sondra Finchley was not love but curiousity of her being rich. The murder trial towards the end of the book was a bit long and almost boring but the end is worth it. I cried several times throughout the book. For Clyde and Roberta too. It's based on a true story about the Gilette family. You know, the ones you buy razors from. Read it and let it open up a world.
Rating: 
Summary: A true American masterpiece
Review: I am a senior in high school and read this book as part of my Advanced Placement English class. Many of the books that are on our curriculum are "the classics" that everyone reads during high school. Although they all have an important message and are worthwile to read, none of them has touched me in the way this book has. It has had an effect on me the way no movie, book, or other work has ever had on me. There were times that I felt like I couldn't read any more, not because I was bored with it or because it was difficult getting through the words, but instead it had made such a tremendous impression on me that I could read no further although I wanted to so much. I just need to take a second away from the book to think about what had just happened. I was so into the novel that I lost my sense of reality. I was in the novel. I felt the pain and happiness of the character. I have felt things somewhat like this before but never near this as strong as this. Theodore Dreiser has created a true work of art. I honestly believe that he has created the most tragic story ever written. It is not for anyone who is cold or insensitive, for if you don't truly feel the pain of Clyde Griffiths and Roberta Alden, you can not feel the whole effect of the book. Once again I strongly reccomend this book to anyone with a heart they are willing to put through a little pain in order to experience a feeling that cannot be found anywhere else
Rating:
Summary: An ageless treatment of the American classes
Review: Theodore Dreiser is not a great linguist. He sometimes structures his text awkwardly. Although he can be excused by the dated language (the book was written in 1925), he tends toward excessive use of some words (e.g., I think he uses the word "gay" about 567 times!). At points within the narrative, it slows to almost an excruciating crawl. Despite these drawbacks, Dreiser succeeds in acquiring and sustaining one's attention over a long book. His character development is second to none and, in my opinion, demonstrates significant growth since writing "Sister Carrie". You'll find yourself first rooting for Clyde (after all, he's the protagonist and at least in Book One, he is a sympathetic character), then being shocked by him, then, finally, damning him (and grieving over "her", the truly tragic figure of the novel). The book left me shaking my head at the waste and, yes, tragedy of it all and the role society played in it. This book is a must read for any serious student of American literature. It combines the superlative character development noted above with a keen understanding of the caste-system of American society and the gulfs that separate the classes. After the depth of drama preceding it, the simple "Souvenir" at the end is powerful in its impact. I agree with others that the Afterword by Irving Howe is well worth reading and adds some wonderful context to the work. Finally, I'd recommend that, like a good film, the reader not enter into the novel already knowing the ending....its length requires some dedication and the experience is much more suspenseful and rewarding when one is open to surprises.
Rating:
Summary: Deserves to be called a masterpiece
Review: This is an outstanding example of naturalism, the novelistic examination of real, everyday life through authentic detail. "An American Tragedy" offers a vast portrait of American life during the first decade of the 20th Century. The title Dreiser gave this novel is ironic in that none of the characters is truly tragic. Clyde Griffiths is a case in point -- pathetic, passive, shallow and so irresolute that he cannot even carry out premeditated murder without being left to wonder afterwards whether he really meant to complete his plan or not. Clyde doesn't ever achieve any significant degree of self-knowledge and is certainly not ennobled by the pain he inflicts on all those around him and himself. "An American Tragedy" neatly inverts the quintessential American optimism that fuels our continued fascination with bettering ourselves materially and our smug belief that wealth equates to moral virtue. Clyde's own moral framework, admittedly shaky from the start, is undermined by his attempts to improve his lot in life. Ironically, this deterioration makes it possible for him to gain entry into the vapid world of the wealthy in the small city where he lives and works. Dreiser is not a particularly good writer. His sentences can be clunky, truncated and fragmented. His language is stilted and awkward at times. He has no ear for writing dialogue. But these technical limitations are more than offset by Dreiser's incredible insight into the interior lives of his characters. They are, almost all, flawed in decidedly pedestrian, untragic ways. But their petty struggles -- for wealth, for political favor, for survival -- at least show people grasping at a larger prize that remains just out of reach. We may not approve of their actions, but Dreiser does treat his characters with compassion and their struggles do achieve a quiet dignity even in abject defeat. For this reason alone, "An American Tragedy" deserves to be called a masterpiece. This particular edition has a very good essay written by Irving Howe as an afterword and I encourage readers to read it after they have finished the novel itself. "An American Tragedy" is long, which may deter college instructors from using it in lower level undergraduate English courses. I would, however, highly recommend it for use in upper level undergraduate and graduate courses. It is also a fantastic resource for American history and culture studies. Sociologists might want to consider using it, as well, with graduate students to show them how careful sociological research and insight can be transformed into moving, graceful fiction.
Rating: 
Summary: An American Tragedy Review
Review: An American Tragedy, is a very detailed and descriptive novel. After I read it I was a little depressed, but the novel made me think
Rating:
Summary: LONG, but VERY good and interesting book
Review: This is the first book I've ever read by Dreiser, and although it took me awhile to read, and it was an assignment for my English class, i really, really enjoyed it. I love the way Dreiser presents Clyde as being someone who always runs from his problems, as many of us do, but then shows how it all catches up with him in the end. It's really a good life lesson. . .for all of us. You play, you pay. He made bad decisions, and he had to pay the consequences.
Rating:
Summary: Entertaining but not convincing
Review: This story is about a poor boy named Clyde who tries to use nepotism and deceit to obtain social status. However, the deceptions become complicated when he becomes involved with a poor girl with whom he works. Keeping the relationship hidden in order to keep his job and to prevent it from giving his relatives/employers and the local society a negative image of Clyde, circumstances caused by Clyde's own actions compel drastic action on Clyde's part. Would Clyde consider doing the unthinkable to obtain social prominence? While Dreiser takes great effort in laying out a foundation by which the reader could sympathize, if only a bit, with Clyde's plight, I felt that the effort was in vain. Perhaps it was too difficult a task. Clyde reached a certain point, then passed it. After that, I had no sympathy for him and was not in the least anxious as to his fate. I was still curious, however, which compelled me to continue reading. As a result, I read through the later passages of the novel with little more than curiosity as to Clyde's fate. I just kept thinking to myself as I read Clyde's thoughts later on in the book(which often amounted to "Why me? How did this happen?" etc.) that these events that supposedly were of a predetermined nature were not so. Perhaps this is a required assumption for the novel to work. However, I don't think so, because Dreiser uses the early parts of the book to try to show the inevitability of Clyde's actions. The later parts of the book go into this issue a bit, with characters who, in a sense, analyze the events from earlier portions of the book. Apart from these problems that I had with what Dreiser was trying to do in laying out the biographical foundation of Clyde, I really enjoyed the book. The dialogue was a bit dated at times (I can't remember the last time I heard anyone say "Gee"), but it was still easy to consume. The novel is also very descriptive, but not so much as to bore the reader. In conclusion, it was a good book, but Dreiser's herculean effort to invoke sympathy from this reader for Clyde was in vain. The book is worth a strong three stars, but not four. Perhaps I'll give "Sister Carrie" a try...
Rating:
Summary: Powerful story of a poor boy who is obsessed with wealth.
Review: This book is certainly an American classic. Dreiser draws you right into the mind and personality of Clyde Griffiths and his wish to obtain wealth and the American dream. There are certain areas of the novel which drag but that is Dreiser's style. Overall, the book is spellbinding. Definitely a must read and a keeper for your bookshelf. I read it once in high school and recently (15 years later). The end will astonish you!
Rating:
Summary: a great cautionary tale....
Review: ....on the evils of rampant materialism and social-climbing. I read this book in high school and it still holds a special place on my bookshelf. Dreiser is a master detailer and he does an outstanding job skewering the mores of people from the early 1900's. The book has held up well over the years and is still applicable to today's standards. A great book for a young teenager grappling with the harsh realities and stinging unfairness of social stratification.
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Summary: I learnt other things from this book as well
Review: it was an excellent book. reading it was like savoring a rich fudge sundee for dessert (being 800 pages and all). it was an excellent look at the real world. i like the way dreiser builds up the characters, no matter how big or small their part in the story is because doing this enables the reader to understand why a certain character is acting a certain way. this book has many messages besides the typical poor boy seeks $$$ and ultimately commits murder: parents should be more attentive to their children, they should give them some breathing room one should have a reason for beleiving in something, not just because. like esta had superficaly religious beliefs, which is why she was in trouble for sometime if you loved sister carrie you will also love this book!!!
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