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stephanie30's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
informative
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Minor: Cursing
brazzelldazzell's review against another edition
4.0
A timeless look at capitalism and consumerism. Despite being set during the 1920's, Babbit still resonated today. A man who prizes status and goods, preaches about the right way (despite not following it himself) and considers himself a solid citizen, begins to question what he is doing after his close friend shoots his wife.
He spirals, experimenting with liberal ideas and stepping out on his wife. All the while members of his old life, caution, express concern and eventually shun him. Realizing what he's lost he flees back to his comfortable old life.
He spirals, experimenting with liberal ideas and stepping out on his wife. All the while members of his old life, caution, express concern and eventually shun him. Realizing what he's lost he flees back to his comfortable old life.
trioplan's review against another edition
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
sjgrodsky's review against another edition
5.0
I first read this when I was in high school. I absolutely hated George Babbitt. I felt for him the sneering contempt that only a bright but sheltered 16 year old could feel for this jingoistic adherent of conventional wisdom.
Fifty years later, I feel some of the same contempt, but a lot more sympathy. And I see a lot more nuance in his character. I like, for example, that he's fascinated by motor cars, the cutting edge technology of his time. You have the feeling that if he were around in 2018, he'd be the guy with the latest iPhone. How typically American is that?
Of course, there's a lot to dislike about George Babbitt: he's racist and sexist and anti-immigrant and anti-union. He's on the wrong side of just about every social question of his time. And he's on the wrong side because he's fearful and intellectually lazy. These qualities were the ones that most attracted my 16 year old contempt. I would NEVER be like that.
It's telling also, and completely in character, that when Babbitt does rebel, his rebellion is about chiefly about sex, booze, and jazz, with only a little talk (and no action) about leftist politics. My teenage self noticed and excoriated the shallowness of his rebellion.
I'm not going to say that I've done a complete 180 turn in the last 50 years. I still think his politics are all wrong. The utterly unconscious sexism and racism makes this nearly century-old narrative appear to take place on a different planet. But I see two aspects now that I didn't see then:
1
--
Babbitt is terrified of being shunned by his social group. And that is a completely legitimate fear. He could lose his business, his home, his family, his friends, everything. What rational person wouldn't be afraid?
2
--
Babbitt does show just the tiniest measure of independence: he encourages his impulsively married son to follow his 20-something dreams. Yes, this is a cop out, because he's telling his son to do what he himself didn't have the courage to do. But he does place himself in opposition to the rest of his extended family and imply that his dream-pursuing son can expect support from a defeated dad.
It's a tiny, tentative, tenuous piece of rebellion. But it's the best we can expect from Babbitt. Or from most people.
Fifty years later, I feel some of the same contempt, but a lot more sympathy. And I see a lot more nuance in his character. I like, for example, that he's fascinated by motor cars, the cutting edge technology of his time. You have the feeling that if he were around in 2018, he'd be the guy with the latest iPhone. How typically American is that?
Of course, there's a lot to dislike about George Babbitt: he's racist and sexist and anti-immigrant and anti-union. He's on the wrong side of just about every social question of his time. And he's on the wrong side because he's fearful and intellectually lazy. These qualities were the ones that most attracted my 16 year old contempt. I would NEVER be like that.
It's telling also, and completely in character, that when Babbitt does rebel, his rebellion is about chiefly about sex, booze, and jazz, with only a little talk (and no action) about leftist politics. My teenage self noticed and excoriated the shallowness of his rebellion.
I'm not going to say that I've done a complete 180 turn in the last 50 years. I still think his politics are all wrong. The utterly unconscious sexism and racism makes this nearly century-old narrative appear to take place on a different planet. But I see two aspects now that I didn't see then:
1
--
Babbitt is terrified of being shunned by his social group. And that is a completely legitimate fear. He could lose his business, his home, his family, his friends, everything. What rational person wouldn't be afraid?
2
--
Babbitt does show just the tiniest measure of independence: he encourages his impulsively married son to follow his 20-something dreams. Yes, this is a cop out, because he's telling his son to do what he himself didn't have the courage to do. But he does place himself in opposition to the rest of his extended family and imply that his dream-pursuing son can expect support from a defeated dad.
It's a tiny, tentative, tenuous piece of rebellion. But it's the best we can expect from Babbitt. Or from most people.
eclark93's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
Babbitt is up there with Ignatius O’Reilly as one of the most annoying characters I’ve ever read about.
ericfheiman's review against another edition
3.0
“Thus it came to him merely to run away was folly, because he could never run away from himself.”
Oh, George Babbitt. I suppose I shouldn't be too spooked that my current age is exactly the same as our bumbling protagonist in this eponymously-titled novel. Yet I'm guessing that my age is exactly why I'm both repulsed by and sympathetic to our (anti)hero, and see this aspect of the book as its greatest success. I surely don't consider myself as morally rudderless and vacuously bourgeois as Babbitt, but I certainly can relate to his hand-wringing struggles between following his conscience / passions and then his duty to family, his not wanting to rock the boat lest he be cast out of his comfy Zenith eden. And the issues Babbitt wrests with around politics, education and family are still surprisingly applicable today.
But Lewis lays on the satire and Marxist leanings a bit too thick. Babbitt's hypocrisy is funny at first, then gets numbingly repetitive before long. And while the 1920s banter between characters is amusing enough, Lewis's writing is pretty prosaic, stylistically. I longed for a little less ham-fisted critique (even though the insights are wise) and a bit more poetic eloquence.
Oh, George Babbitt. I suppose I shouldn't be too spooked that my current age is exactly the same as our bumbling protagonist in this eponymously-titled novel. Yet I'm guessing that my age is exactly why I'm both repulsed by and sympathetic to our (anti)hero, and see this aspect of the book as its greatest success. I surely don't consider myself as morally rudderless and vacuously bourgeois as Babbitt, but I certainly can relate to his hand-wringing struggles between following his conscience / passions and then his duty to family, his not wanting to rock the boat lest he be cast out of his comfy Zenith eden. And the issues Babbitt wrests with around politics, education and family are still surprisingly applicable today.
But Lewis lays on the satire and Marxist leanings a bit too thick. Babbitt's hypocrisy is funny at first, then gets numbingly repetitive before long. And while the 1920s banter between characters is amusing enough, Lewis's writing is pretty prosaic, stylistically. I longed for a little less ham-fisted critique (even though the insights are wise) and a bit more poetic eloquence.
gma2at's review against another edition
3.0
First time I attempted to read this ten years ago, I could not get into it. I am likely a bit more patient today, though if it weren't for my goal to finish the list this book happens to be on, I'd likely have once again put it down. I'm glad I finished this time. It was an interesting "study".
The topic, the behaviors, the thoughts, the reactions were all too familiar. I'm not sure how I feel about the fact that we don't seem to change much in 100 years. This could have been written today. And chapter 14 could have been spoken at rallies these days and no one would have thought it out of place. Sadly.
The conversation with Ted on the last page is the only glimmer of positivity I got from this. It gets 3 stars because this fact made me feel uncomfortable, and I like when novels can make me think and mull things over in such a way. This book has the potential to be a great warning of sorts to those who just can't seem to find ways to stay in their integrity.
The topic, the behaviors, the thoughts, the reactions were all too familiar. I'm not sure how I feel about the fact that we don't seem to change much in 100 years. This could have been written today. And chapter 14 could have been spoken at rallies these days and no one would have thought it out of place. Sadly.
The conversation with Ted on the last page is the only glimmer of positivity I got from this. It gets 3 stars because this fact made me feel uncomfortable, and I like when novels can make me think and mull things over in such a way. This book has the potential to be a great warning of sorts to those who just can't seem to find ways to stay in their integrity.
bupdaddy's review against another edition
4.0
Wow - I didn't think I was going to respect the book so much at the end. Babbitt was set up like any lightweight straw man, easy to laugh at and pretend that we're much better.
********kinda spoiler***********
Babbitt does become aware of his own hypocrisy, and his own shallowness, and fights against it.
Interestingly, he ultimately fails. Despite all his rage he's still just a rat in a cage. But there's a neat twist right at the end that pays off well. I like the character.
This is definitely worth the read. I have to hit Main Street, and re-read Arrowsmith sometime.
********kinda spoiler***********
Babbitt does become aware of his own hypocrisy, and his own shallowness, and fights against it.
Interestingly, he ultimately fails. Despite all his rage he's still just a rat in a cage. But there's a neat twist right at the end that pays off well. I like the character.
This is definitely worth the read. I have to hit Main Street, and re-read Arrowsmith sometime.
nealveverything's review against another edition
challenging
funny
informative
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
bookiesanta's review against another edition
2.0
I thought I would really like this book before I read it, I have an appreciation of that era, and presenting the bourgeoisie as the middle child of America, always trying to fit in without ever finding a home, sounds like a terrific and sticky view at life in the United States, and one that would still reverberate today. But...
But...
Babbitt continually left me standing in the middle of the boxing ring, gloves up and barely sweating, looking at Lewis's heavy breathing and dribbled perspiration and thinking, "Is that it?". Lewis takes forever to get anywhere, continually throws the same ideas at the wall, not noticing they stick the same way every time. And the way George Babbitt is written...I don't like him, and I should like him, at least a little. I don't hate him either, mostly I just don't care. Which kind of puts a governor on how much I relate or involve myself in his decisions. To me, Babbitt is just one random guy having a midlife crisis, trying to find out who he is, and not in any way a captivating one at that.
But...
Babbitt continually left me standing in the middle of the boxing ring, gloves up and barely sweating, looking at Lewis's heavy breathing and dribbled perspiration and thinking, "Is that it?". Lewis takes forever to get anywhere, continually throws the same ideas at the wall, not noticing they stick the same way every time. And the way George Babbitt is written...I don't like him, and I should like him, at least a little. I don't hate him either, mostly I just don't care. Which kind of puts a governor on how much I relate or involve myself in his decisions. To me, Babbitt is just one random guy having a midlife crisis, trying to find out who he is, and not in any way a captivating one at that.