Interesting fable; it managed to cover in its slim volume a great deal about the ideas of progress, modernism and culture that abound in the now, while being set at the turn of the century. I liked its detached tone, the fantastical elements of his hotels, but it's not particularly emotionally memorable.

Brilliantly captures the often self-destructive restlessness of American progress.

this book made me feel like i was repeatedly getting hit on the head with a brick and being forced to look at the “expansive BLUE sky which promises endless opportunity.” redeemable quality 1/2: syntax. redeemable quality 2/2: word choice.

There was a very good novel in there somewhere. There are some really interesting ideas and on some level Millhauser clearly has a talent for description (he makes that known over and over and over and over and over and over). There are even small chunks of the novel that are genuinely compelling -- the chapter about Caroline and Martin's wedding was gripping and would have made for a high quality short story. That chapter contained qualities that most of the rest of the novel completely lacked -- emotional depth, patient exploration of interpersonal conflict, and a feel for what made the characters tick.

And that, then, is the first major problem of Martin Dressler. Aside from maybe an isolated chapter here and there, there is a jarring lack of emotional depth nor complexity in all of the characters, especially our pal Martin. The novel is a lot of "martin did this and martin did that and then martin did this and then martin did that and then Martin went on a walk and he gazed at Caroline and then he talked to the manager of his hotel and then...".

Two famous clauses come to mind here, both disobeyed in this case by Millhauser.

The first is the "show don't tell" principle, which, however overused, is completely trampled on in Martin Dressler. Even in the endless descriptions, we are treated to passive lists that get tiresome very quickly rather than vibrant activity that could assist the plot.

The second is the "therefore/but" principle, popularized by South Park's Trey Parker and Matt Stone. The idea is that stories work best if each plot point contains the words "therefore" or "but". For example: Person A meets Person B, BUT Person B is not interested in Person A, THEREFORE, Person A is ghosted by Person B, BUT Person A won't accept this and THEREFORE stalks Person B etc etc etc etc.

The words you are trying to avoid when connecting plot points are "and then", as they neglect conflict. For example: Person A meets Person B and then they go to the store. Then they go to the movies and then they go out for ice cream etc etc.

Too often in the plot and narration of Martin Dressler the words "therefore" and "but" were neglected. Here's how I would describe the early interactions with Caroline, Emmeline, and their mother: Martin sees these women sitting in the lobby of the hotel and then he goes and sits and talks with them and then they go out for walks together and then Martin decides he wants to marry Caroline and then they get married etc etc etc. It makes for dull, detached reading.

My other major problem with the novel is thematic in nature. There is an argument to be made that the emptiness of the characters and the world around them is intentional on the part of Millhauser. These are people desperately and in vain searching for meaning in their profoundly meaningless lives. The problem is that Millhauser presents a kind of neutral, apolitical, almost unphilosophical emptiness that is too precious to be seriously considered. Millhauser fundamentally treats Martin with an uncritical eye -- completely unquestioned, for instance, are Martin's almost certain exploitive relationships with his employees, workers, and construction crews. And when things like that are unexplored, one can't help but question what the point of the novel is at all!

I read this as part of the “city in film and lit” class in college

Strange little book.

An interesting writing style - very descriptive, repetitive list-building style sentences... and somehow it works for the main character. I loved the way the author weaves the imagery of building and growing with the main character, the constant walking and growth all showing his underlying tension of never having enough. Overall, well written, but still three stars for me. The abrupt ending, the list-building, the three female characters - all interesting, but not my favorite.

I liked the first half a lot, but really tailed off on the third quarter. The last quarter was great though. It reminded me a lot of Synecdoche, New York. I kind of thought that this book was the literary version of "oscar bait", but the last quarter was a nice change - dealing with themes of finding art in your life and vice versa.

2.5 Stars