Sister Carrie

Dreiser's first novel was suppressed for its relatively amoral depiction of a golddigger's rise and the concomitant fall of her lover. The book remains interesting for its historical importance, period detail and sinewy depiction of the big-shouldered city in the 1890's. At 500 pages, it's a lot to swallow in the dry Books on Tape house style of narration. Given that limitation--or virtue, to some ears--Rebecca Burns plays for clarity, enunciating crisply and phrasing precisely. She succeeds so well that this reviewer found himself more attentive to her narration than to either the original book or the sanitized film version with Lawrence Olivier. Y.R. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine


Laurel Lefkow gives an elegantly understated narration of Dreiser's timeless novel of ambition, pride, and social class. Lefkow's pacing adeptly mirrors Carrie's tentative exploration of city life. Dreiser's exquisitely rendered details of every strata of social class will resonate with the economic realities of today's world. Lefkow's subtle shifts in vocal inflection and pitch give full voice to the characters, who range from Carrie's solemn sister, Minnie, and the genial but vain Charles Drouet to the sophisticated but ultimately dejected George Hurstwood and the fun-loving showgirl, Lola. At the close of this panoramic novel, the listener may ponder how sympathetic a character Carrie has become. A story to be savored and treasured. M.J. � AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine