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3.58 AVERAGE
3.58 AVERAGE
A really good one. Lewis manages to make Babbitt simultaneously reprehensible, pathetic, and relatable. He and his milieu feel specific and yet very timely, and there are some very funny moments. It's probably a book that's more admirable than lovable, but it's well worth a read.
funny
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Well that was excellent. Well paced, structured and formed brilliantly. It's a study not only of the American 'businessman' but also of the hypocrisies and ironies of average family life. Worth a read for sure, especially for those interested in Americana type stuff.
This is supposed to be a satire of Middle American capitalism and capitalists. However, it doesn’t land. Lewis holds his protagonist, his protagonist’s milieu, and even his protagonist’s crises in such contempt that the reader is led wonder to why Lewis wrote this novel in the first place.
Moreover, the novel doesn’t even get rolling until somewhere around the 2/3 point. I mean, c’mon, Sinclair! Write with a little pep!
Moreover, the novel doesn’t even get rolling until somewhere around the 2/3 point. I mean, c’mon, Sinclair! Write with a little pep!
funny
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
funny
informative
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
funny
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Can Babbitt escape the early 20th Century web of conformity, boosterism, and bland hypocrisy that is so much a part of him that his name is literally used to describe it? What are you some kind of four-flushing, flap-doodle socialist?!?
Babbittry is here in all its glory. Despite being a shallow, dull, nitwit, Charles F. Babbitt is a likable boob. You end up hoping that every single effort he makes will turn out for the best. Oftentimes, it’s a spectacular failure.
This is one of those books that you really need to read after you’ve experienced striving and failure. Babbitt’s heart is in a good place, he’s just not very good at listening to it.
The language is full of funny slang, which is surprisingly modern, given that the book was written 100 years ago.
If you liked how preposterous Pete Campbell was on Mad Men, you will love Babbitt.
Babbittry is here in all its glory. Despite being a shallow, dull, nitwit, Charles F. Babbitt is a likable boob. You end up hoping that every single effort he makes will turn out for the best. Oftentimes, it’s a spectacular failure.
This is one of those books that you really need to read after you’ve experienced striving and failure. Babbitt’s heart is in a good place, he’s just not very good at listening to it.
The language is full of funny slang, which is surprisingly modern, given that the book was written 100 years ago.
If you liked how preposterous Pete Campbell was on Mad Men, you will love Babbitt.
This was an interesting book. George F. Babbitt is a successful 1920s businessman (real estate) in a moderately sized and relatively anonymous American city. At the outset, he seems to lack a modicum of self-awareness, but as events escalate he begins to feel more and more dissatisfied with his conservative and respectable life. He veers of the rails of respectability until he comes to understand how that would negatively affect his life and business. Still, his experiences allow him to see other possibilities, changing the way he responds to his son's unconventional behavior.
I read this for a book project in tenth grade, and distinctly remember abandoning it after I finished the project. I have no recollection of what it was about, though.