Jennie Gerhardt

A Novel

By: Theodore Dreiser

Narrated by: Lloyd James

Jennie Gerhardt is the tragic story of an innocent, caring, beautiful young girl from an extremely poor family who throughout her life is drawn into affairs with two different men from a much higher social class. How members of her family, the family of one of the wealthy men, and society in general react to her situation is the basis of this classic story.

Jennie Gerhardt was Theodore Dreiser's first true commercial success and is generally regarded as one of his best novels.

Public Domain (P)2016 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

3rd Best Dreiser

I have liked all the Dreiser I have read, especially An American Tragedy and Sister Carrie.
I have heard or read all the Dreiser Audible has so far, and I found this his third best.
I did not find this book dark or depressing but, instead, beautifully and brutally realistic.
I think Dreiser is one of the greatest American authors of all time.
H. L. Mencken said of him: “American writing, before and after his time, differed almost as much as biology before and after Darwin”.

Jennie Gerhardt follows a young, poor, immigrant girl through a full lifetime of love and loss.
The characterization is outstanding, as are the prose. The story is almost journalistic in the telling.
The narration was excellent and complemented the writing well.

Need a pick me up.

Like: beautifully written prose providing insight into the internal struggle of people seeking to create meaning in their lives in the face of the exacting, overpowering and subduing power of group over individual. It was rather painful to read through the submission of the heroine and the existential crisis of her lover, but I believe that was the point.

Dislike: it's bloody depressing especially because it's rather accurate.

If I hadn't felt like I needed to go watch Elmo for a dose saccharine optimism, I would have given the novel five stars for the quality of writing.