A review by kdawn999
Main Street by Sinclair Lewis

4.0

I’ve been sleeping on Sinclair Lewis! This was a very convincing dive into the life of a college-educated, midwestern woman in the first two decades of the 20th century. While there isn’t much of a plot, there is witty, well-wrought prose, strong feminist themes, and multilayered character development. These feel like real human beings the whole way through. I can’t say I was riveted at every moment, but the gossipy, small-town events pick up toward the end. I don’t see why sad wife narratives like The Awakening, Anna Karenina, and Madame Bovary are more well known than this work (maybe because killing off women is more sensational). Anyway, I fully intend to read more Sinclair Lewis—probably Arrowsmith or It Can’t Happen Here.