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3.57 AVERAGE
3.57 AVERAGE
The book is written in the "slice of life" style of naturalism. Its theme is, "Middle class Americans are unhappy, evasive, self-deceptive, followers who have surrendered youthful idealism for boring unrewarding routine." That said, the style of the writing is intelligent, cleverly revealing and clear. Lewis's presentation of his characters shows an insightful mind at work. He is a talented author. Unfortunately, in the style of naturalism, this story has no plot and no hero.
George Babbitt has a mid-life crisis. The end.
The book is actually a satire of middle-class life in the early years of the 20th century. A century later, the satire doesn't bite quite so fiercely. There really is no plot and no advancement by anyone. The writing is sharp and occasionally humorous, but the book has not held up over the years.
The book is actually a satire of middle-class life in the early years of the 20th century. A century later, the satire doesn't bite quite so fiercely. There really is no plot and no advancement by anyone. The writing is sharp and occasionally humorous, but the book has not held up over the years.
3 stars: liked it. I want to give it 4 stars but two things hold it back: it really drags in places with unnecessary repetition, and some of the political monologues are a little too heavy handed.
Otherwise I must say I enjoyed this tale of a 1920s midlife crisis. George Babbitt is a middle class, middle aged man, living a comfortably conventional life in middle America. But from the outset we understand George to have a deep seated vein of unconventionality buried underneath his civic-booster exterior. As the story meanders toward it's climactic manifestation of this essential conflict, we see how George enjoys the fruits of his conventionality while chafing at it's tight boundaries. The fallout when he exceeds those boundaries, and the ultimate resolution of the conflict, kept me turning pages until the final paragraphs. But it takes quite a while for the plot to get any traction, and several times I lost interest and had to be reminded to pick the book back up again. Ultimately, I'm glad I did, despite the rather artless political messaging, because I think the essential message on conventionality and social patterns of thinking remain timeless and relevant. And I certainly enjoyed the very vivid glimpse into 1920s life.
Otherwise I must say I enjoyed this tale of a 1920s midlife crisis. George Babbitt is a middle class, middle aged man, living a comfortably conventional life in middle America. But from the outset we understand George to have a deep seated vein of unconventionality buried underneath his civic-booster exterior. As the story meanders toward it's climactic manifestation of this essential conflict, we see how George enjoys the fruits of his conventionality while chafing at it's tight boundaries. The fallout when he exceeds those boundaries, and the ultimate resolution of the conflict, kept me turning pages until the final paragraphs. But it takes quite a while for the plot to get any traction, and several times I lost interest and had to be reminded to pick the book back up again. Ultimately, I'm glad I did, despite the rather artless political messaging, because I think the essential message on conventionality and social patterns of thinking remain timeless and relevant. And I certainly enjoyed the very vivid glimpse into 1920s life.
dark
funny
medium-paced
Very clever and funny at times, also still quite relevant. I didn't dislike it, I just never found myself feeling particularly excited to read it.
I don’t want to spend time reading about a white man complaining about things.
It's rare that I can't plow through a book; I read fast and can be incredibly obstinate. This is especially true when the book comes highly recommended. With Babbitt, however, I simply couldn't get into the story. I never got sucked in, and as a result, this is one of the few books I put down before finishing.
It was okay, and only stuck through it for class. I don't ever plan on reading this again. It's basically about conformity.
This book's flaw is that the protagonist is unlikeable, and that can make it hard to want to persist in reading the entire story. Babbitt, the protagonist, is an intellectually shallow slave of others' opinions, an uncritical consumer, a crap husband, a derelict dad, a bad boss, a blathering boor, a perfect specimen of middle-class suffocation. But he's also us. He represents the culture we've been brought into, that we've bought into, and that we perpetuate. It's embarrassing to look in the mirror, not just at our private corruptions, but at the whole stinking corruption of the American Dream.