--- product_id: 5013196 title: "Sister Carrie (Dover Thrift Editions: Classic Novels) Paperback – May 7, 2004" brand: "theodore dreiser" price: "KD 6.37" currency: KWD in_stock: true reviews_count: 9 url: https://www.desertcart.com.kw/products/5013196-sister-carrie-dover-thrift-editions-classic-novels-paperback-may-7 store_origin: KW region: Kuwait --- # Sister Carrie (Dover Thrift Editions: Classic Novels) Paperback – May 7, 2004 **Brand:** theodore dreiser **Price:** KD 6.37 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Sister Carrie (Dover Thrift Editions: Classic Novels) Paperback – May 7, 2004 by theodore dreiser - **How much does it cost?** KD 6.37 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.com.kw](https://www.desertcart.com.kw/products/5013196-sister-carrie-dover-thrift-editions-classic-novels-paperback-may-7) ## Best For - theodore dreiser enthusiasts ## Why This Product - Trusted theodore dreiser brand quality - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description Full description not available ## Images ![Sister Carrie (Dover Thrift Editions: Classic Novels) Paperback – May 7, 2004 - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81YLd5uPPoL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5.0 out of 5 stars The Vicissitudes of Life... *by J***I on Reviewed in the United States on July 16, 2012* Theodore Dreiser, an American novelist of the "naturalist school" published this, his first novel, in 1900, to limited acclaim. The wife of the publisher, Mrs. Doubleday, was adamantly opposed to its publication since, in her opinion, "immorality," by which she means, Carrie's relationship with men, was not clearly punished. At the end of my "Barnes & Noble Classics" copy, there is a spot-on retort from a review in the "San Francisco Argonaut": "But these critics will have little to say in condemnation of the immorality of a commercial system which offers young girls a wage of three or four dollars a week in payment for labor as destructive to the mind as to the body." As with numerous other American novelists, their merit was first recognized in Europe, and then reflected back to the States. The novel was re-issued in 1907, to a much more receptive public. Dreiser grew up in Indiana, and went to Chicago as a newspaperman. The principal character, Carrie, is based on his sister, who, in the novel, went from Wisconsin to Chicago. Though re-issued in the same year that Upton Sinclair published his famous muck-raking novel  The Jungle , also set in Chicago, Dreiser's novel is actually set in the 1880's - `90's. In terms of the social classes, the two novels both complement and contrast the classes depicted, and there is a dash of some social mobility thrown in.Carrie is a classic country girl, fleeing a big family, for the lights of the big city. On the train to Chicago she meets Drouet, a smooth-talking salesman. Carrie's domestic situation, living with her sister and brother-in-law is not a happy one, and she soon takes up "domestic arrangements" with Drouet. And in the much more sedate time of what was the Victorian era in England, that is all you learn: the panting, puffing and groping are all carefully excised. Hurstwood, a married man of some property, and limited propriety, and an erstwhile friend of Drouet, also takes an unseeming interest in Carrie, which borders on Maugham's  Of Human Bondage . With this essential dynamic, the novel is propelled forward, with the inevitable vicissitudes in the human interactions as well as the social standing of the main characters. Roughly half the novel is set in New York City, so the reader gains an appreciation of the two largest American cities in the post-Civil War period, an event that is never mentioned."Naturalism" means a realistic account life in the aforementioned cities. No "stream of consciousness" or other innovative story-telling techniques. Just a straightforward story, an easy read. I felt that the characterizations of the men, both Drouet and Hurstwood, seemed to be more insightful. Carrie is depicted as a strong women, with an independent streak, but she is also simply swept along by events, and her motivation at times is difficult to understand. The economics of the times is also realistically portrayed, including the grinding poverty that was the fate of most. Unemployment, underemployment, many of the same themes that dominant today's economy were highly operative then. Carrie "made it," at least in terms of achieving success as an actress, but as Dreiser said, in terms of her relationship to Hurstwood: "She forgot her youth and her beauty. The handicap of age she did not, in her enthusiasm, perceive." She achieved "success," but not happiness. But that was not enough for Mrs. Doubleday, even though Dreiser says: "It is but natural that when the world which they represented no longer allured her, its ambassadors should be discredited...In your rocking-chair, by your window, shall you dream such happiness as you may never feel."Regrettably, this is the first novel of Dreiser's that I have read. His other major work, published a quarter century later,  An American Tragedy  is now on the "to-read list." In terms of the characters, and the setting, it is an important American novel, relevant both then, and in our own troubled economic times. 5-stars. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting and enjoyable read *by O***A on Reviewed in the United States on July 15, 2014* What I liked about this book is having another view into how people lived in Chicago and New York in the late 1800's, and that the author shows how people can slip into a detrimental lifestyle. The treatment of pre/extramarital relations is interesting - there is no direct mention, you have to guess. Women seem to have more freedom than I would have expected for that period, in spite of the expectation to be taken care of by a man. It would have been better if the characters spoke more. Carrie's default line is "I don't know"'; she doesn't say a whole lot more than that. The author tends to pontificate, moreso in the beginning than the end, and I found myself fast-forwarding over those parts. Nevertheless, I got into it fairly quickly and it was an interesting and enjoyable read. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5.0 out of 5 stars Very relevant theme for women today *by G***N on Reviewed in the United States on October 27, 2022* I was pleasantly surprised by Sister Carrie as a character study and a commentary on the social restrictions forced upon women during the late 1800's. Carrie's experience was so similar to my own situation when job hunting in the mid-1960's that the book could easily have been written about me. Carrie's decisions to use the men in her life who offered an easier life made sense to me, given her ambition and lack of opportunity for self-expression. All of the men in this book willingly gave everything to Carrie without asking her for commitment in return. Their characters and goals were different, but the development of Carrie's relationships with each man taught her how to grow as a woman. Dreiser had genius in writing his characters vividly and sympathetically. None of the men was a beast or cruel, just a simple human man trying to possess a woman who had different ideas about what her life should be. I found this book much more compelling and deep than I'd expected it to be. I'd recommend it to anyone interested in great literature, especially to those interested in literature about women finding their place in a male-dominant society. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.com.kw/products/5013196-sister-carrie-dover-thrift-editions-classic-novels-paperback-may-7](https://www.desertcart.com.kw/products/5013196-sister-carrie-dover-thrift-editions-classic-novels-paperback-may-7) --- *Product available on Desertcart Kuwait* *Store origin: KW* *Last updated: 2026-05-20*