本书是美国现实主义作家德莱塞的重要作品之一，是《珍妮姑娘》的姊妹篇。嘉莉到芝加哥探亲，在火车上结识了推销员德鲁埃，她不堪工厂的艰苦生活，和德鲁埃同居，从而结识酒店经理赫斯德伍德。赫斯德伍德迷恋她的美色，竟盗用公款和她逃到纽约，过起同居生活。嘉莉因偶然的机会登台演出，渐渐获得成功，赫斯德伍德却逐步潦倒。两人分手，赫斯德伍德最后自杀......本书通过嘉莉的坎坷遭遇，反映了十九世纪末期美国资本主义社会表面繁荣下，失业、贫困、饥饿的阴暗面。The book is one of the masterpieces of Dreiser, the American realistic writer. It is also the twin novel of Jennie Gerhardt. Carrie went to Chicago to see her relatives. On the train, she got acquainted with a salesman Drouet. Unable to get used to the difficult work in the factory, Carrie lived together with Drouet and knew the hotel manager Hurstwood, who was obsessed with her beauty and took away the hotel money and fleed with her to New York. In an accidental way, Carrie performed on the stage and made success gradually. However, Hurstwood career went bad. After they separated, Hurstwood committed suicide. The novel, by telling the life story of Carrie, reveals the dark side of capitalist society in the States at the end of the 19th century, such as unemployment, poverty and hunger.