Rating: 
Summary: Profound would be an understatement
Review: An American Tragedy hangs as a dark shadow over the all-too-often idealized American dream. An honest commentary on the materialism that frequently and unfortunately consumes our vision of success, this novel serves to illuminate the deepest and darkest reaches of our soul -- those places in our selves we would rather not discuss or even acknowledge. The tragic story of Clyde reads as an evolution of our own secret desires and urges. Beginning in Kansas City, Dreiser draws us into the character of Clyde, as both he and the reader become painfully aware of his family's poverty as well as the surrounding wealth and fame that will eventually seduce him. The reader rides a roller-coaster of emotion as Clyde moves from his carefree yet pitied existance in Kansas City, to growing success in Chicago then Lycergus, leading finally to a climactic if drawn-out ending. Moving from deeply involved to distantly removed perspectives, Dreiser introduces the reader first to the tempting social forces of money, power, and status that manipulate the world of Clyde, then finally to the coldly objective societal machinery that serves to punish the desperate behavior it inspired. Clyde embodies much of our own selves, and what seperates his actions from our own is measured only in degrees. Such is the mastery of Dreiser that he can, in these 800 pages, create such a love-hate relationship between the reader and the all-too similar Clyde.
Rating: 
Summary: A very good deep book that at times really pulls you in.
Review: This book was very good. It was descriptive, well written, and the story itself was one that many of us could relate to. A story of somebody trying to become rich and famous but failing miserably. The only possible bad point is that it becomes tedious at times, although at other times it really speeds up. A terrific read, a terrific novel that should be read.
Rating:
Summary: A great story - a good book
Review: Dreiser's writing is dense and his character development is often lacking. This is clearly an author in search of an editor. But, the story is compelling. Better entitled The American Tragedy, Dreiser probes the dark side of the American dream. Dreiser is both a realist and a fatalist who manages to craft a 900 page book without one heroic character and perhaps only one sympathetic one. But for a book written in 1925 it raises questions that are still topical today: Why do seemingly normal people do horrible things? What are the implications of Americans refusal to acknowledge the impact of our class differences? What is the cummulative impact of our drive for material goods.A satisfying read.
Rating:
Summary: First-rate
Review: AN AMERICAN TRAGEDY is a masterpiece that was later made into a very good film titled "A Place in the Sun."
Rating:
Summary: A forgotten classic
Review: Poor boy meets poor girl; they fall in love; poor boy then meets rich girl; they fall in love; unfortunately, in the meantime poor girl becomes pregnant without many options in turn of the century America, other than to marry the father. Which is what she demands of the poor boy, Clyde Griffiths. And of course, proving the axiom that it is just as easy to fall in love with a rich girl as a poor one, Clyde prefers instead the rich girl, her lifestyle, her friends, all that she represents to someone like himself. How Clyde gets himself into this fix and out of it is the plot of Dreiser's classic novel. It is a terrific page turner as you root for Clyde to escape his family, make his way in the city, meet "a nice girl". When faced with the dilemma, appreciated in its context (many many moons before Roe v. Wade), you brainstorm with him to try to figure out some good way out of the situation-how to help him get to his happy ending. And at last as events overtake him, the reader is torn between loyalty to Clyde and ... well I can't give away the ending. A great story, and my understanding is that it was taken from a true story. If you are a movie fan, the story was updated and re-told in "A Place in the Sun" in 1951 wth a beautiful young Elizabeth Taylor and Montgomery Clift in the starring roles. But the movie, though nominated for several Academy Awards, is a pale imitation of Dreiser's book. If you want this story, do yourself a favor and read the book first.
Rating:
Summary: BRILLIANT AND FRIGHTENING
Review: Dreiser exposes the seamy side of the American middle-class aspiration to succeed socially and economically. He does this by concentrating on the fortunes of Clyde, who starts out in the 800-page book as an unfortunate victim of his evangelical parents, forced to sing on street corners in the Kansas City business district. Clyde gradually becomes the personification of the 'banality of evil', as he drives himself on, goaded by his own poor self-image. Dreiser's voice, in keeping with the Naturalist style, is extremely subtle -- many times I forgot it was he who presented the character, I felt as though I had discovered him by myself. This is the most successful form of fiction writing, probably due to Dreiser's background as a journalist. The contemplation of evil action, together with a fascinating treatment of Evangelical Christianity, makes this book a sort of moral treatise... except that we are left with an ambiguity, the amoral anti-hero being our total concern.
I could hardly put the book down. It was totally absorbing and consuming
Rating:
Summary: Dreiser's classic is a timely masterpiece
Review: It took me all of eight months to slog through this novel, but it was well worth the time investment. Dreiser's passionate humanism shines through a grim tale of a naif who has bought into the American ideal of wealth and status - and how those aspirations become his undoing. The theme is apropos in our materialistic times. Drieser is often criticized for awkward writing, but any novel that makes me think and feel so deeply about our culture and its values is a masterpiece in my book
Rating:
Summary: Clyde Griffiths as the embodiment of materialism
Review: With the exception of "The Financier," "An American Tragedy" stands outs as perhaps Dreiser's best portrayal of materialism. His main character, Clyde Griffiths succinctly reflects the Epicurean attitude of the twenties, an era where translated into better. A clear dichotomy between the "haves" and the "have nots" exists throughout the novel. This disparity is a constant reminder to Griffiths, and more to the point, most Americans at the time and today, that wealth is good. The fact that Griffiths embodies the spirit of American materialsim is overshadowed by Dreiser's compelling narrative. The complexity with which he develops Griffiths' character is astounding. Although he is guilty of murder with intent, one cannot help feel a pang of sorrow for a man that is a victim of his overpowering desire to attain the wealth and comfort considered to be the American ideal
Rating:
Summary: A Forgotten Classic
Review: Dreiser's classic novel has been largely forgotten -- truly a shame for contemporary readers. Rediscover this harrowing piece of fiction
Rating:
Summary: More than what meets the eye
Review: In an "American Tragedy" Dreiser uses massive sentence structure to convey his ideas about materializm, and about life in general. Although lengthy at times Dreiser convey's to the reader the destruction of society to a weak soul. Dreisers use of foreshadowing and symbolizm simply astounded me, leaving me asolutly breathless at times. Yes, this is a definite read but only if you have a while to sit down and get through it
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