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Main Street
Main Street | Sinclair Lewis
"Main Street" tells the tale of a big-city girl who marries a physician and settles in a small town in the Midwest, only to fall victim to the narrow-mindedness and unimaginative natures of the town's residents. Introduction by Thomas Mallon. Copyright Libri GmbH. All rights reserved.
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Leftcoastzen
Main Street | Sinclair Lewis
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Pickpick

My #192025 challenge pick for #1920 We see the small town through Carols eyes ,a woman who marries, leaving city life & a librarian job behind. While Carol thinks she might influence & improve the place , Lewis‘s plot shows the worst qualities of small town life.Judgement, suspicion of new ideas, rumors, etc. EG:Carol thinks if they put on a play, perhaps Shakespeare or modern drama, something aspirational,she is voted down,cheap musical it is!

Librarybelle I have this one out from the library to read for #1920 as well! 2y
Leftcoastzen @Librarybelle overall enjoyed it . Stylistically it wasn‘t an advance, what I liked was the general struggle someone interested in the arts , literature, and intellectual life has with a general population who at best isn‘t interested & at worst looks at those who are with suspicion.In Carol‘s case she had a job & liked city life. Just give it up & be a happy homemaker in Gopher Prairie! Bet even the Gophers left!😁 2y
Librarybelle Very good to know!! 2y
54 likes3 comments
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Daisey
Main Street | Sinclair Lewis
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Mehso-so

Parts of this made quite an impression on me as a being clearly about a specific time and place while also being clearly relevant today. Other parts were slow and did not hold my attention as well. Maybe, I also had a bit of a hard time with this because I can more easily see the benefits of small town life over those of city life.

#1001books #audiobook

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Kristelh
Main Street | Sinclair Lewis
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TheAromaofBooks I've never read this one!! 2y
9 likes1 comment
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ChaoticMissAdventures
Main Street | Sinclair Lewis
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Finished Main Street for not only my August #bookspin but also a #BookspinBingo!

Getting super close of a second once I finish Small Pleasures both good solid picks.
@thearomaofbooks

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! Looking great!! 3y
17 likes1 comment
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ChaoticMissAdventures
Main Street | Sinclair Lewis
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Pickpick

Very much enjoyed this. Incredibly feminist for a book written by a man in 1920. I have the 1961 edition I found at a book exchange. I like how he pulls apart a small town to see the casual cruelty of the people. Our main character Carol is taken from town to an ugly town filled with ugly people, which is not an outdated concept yet. Man of the things the town complains about I can still hear people saying and I found it humorous.

rabbitprincess 😻 such a pretty kitty! Love the green eyes 😊 3y
20 likes1 comment
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ChaoticMissAdventures
Main Street | Sinclair Lewis
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I have said a few choice words while just reading Main Street. I cannot imagine what I would say to a grocer man who said something like this to me!! He would be less offended by my cleavage then my language I am sure! 😳🙄😬

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sdbruening
Main Street | Sinclair Lewis
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Pickpick

I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this book, considering I typically don‘t enjoy satires. Even though it is social commentary about the close mindedness of villages, it was very much about a woman‘s struggle for purpose and independence in a small town, coming from city life. The internal arguments were written so realistically. Living in a small town like Gopher Prairie does sound kind of terrifying.

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sdbruening
Main Street | Sinclair Lewis
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I like these segments where Lewis writes Carol‘s jumbled and contradicting thoughts one after another. That‘s what mulling over things is really like!

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sdbruening
Main Street | Sinclair Lewis
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The Village Virus

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sdbruening
Main Street | Sinclair Lewis
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Ruthiella
Main Street | Sinclair Lewis
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This classic is a subversion of the #returntosmalltown trope. The main character is Carol and it is to her new husband‘s hometown that they return, where Carol‘s ideals are crushed by small town conservatism and small-mindedness.

#tropesinaugust

Klou Awesome!! 👏❤👏 4y
30 likes1 comment
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CaliforniaCay
Main Street | Sinclair Lewis
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Dropped off a few books at a nearby Little Free Library and couldn't help but grab a couple more 🤗

Soytoosaucy This is so awesome!! 4y
61 likes1 comment
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rabbitprincess
Main Street | Sinclair Lewis
Bailedbailed

I don‘t have the bandwidth to handle the parochial attitudes of the denizens of Gopher Prairie at this time. Went on Wikipedia to see how it ended. This is more of an it‘s-not-you-it‘s-me bail.

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NamasteReading
Main Street | Sinclair Lewis
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Pickpick

Happy Indie Bookstore Day!!! - Main Street Books in Minot, ND

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overtheedge
Main Street | Sinclair Lewis
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Pickpick



Carol Milford(Kennicotts') role as a "progressive" is hard not to appreciate, in this 1920 story of Americana. This is a novel of social reform versus personal freedom, still relevant today.
Erik Valborg, Vida Sherwin and Carol were my favorite characters.
I loved this book....love Sinclair Lewis....
Recommended!

Ruthiella I loved this book too! ❣️I should really reread it! 😀 6y
overtheedge @Ruthiella I did too!! Can't wait to read some of his other novels❤ 6y
Herschelian Babbit was the first of his novels I read, and to me it seemed to epitomise a certain aspect of America; Elmer Gantry is a must read, as is Kingsblood Royal, Dodsworth and Arrowsmith: the most relevant these days is his novel ‘It couldn‘t happen here.‘ Stunningly prescient. (edited) 6y
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overtheedge
Main Street | Sinclair Lewis
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# 8 of 100
Main Street
By Sinclair Lewis

❤❤...Sinclair Lewis.

Herschelian Sinclair Lewis is one of my favourite authors of all time, I have collected all his books. Not so easy to do outside the USA. 6y
overtheedge @Herschelian I really like him also. I can't wait to read Elmer Gantry and Dodsworth. Have u read any of his novels from the 40's? Wondering how they are, I'm having trouble finding them. 6y
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Updrifting
Main Street | Sinclair Lewis
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"I think perhaps we want a more conscious life. We're tired of drudging and sleeping and dying." #classicreads #sinclairlewis #turquiosebooks

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Aseleener
Main Street | Sinclair Lewis
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Panpan

I read this on @SerialReader for my classic lit book club. 63 issues. It's much longer than it needs to be to get Lewis's point across. It's about a city girl who marries a small town doctor and has trouble acclimating to her change in scenery and society. She thinks she is going to change and transform this little town, but it doesn't quite work out that way. MC is whiny and unlikable. Lewis comes across as making fun of small towns.

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ClairesReads
Main Street | Sinclair Lewis
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Mehso-so

This was a decent read- which is really a social commentary on small towns in America at a particular time. It's also about accepting people and places for who they are- and our desire to change things. I was equally annoyed by and annoyed for Carol throughout the novel. Although I really appreciated Lewis' ideas- the manner in which they were presented was a bit protracted. Most of the real gems were right at the beginning and right at the end.

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ClairesReads
Main Street | Sinclair Lewis
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Lewis is finally getting back to the point after a lengthy slump in the second half of this novel- but OMG THIS QUOTE

Redheadrambles Came across this quote from Steinbeck in travels with Charlie - “ Within my memory an outraged home town citizenry wanted Red Lewis back for tarring and feathering after he wrote Main Street” Interesting I didn‘t know it was contentious? 7y
ClairesReads @Redheadrambles yes- it is certainly critical- of a particular slice of society at the time, and of small and introspective places. In this regard I think it was very much before it's time...I guess it's contentiousness is a bit reflective of that real dichotomy of American society which I think we are now seeing a resurgence of, in a way it hasn't been evident for some time. 7y
ClairesReads @Redheadrambles side note- that's a great quote. 7y
Redheadrambles @ClairesReads I knew you were reading this so I thought to include it 😀 7y
27 likes4 comments
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Sarah83
Main Street | Sinclair Lewis
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ClairesReads
Main Street | Sinclair Lewis
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Truth

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ClairesReads
Main Street | Sinclair Lewis
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Turning point

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LukkiAnn
Main Street | Sinclair Lewis
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Pickpick

I cannot say I really enjoy this book much, but I mark it as a pick. It is quite long with “nothing happened” concept. A heroine had a struggle to adapt to a life in a small city on the fist 580 pages and only on the last 10 she accepted the town as it is. The first half was quite funny, the second was dramatic and had risen a lot of moral points of human judgements. I would say if there was only the second part, I would enjoy it much more.

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ClairesReads
Main Street | Sinclair Lewis
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Oh yes now we are getting to the crux of it

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Nebklvr
Main Street | Sinclair Lewis
Pickpick

Do not question what you are told. To question is to be unpatriotic. Intense dystopian.

jpmcwisemorgan Sounds like a rather timely read. 7y
Nebklvr @jpmcwisemorgan I wouldn‘t disagree. Especially with people saying we shouldn‘t question our 4 star Generals. 7y
jpmcwisemorgan I‘m going to have to take a look into this one. 7y
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ClairesReads
Main Street | Sinclair Lewis
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This book is not a fast paced one, but it's full of gems like this.

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ClairesReads
Main Street | Sinclair Lewis
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A plus philosophy- that's how I was raised 💯👌🏻

CatLass007 That‘s how I was raised too! 7y
ClairesReads @CatLass007 the best way 7y
Emily92Bibliophile That's the parenting that brought be to be a librarian !! 7y
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ClairesReads
Main Street | Sinclair Lewis
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Can already tell I'm going to love this

Libby1 You can take the girl out of Illinois but you can't take Illinois out of this girl! 7y
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ClairesReads
Main Street | Sinclair Lewis
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Next up on @SerialReader this one which has been on my TBR forever

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BarbaraBB
Main Street | Sinclair Lewis
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Mehso-so

It took a while to finish this one. I found out I am not terribly interested in American small town life, but I did sympathize with Carol, who keeps struggling with life in Gopher Prairie and with life in general. Her character is described very good, as are the characters of other inhabitants of the town. I feel like I know them. #1001books

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Aswenson
Main Street | Sinclair Lewis
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#riotgrams #day7 Some of my #welllovedreads that I've kept over the years. Gopher Prairie from The novel Main Street is a fictional town based on Sinclair Lewis' boyhood home, Sauk Centre, MN. It's less than an hour from where I live!

VioletBramble Pretty boomerang. 7y
59 likes1 comment
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LisaJo
Main Street | Sinclair Lewis
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#CupidGoesPostal First, I thought shopping for books to send was my favorite part. Then, my package came and I thought this is my favorite part. Then, I watched everyone post their opened packages and that became my favorite part. Seriously, oh what fun this had been. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU @BookishMarginalia

TrishB Agree 😀 it's been fab. 8y
Reviewsbylola Every step is so much fun. 💕💕 8y
Wife I couldn't sleep last night because I was so excited to see my presents and what everyone else was getting! @Reviewsbylola 8y
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ephemeralwaltz 😍😍 8y
drokka I think it's kind of phenomenal how relative strangers are brilliant in their choice of gifts. Perhaps it's partly because of a shared/common passion - books - but then to accurately select one or more PLUS other little special things. It really is amazing, then to have an excellent organizer @BookishMarginalia who cannily challenges us. 💗 8y
BookishMarginalia I'm glad! I like all the stages too! @TrishB @Reviewsbylola @Wife @ephemeralwaltz @drokka 💜💜💜 8y
Dolly I was thinking that same thing yesterday; how one package isn't just enjoyed by one person at the time of opening, but many times over by possibly hundreds of book lovers. Great ''mileage" ? 8y
63 likes7 comments
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Mcoun
Main Street | Sinclair Lewis
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Here is my stack of paper books for #readathon tomorrow - a little nonfiction, a few classics, and more. I also have 10 ebooks and 1 audiobook on standby. Due to family commitments, I have a limited amount of time to read, but I'm hoping to catch up on my GoodReads challenge. @DeweysReadathon

WOCreads So many great books, loved the Jackson and Wicked. Happy readathoning😃 8y
Leniverse Most of the Origin of Species is extremely dry. Unless you're a botanist or something like that, I don't recommend attempting it late at night! Happy readathoning! 8y
Mcoun @Leniverse, this will actually be my second attempt at Origin of Species. It is a tough read - but an important one in the history of science. 8y
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Leniverse Yes. I should make a second attempt one of these days too. Lol. Not tomorrow though. 8y
MemoirsForMe Awesome stack! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 8y
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