Martin Dressler

The Tale of an American Dreamer

By: Steven Millhauser

Narrated by: George Guidall

Pulitzer Prize, Fiction, 1997

The American Dream is a theme so compelling it resonates throughout our culture. In Martin Dressler, Steven Millhauser creates a young man who, in dedicating his life to it, becomes a symbol of that dream. Powerful, lyrical, finely crafted, this best-selling book won the Pulitzer Prize, was a National Book Award finalist, and was a New York Times Notable Book of the Year.

Martin Dressler, son of an immigrant cigar maker, believes he can achieve anything if he works hard enough. At the turn of the century, he rises from the shadows of his father’s shop in New York City to become a powerful entrepreneur and builder of hotels. But, as he contemplates this land of almost limitless opportunity, his plans grow impossibly grand. Through the curve of Martin’s spectacular rise and eventual downfall in the business world, his tale remains a uniquely American one. Martin may not always control an empire, but he will always be able to dream.

©1996 Monty Roberts (P)1998 Recorded Books, LLC

The world okay-est book

This is the world's okay-est book. It's not bad, it's well written, the prose is clear and concise, and the narrator does a superb job. I would also say the description of the turn of the century New York is also fun. However, there isn't much conflict in the story. Martin Dressler seems to coast through life having every dream and desire fulfilled, and he wants the whole world.
The final chapter almost makes the whole book worth it, almost.

I have to ask myself, if I could trade back the time spent listening to this novel in turn for the memory of it, I dont know if I would. I feel indifferent about it.

That said, Steven Millhouser is a fantastic short story writer, and I would direct anyone who want to read him there instead of here, sadly.

It Builds a Great Foundation

What does George Guidall bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He's one of the greats.

Any additional comments?

You should go into this knowing that it's a period piece. Millhouser is pushing against the Naturalistic strain of the literature of a century ago, and he infuses it with a sense of the fantastic. Martin's ambitions as a builder -- and his successes -- give this a haunting beauty, and there are absolutely parts of it to savor.

Just as Martin loses interest in his own creations, however, Millhouser seems to sour on his own novel. I recognize that's part of the beauty in the conception -- this America invites us to dream things larger than the world can accommodate, and it's high art to gauge the course of our best such dreamers -- but it's nevertheless disappointing to find as little retrospective insight as we do.

a great story of American Enterprise

I listen to it twice as I lived Life with Martin Dressler at the turn of the century

mostly good but the ending was disappointing

I liked this book a lot for most of it, but at the end it got kind of weird and kind of boring and then just ended abruptly.

Starts out good but…..

The book starts out, enjoyably and follows a young man through his ambitious career. The ending is a fantastical, unrealistic, fantasy dream world. Didn’t understand it, didn’t like it, and didn’t think it related to the rest of the book.

Descriptions are dream like

We all day dream at times but the main character in this book seems to live in one. The descriptions of his world bring you into that world.

Weird, interesting, sad

This sad tale of Martin Dressler is told through an imagined weird development of Manhattan during the late 1800s & early 1900s. Guidehall’s narration added to the enjoyment of the book.

boring!

this was so dull. I don't understand how/why this won any award. Don't waste your time listening to this book unless you need to fall asleep

Dreamland or Nightmare

This book was overly predictable and tedious. I found the role of the women in the book to be offensive, a sexist prop for the main character. Had I known, I would have passed on it.

The Beginnings of A Century

This novel describes the rapid technological, social and economic opportunities and challenges of the late 19th and early 20th century. It's really difficult to comprehend this won a Pulitzer Prize in fiction. The characters are stereotypical - the depiction of Dressler's grand hotel is tedious and just drags on and on.

Martin Dressler could be a modern man grappling with the rapid technological, social and economic opportunities and challenges of the late 20th and early 21st century. Change is never ending. But at least this novel did.