I’m finally reading a new book. As you can see, it’s called Sister Carrie by Theodore Dreiser. I was definitely deceived by the name of the book. Typically I judge books by the cover, but since I am endeavouring to read the classics, I have opened my mind to books that look unappealing.
Initially I was drawn to the book because of the title. Although the cover portrays a woman wearing lipstick, I thought the story was about a nun and her life struggles. My driving instructor always says “I thought, is bad to say’ and I have to agree. Sometimes it gets you in trouble.
I had misgivings after realizing that I wasn’t going to be reading about a nun, but all is well. It turns out that the book is simply about a girl growing up. It’s still pretty interesting though.
The book has 659 pages and I am already on page 354 of the book. I was pleasantly surprised when I started understanding the character better.
Remember when I had to force myself to read 10 pages of Anna Karenina? Well those days are long gone. I read about 50 pages a day and that’s on a bad day. That’s how goood it is. Yea, it deserves three ‘o’s.
Albeit, my first impression of Carrie was not a good one. When she met Drouet and started talking to him on the train, I just wanted to scream, no! Don’t talk to strangers! And when she was giving him her new address, I kept thinking, NO! THAT’S HOW THE KILLER GETS YOU!
Likewise, I constantly feel like intervening when she is making other horrible mistakes. For instance, getting involved with Hurstwood was clearly a bad idea.
I keep having to remind myself that this is a book and she is probably supposed to experience a series of unfortunate events. Yeah, I know there is a book by that title, I read the series –HA! Anyhow, Carrie doesn’t seem like the smartest girl. And the more I read about her, the less I like her.
I get so invested in the characters that I read about and I often want a happy ending for them but it may not happen for Carrie. She is so naive and is easily swayed. It’s actually kind of sad. I hope that eventually she will grow up and become more confident and independent. I had a bad feeling about Hurstwood from the beginning and it seems like I’m right. He is entangling Carrie into his plight.
Oh! I almost forgot to mention that I never read the back or summaries of any book, because it spoils the story for me. So, if you are thinking about reading the book with me, I guess we’ll find out what happens together.
We’ll be reading buddies :)
Leave a comment below. Don’t be stingy with your thoughts.
