All My Sons (Penguin Classics)

I bought and read this book because my grandson had to read it in school as part of a unit of 3 books supposed to examine "The American Dream" This was the only book that came close to the topic in my opinion. The real subject of the book is integrity and it does a good job of examining that. The father, with a business in manufacturing, allowed faulty parts to be supplied to the armed services and passed the blame to his business partner. Questions arise later in their children's lives and they must decide which they value more, wealth or truth. It's a good read.

The play is about the effect that war has on a family. Any family who has lived through a war can relate. But it is also a reminder of the extra toll it takes when people sacrifice their ethics for money and reputation.Arthur Miller is an amazing playwrite. I love the way the plot unfolds with little hints until the final reveal. It's hard enough to do that in a 400 page novel. But I'd still rather read a novel. Why? Because I love the detail. In a play, you have to either see it to get the details, or imagine them. But if you have to read a play, pick Arthur Miller. He's a genius.

This review is for the audiobook with Julie Harris and James Farentino. This is an excellent, but intense and painful play written by Arthur Miller. The story has to do with misconduct within a business with tragic consequences. The performance is excellent. I hate to think about what it would be like to have anything to do with any part of a situation like this. I loved the play and the performance, but it is not fun. Thank You...

This "realist" play is just awesome. The main characters are so deep and their relationships so compelling that it is almost impossible not to relate with some of them. It's a very good portrait of a family with big personal guilts and social complicity that emerges from love and fear.The detailed introduction by Christopher Bisgsby deserves a special mention because of its psicological analysis of the main characters and elements of the play.

If you haven't read this play, it's a must for Arthur Miller fans. The first half will have you laughing from beginning, almost to the end. the last half will have you in tears. If not, then the performers didn't do their jobs!! I saw this in Ringgold, GA and I don't believe I could have found a professional performance that was any better. Kudos, to the cast and director in Ringgold!!

excellent

Met the requirement for my son’s college course.

Got it for school. Looks brand new and clean.

This is Arthur Miller's first full length play, although not his first published work - he had ambitions to be a novelist. It starts in an unusually, matter of fact, low key manner, with a good deal of semingly trivial discussion in the Keller household. It is only in retrospect that the apparently insignificant references take on meaning.Behind all lies the hand of the past. The successful Keller aero parts industry has skeletons in the cupboard. What happened during the heavy wartime demand for parts and the death of the younger son, Larry, cast a cloud over the whole proceedings. The play is much concerned with denial and with the claims of family, but no less with vital moral principles. The arrival of Ann Deever, whose father is in prison and later the sudden introduction of her brother, George, light the touchpaper that moves the play to its its explosive and controversial climax. The characters, especially Ann, Chris and "Mother" are increasingly involved in the emotional drama that makes up Acts 2 and 3 of the play, as is Joe Keller, himself. An annoying feature of Miller's stage instructions is his detailed comments on characters. This information should emerge convincingly from their words and actions, as indeed they generally do, but this is an aspect of all his playsChris Bigsby has written a most lucid and balaned introductory account, which I would advise reading after experiencing the events of the play. I don't think that this play is of the quality of Miller's "Death of a Salesman", his masterpiece, or of "A View from the Bridge", the much underrated, short two act play which took on new life as the inspiration behind the splendid film "On the Waterfront."Certainly worth reading and seeing if the opportunity arises. Miller's plays like Shaw's are much better on stage than on paper.

I got this play for my A-levels and wasn't really expecting to enjoy it at all, but I ended up reading it in 2 days! It's so well written, all of the characters are well defined and intriguing. An absolute treat after reading some really horrible things for A-level.

I studied Miller's 'Death of a Salesman' previously for GCSE and he did not disappoint; his disgust for the American Dream is apparent in both books as money motivates the paternal characters, Willy Loman and Joe Keller, of both plays.This play is straightforward, although the first Act is slow initially, the pace picks up later on with a dramatic revelation in the third Act.I would recommend.

Great story..wouldn't expect anything less from Arthur Miller. Great condition tooThanks

My husband needed it for his lesson planning