Rating: 
Summary: Remarkable in its Detail; Entertaining
Review: Norris's "McTeague" is a wonderfully detailed account of the city of San Francisco in the early 20th century. His vivid descriptions placed me in the heart of the action of the novel: I could hear the trundling of the cable cars as they passed McTeague's "Dental Parlors"; I could feel the cool Pacific gusts on my face as McTeague fished near the the huge rocks to the west of Lincoln Park; I could smell the stale tobacco smoke and steaming beer as McTeague settled down to his afternoon snooze. If nothing else, "McTeague" is of historical importance. Norris makes a motion picture of San Francisco after the turn of the century and then shows it to the reader with words instead of pixels.The novel is captivating. As the novel progresses, the beast within McTeague continues to emerge. His evolution sets a trap, inviting you to anticipate his next move and compelling you to read on to see if you are right. Norris thrilled me with all the adrenaline-pumping gore--I was frightened and disgusted but powerless not to continue. The ironic fight-to-the-death ending, although unrealistic, is enjoyable as well.
Rating: 
Summary: Remorseless, brutal, utterly necessary
Review: Some aspects of McTeague are a little on the amateurish side; it can be psychologically clumsy, and some of the symbolism seems a bit labored (hey, Norris was in his twenties, whaddaya expect?). This, however, is irrelevant, because, truly, it is the most visceral novel I've read in ages, pulling no punches, and with easily the most nightmarish ending I've ever encountered in a 'realistic' novel (whatever you do, don't spoil it for yourself). Norris's single token attempt at lightening the mood is a secondary romantic subplot, but really, you'll be so overwhelmed by the novel's main thread, you'll barely notice. Norris was heavily, heavily influenced by Zola, and it shows on ever page. And, while his writing might not be up to that of The Man at his height (though if he hadn't died at thirty-two...the mind reels at the possibilities), he nonetheless displays all of Emile's best tendencies: the talent for atmosphere, the firm refusal to ever relent, the simply-drawn but deeply memorable characters...it's all there. Written in English, by an American. One of those things that might contribute to my being proud of my country, if not for various other issues. Seriously, dudes and dudesses...it's difficult for me to imagine how one could fail to be awestruck by this novel. Anyone interested in American fiction, naturalism, or just kickass writing in general should most definitely not miss it.
Rating:
Summary: Remorseless, brutal, utterly necessary
Review: Some aspects of McTeague are a little on the amateurish side; it can be psychologically clumsy, and some of the symbolism seems a bit labored (hey, Norris was in his twenties, whaddaya expect?). This, however, is irrelevant, because, truly, it is the most visceral novel I've read in ages, pulling no punches, and with easily the most nightmarish ending I've ever encountered in a 'realistic' novel (whatever you do, don't spoil it for yourself). Norris's single token attempt at lightening the mood is a secondary romantic subplot, but really, you'll be so overwhelmed by the novel's main thread, you'll barely notice. Norris was heavily, heavily influenced by Zola, and it shows on ever page. And, while his writing might not be up to that of The Man at his height (though if he hadn't died at thirty-two...the mind reels at the possibilities), he nonetheless displays all of Emile's best tendencies: the talent for atmosphere, the firm refusal to ever relent, the simply-drawn but deeply memorable characters...it's all there. Written in English, by an American. One of those things that might contribute to my being proud of my country, if not for various other issues. Seriously, dudes and dudesses...it's difficult for me to imagine how one could fail to be awestruck by this novel. Anyone interested in American fiction, naturalism, or just kickass writing in general should most definitely not miss it.
Rating:
Summary: A book that gets better and better...
Review: The first time that I picked this book up, I felt as if it's just another long book full of extraneous and dull descriptions. However, the book gets real interesting real quick. It got to the point in which I did not want to put the book down. There are many surprises in the book that make it interesting. Residents of the Bay Area will like the references to the late nineteenth century way of life. The book not only talks about city life but it also delves into life in the mountains, mines and the Death Valley. Overall, this book is very enjoyable, right down to the very surprising ending...although I'm not too sure how appropiate it is...Check it out for yourself, even though it was an assignment, I really enjoyed it, and you will probably too, if you are anything like me...(i.e. a lazy college student...
Rating:
Summary: As dangerous as a Comanche attack, and somber as steam beer.
Review: The Norris novel stuns the senses. It is the Cadillac of ingenuity. drama vs. rest. the rest, and the rest...descriptive and natural. one of the few books to captivate so well with a slow, sleepy head hero. one that starts out different, but is turned like the rest, violent and vengeful, illogical. and then raging, crying. like a wounded beast. and Norris uses repetition and the placement of vastness to dig the graves of the vulgar people that inhabit the novel's space. repition, crossed by the unexpected.
Rating:
Summary: McTeague Review
Review: This book begins much like a work by Dreiser or Lewis, but soon turns cynical in a way that can only work if the style is also sneeringly funny. An acknowledgment of that wicked humor is what is missing from many of the other reviews here. The characters are all selfish in their own way rather than truly greedy. (The movie "Greed" took "McTeague" as its inspiration.) They are also grotesques, which allows for the humor to work its magic without alienating us; something keeps us from wholly identifying with them, thus, we don't really feel their pain, but instead shake our heads at their miserable actions, all brought about by deficiencies of character. They want love and happiness and imagine stupidly that it is through wealth that they can achieve or be worthy of such virtues. This is the theme: wealth and security as misplaced substitutes for love and happiness in the modern world. Indeed, the image of gold spins through the novel in various contexts. I am not going to repeat the plot outline because some other reviews here have done that well. When I finished this, I was convinced that it is one of the ten best American novels I have ever read, and that includes a lot of so-called "great" works. However, there is a reason this book is not mentioned in the same breath as "Huckleberry Finn" and "The Great Gatsby." There are truths here that high school teachers would perhaps not want their students to face; namely that acquisitiveness in its extremes can become a rather disturbing mental sickness. In our consumer culture, I think many are made uncomfortable by that possibility. I am reminded of the great Native American chiefs who stated that the pursuit of gold had made white men crazy. I forget who said that an author in his work should be like God in the universe: everywhere present but visible nowhere. This novel reaffirmed that for me after reading so many painfully overwrought-- and overpraised-- postmodernist failures of the last thirty years or so. Agree or not, I won't mention their names: if you've read them, you know what I'm talking about. They're not for me. McTeague is fresh, funny, meaningful, and plot-driven. Would that those qualities returned to contemporary American fiction, and the age of sententiousness, victimization, and "style" over substance would end.
Rating:
Summary: A great book that readers can easily get involved in.
Review: This book gets better and better as you get deeper into the book. If you are sick of dull and hard to read books, then you should try reading this one. You may not even want to leave your seat as you try to finish this book in one sitting. Those who are familiar with urban neighborhoods should easily identify with the characters and the hardships they have to go through. But be warned that you might find it difficult to be apathetic as you read the book; sometimes you may find yourself very emotional. At other times, you may find yourself questioning your own values. Enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: Pitiless
Review: This book is unrelentingly depressing and vital; impossible to put down the numbing narrative. The snobbery of Norris's privileged youth shows as he malaciously yet objectively records the low-brow tastes in art, theater, and music, as well as interior decoration. Sometimes this irritated, but by and large Norris stood apart, cooly neutral, employing tricks of the French symbolists, mostly repetitive description, sometimes whole sentences, reframing the scenes in the refrains. The description of Trina only grew more intense and invigorated the more she was plunged into despair and poverty. McTeague is not an entertaining book, certainly not. It's a compelling tour through animal lust and brutality. Employing the refrains served to increase the idea of the narrative as a child's fairy tale or a time-worn, rusty allegory. This in turn cemented the dreary finality of bleakness: eternal determinism. McTeague fascinates with raw animal magnetism, like a dazzling beauty fascinates a man from across the room, like life itself hypnotizes in its teeming energy and elemental force. Norris compels, fascinates, controls. He's a man obsessed whose obsessions become the obsessions of those who read him. This book is fatally irresistable.
Rating: 
Summary: A predictable, naturalistic novel.
Review: This book was very repetitive and predictable that it seemed to continue forever. I would not have finished the book except I was forced to take reading quizzes everyday in AP English. It was evident from the description of McTeague in the first few chapters that he was going to murder someone with his enormous strength. I was relieved when he finally met Marcus in the middle of the desert because it was obvious two hundred pages earlier that McTeague was going to kill him, and as soon as they met in Death Valley I knew the book was finally over
Rating:
Summary: A Wonderful Dark Piece of Literature
Review: This is definitely a wonderful intellectual horror novel. It never sells out and tries to become something mainstream. It is deliciously honest and a wonderful work of gothic art. I recently had to read it in my college American lit. class, and I loved every minute of it. I also recommend the old silent film "Greed" to go along with it (it is based on this novel).
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