I absolutely loved this book. It was dense, chewy, not particularly stylistically elegant, but so fascinatingly detailed. I love the character of Cowperwood. The reader is truly forced to question the very fundamentals of morality, namely, what constitutes "decent" behavior in an indecently corrupt world. While Dreiser presents Cowperwood as a crook, he also skilfully shows how he is acting with complete and utter integrity within his sphere and setting. Brilliant, brilliant character study, invaluable insight into the times. Starting "The Titan" now.