hilareeads 's review for:

Babbit by Sinclair Lewis

0.5

challenging 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: Complicated

---

I thought it was satire and was like yes, great! But then it seemed more like it was glamorizing it. But then it fell somewhere in between to where it seemed like Lewis was trying to make it satirical, but his own wish to be a part of this society and these top few white “elite” men who try everything they can to stay on top and to keep white men on top  kept coming through too strongly. And so it was just another story about mediocre white men doing their shitty things and still being on top of society and running shit. It’s one of those where the theory of it was much better than the execution; if he had gone full satire, especially during the time he wrote it, and if he had made the politics of it come through more with more intent, it could have been fantastic. But he was just another mediocre white man writing a book about mediocre white men, and somehow it’s still supposedly an essential book to read. Rude.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism