An American Tragedy

By: Theodore Dreiser

Narrated by: Dan John Miller

Length: 34 hrs and 12 mins

Publisher's summary

An American Tragedy is the story of Clyde Griffiths, who spends his life in the desperate pursuit of success. On a deeper, more profound level, it is the masterful portrayal of the society whose values both shape Clyde's ambitions and seal his fate; it is an unsurpassed depiction of the harsh realities of American life and of the dark side of the American dream. Extraordinary in scope and power, vivid in its sense of wholesale human waste, unceasing in its rich compassion, An American Tragedy stands as Theodore Dreiser's supreme achievement.

First published in 1925 and based on an actual criminal case, An American Tragedy was the inspiration for the 1951 film A Place in the Sun, which won six Academy Awards and starred Elizabeth Taylor and Montgomery Clift.

©1925 Theodore Dreiser (P)2011 Tantor

Dreiser the Clumsy Genius

Crudely written, just as was Sister Carrie and The Financier, but as gripping as Carrie. Vastly ambitious.
Sympathetically and intelligently recited, but the women's voices are dubious. A very big ask.

good read

really good book. kept me interested the whole time even though it is a long one. the writing is eloquent.

Zeitgeist

True classic. Excellent performance. Excellent characters. Yes, even the ones you won't like. Great pacing and a rewarding end.

One of my all-time favorites

Would you listen to An American Tragedy again? Why?

I would listen to this book again. I really enjoyed the story. I particularly appreciate the fact that Dreiser had the courage to have an anti-hero play the main character in the story. The plot completely surprised me.

What did you like best about this story?

I enjoy listening to stories that completly catch me off guard, especially when they are realistic. This book in particular achieved this.

Have you listened to any of Dan John Miller’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Miller is a good narrator. His reading fit the story.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I listen to books at work on a daily basis - I would look forward to listening to this book so I could find out what would happen next. There were many lines in the book that made me laugh out loud.

Any additional comments?

An american Tragedy and Sister Carrie (also by Dreiser) are excellent books. I will listen to other books by Theodore Dreiser

Very Good Narration but

I really enjoyed Dan John Miller's narration but found Theodore Dreiser to be too long-winded for the audiobook format.

THE ABSOLUTE BEST BOOK I EVER "READ"

Would you consider the audio edition of An American Tragedy to be better than the print version?

I NEVER READ THE PRINT VERSION.

What other book might you compare An American Tragedy to and why?

NO OTHER. THE STORY HAD NO SEGMENTS WHERE I DIDN'T WANT TO SIT GLUED TO I WANT TO READ MORE BOOKS BY THIS AUTHOR.

Have you listened to any of Dan John Miller’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I DON'T THINK SO.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

THE STORY WAS SO GOOD EVEN THO IT MOVED SLOWLY. I WILL

Any additional comments?

ALTHO THIS IS NOT MY FAVORITE BOOK (INTENSITY BY DEAN KOONTZ) IT IS THE BEST BOOK EVER! I LISTENED WITH MY SIG, OTHER, MIKE AND WE BOTH LOVED THE BOOK. THE READER DID A GOOD JOB WITH MALE VOICES IN PARTICULAR, CLYDE.

Too Depressing Even For Me

Maybe I am crazy, but I am listening my way through Modern Library's 100 Best Novels of the 20th Century. I joined Audible because my local library offered fewer than sixty book on the list in the recorded version. "An American Tragedy" is #7 on the list, and was among my first Audible choices.

"An American Tragedy" tells the story of an young man from meager beginnings seeking to improve his fortune. Repeatedly, his good manners, appearance and charm enable him to secure good situations, but his poor choices ruin his chances, and the consequences he suffers each time are more serious than the last. Like "Sister Carrie," which I enjoyed very much, Dreiser's writing of "An American Tragedy" unveils events slowly so as to provide a depth and richness of characters, place and time.

Sadly, after thirteen hours of listening, I decided to put the book away. The story brought on feelings of depression that were unpleasant and hard to shake off. While I've enjoyed many books that other people find depressing, for some reason this one just was too much for me.

Since I didn't finish it, I can't recommend to read it or not! But hopefully my comments will help others decide about reading "An American Tragedy."

Good Book

I enjoyed the story and it was interesting. The narration was good. The story was well written.

Well narrated.

Was well narrated!
The book goes on and on and on. It could have been condensed into a more manageable amount. I feel like Mr. Dreiser didn’t have an editor. Interesting story.

Interesting story line

This was long story...very detailed and descriptive. The narration was good and characters were interesting.