Rating: 
Summary: Outstanding work of literature
Review: "Main Street" is simply an excellent novel that can be enjoyed at many levels. To some extent it can be seen as a historical account of life in small-town America in the early decades of the 20th century. Lewis does a commendable job of portraying the conservatism and prejudices of the rural town: their prejudices against immigrants and their mistrust of labor and farmers' collective movements, or anything that may lead to "socialism." Additionally, Lewis's fictional town of Gopher Prairie can also be seen as the prototype for any American small town, rural village or suburb and simultaneously a critique of rural and/or middle class society in America -- with its often narrow-minded attitudes and smug complacency -- which is still relevant today. "Main Street" is, however, first and foremost a work of literature, which tells the story of a young woman, Carol Kennicott, who has to come to grips with life in this small town, whether she likes it or not. Through Carol, Lewis shows how a small, enclosed community influences and molds even those who are intent on changing it, or at least resisting it. Carol thus becomes a poignant symbol of the compromises and rationalizations people are often forced to make in order to deal with the realities of a life that did not turn out as planned.
Rating: 
Summary: The evolution of Everytown, U.S.A.
Review: "Main Street": The title alone invokes placid images of the most tranquil pockets of middle America. And Sinclair Lewis could hardly have picked a name more suggestive of rustic simplicity and provinciality than Gopher Prairie for the Minnesota town that is the setting of his novel. Gopher Prairie is supposed to be a prototype of thousands of American small towns in the early decades of the twentieth century, paradise for those who like to cling comfortably to convention, unbearable for those who seek cultural refinement and artistic freedom. Lewis's protagonist is a bright, pretty, and progressive college-educated girl named Carol Milford who has great dreams of widespread social reform: educating children, aiding the poor, rebuilding and beautifying small towns. Working as a librarian in St. Paul, she meets and falls in love with a visiting country physician named Will Kennicott, who convinces her to marry him and return with him to his native Gopher Prairie, fresh clay to be molded to her heart's delight. Gopher Prairie turns out to be not much advanced from its days as a frontier settlement. Populated primarily by farmers of Scandinavian descent and a gossipy, judgmental group of white collar townspeople, it is staunchly set in its conservative ways and not very receptive to ideas of change. The town's cultural outlook is dictated by the whitebread tastes of the more outspoken and influential religious leaders, and Carol's efforts to instill a sense of higher culture and broaden people's horizons by starting a theatrical club and getting better books for the library are viewed with suspicion and ridicule. Even Carol's own husband tends to have a nonchalant, dismissive attitude towards her plans. The town's sole rebel is the handyman Miles Bjornstam, a self-described lone wolf and pariah, who likes to taunt the stuffed shirts in town with his defiant disregard for their money, his independence, and his atheistic and socialistic ideas. Rather than let Carol conquer the town through perseverance, Lewis opts for realism by restraining his heroine's success. After having a baby, she naturally becomes more domesticated and reluctantly gives herself up to the way of life in Gopher Prairie. She has chances to rebel with potential extramarital affairs and a separation from her husband to move to (the less friendly and intimate) Washington, D.C., and get a job, but ultimately she returns to Gopher Prairie, realizing that life is about compromises, and changes and reforms take more time and organization than she has to offer. While her dreams may not be completely fulfilled in her lifetime, there is hope in the future generations. "Main Street" is ambitious and bold but perhaps does not have quite the impact that Lewis intended. He makes his point relatively early in the novel and spends the remainder of it spinning out variations on his theme of Carol vs. Gopher Prairie, relying on scenes connected episodically rather than on an arching plotline. What Lewis lacks in narrative acumen, he more than makes up for in drawing distinctive characters and scripting sharp dialogue with a good ear for dialect. When he coalesces this skill with a focused story and a strong social statement, as he does in his later, better novel "Elmer Gantry," he proves himself to be a worthy rabble-rouser in American literature.
Rating:
Summary: Thorough, Engaging, Funny and Poignant
Review: ... maybe just a bit too long. Almost as good as his "Babbitt," Lewis is spot on in his depiction of small-town, post-industrial life on the plains -- where the women are stong, the men are good-looking, and the children... wait, that's Garrison Keillor. Read this pseudo soap opera for the dialogue, and the strong points of view offered by each of the many characters. Lewis knew people, that's for sure
Rating:
Summary: Thorough, Engaging, Funny and Poignant
Review: ... maybe just a bit too long. Almost as good as his "Babbitt," Lewis is spot on in his depiction of small-town, post-industrial life on the plains -- where the women are stong, the men are good-looking, and the children... wait, that's Garrison Keillor. Read this pseudo soap opera for the dialogue, and the strong points of view offered by each of the many characters. Lewis knew people, that's for sure
Rating:
Summary: Little Town On The Prarie
Review: A liberal young woman marries a slightly older doctor who takes her to Gopher Prarie, MN. Carol's first impression of Gopher Prarie is that of a drab country town inhabited by drab people. Carol's attempts to bring both social consciousness and culture to Gopher Prarie is resisted by the residents.Carol is misunderstood and villified by the town's leading citizens. As a result she is drawn to the city's undesirables; particularly an anarchist named Miles Bjornstrom and a young tailor with whom carol has a flirtation with. Carol's husband, Dr. Kennicott, is also perplexed by his wife's behaviour . Eventually Carol leaves her husband and moves to Washington DC to pursue a career away from Gopher Prarie. After a lengthy separation, Carol moves back to Gopher Prarie and resumes her marriage. This satirical look at both small time life and social reformation, is an interesting character study. Lewis' realistic style is simmilar to other American writers of his generation such as Dreisser and Sherwood Anderson. The sexual tension is affected by Victorian Age purity of the time but effective nevertheless. The conclusion is rather depressing in that Carol finds herself submitting to Gopher Prarie as the residents of Gopher Prarie likewise submit to having to endure Carol.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic
Review: Advice for first time readers of Sinclair Lewis: Start with Main Street. I started with Babbitt, a worthy novel, but inferior to Main Street. They share a nimble, though often heavy handed touch of irony, and good characterization; and Mr. Lewis' trenchant social commantary is present in both. We all know the story: Carol Kennicott (nee Milford), educated at tiny Blodgett College, wants action: She wants to travel and live in a big city where she can see plays and hobnob with intellectuals. She meets future husband Dr. Will Kennicott at a St. Paul dinner party; (Throughout the novel, her feelings toward Will oscillate between admiration for his efficient practice and good nature, and discomfort with his depthless character). Will coaxes Carol onto a train bound for the hamlet of Gopher Prairie, Minnesota. The bulk of the novel, which, considering the context, could be considered picaresque, consists of Carol's haphazard attempts to reform the obdurate, immobile mindsets of the citizens of her new home. Among the improvements Carol suggests are a library board composed of the well read men of the town, and a campaign to renew interest in reading (In a town where the great books are bypassed for the contemporary moralistic, optimistic, and religious authors), and a theater company containing one fine actor and a supporting cast of hams, who bungle through one play (the frivolous "Girl from Kankakee"; poor carol had Shaw or Sophocles in mind. Throughout the novel, Carol evinces a blinding fear of living as a stereotypic denizen of the American Main Street; her fears are intensified by the birth of her son another fetter that could prevent a night train escape from Gopher Prairie), and the loss of several friends (the most notable being Miles Bjornstam, a Swedish horse trader who leaves for Canada after his wife's death) Made desperate by the seeming ineffectuality of her reform efforts, and these fears of decline into a town matron, Carol runs off to Washington D.C. for a period, before returning half broken to Gopher Prairie, tractable while still picturing herself as a maverick. A five star review does not preclude qualms over a piece of literature. Main Street is truly a marvelous book, but there are flaws. Irony peppered moderately in a story can lend life and humor; too much can overwhelm the reader with a sense that the author has no other crutch than easy, predictable amusement. Also, this being an episodic novel, there sometimes seems to be little tying the book together save for the overpowering contagion of yearning for excitement, reform, and freedom that leaves Carol and others in Gopher Prairie so disappointed. These should not be deterent enough to suggest you steer clear of Main Street, though. As with every marred but overall fantastic booke light breaks the dark for the reader willing to overlook flaws that, were he or she writing the novel, he or she couldn't have ironed out. As glorious a work of literature as it is an historical document, this is a delight for any serious or recreational reader.
Rating:
Summary: Slow at points, but worth it in the end
Review: After I finished the book I was glad to have read it. But somewhere in the middle... I almost gave up. Every reader will see qualities of himself and people he knows in Carol, Will, Mr. and Mrs. Clark and the whole gang. Carol's character is inspiring after all--to all who make it to the end of the book! Make yourself finish and you'll see what I mean...
Rating:
Summary: The Excellent and Well Told Story of Carol Kennicott
Review: Carol is a girl with big dreams. When she marries Kennicott, she moves from the Twin Cities where she has supported herself, to rural life in Gopher Prairie, Minnesota, where it is her dream to transform the sleepy town into something better.
The ups and downs of Carrie Kennicott's life were felt by each member of our Family Book Club. Just when it seems things can't get any worse for Carrie, they can -- but sometimes they get better. This book has been subject to a lot of literary criticism. Surely, the story can be studied in many ways at many levels. However, one does not need to have a master's in English in order to get a lot of enjoyment out of Main Street. Set in the 1920s, Carrie's story -- her feelings, the changes she tries to make to Gopher Prairie, and all of the people she meets there -- could easily be told today with only minor changes. And, although this book is overall rather depressing in nature, there were quite a few places that it had me laughing out loud. Main Street really captures the aura of small town America, especially middle Minnesota. The real life Gopher Prairie is Sauk Centre, Minnesota. It's an interesting place to visit, as the main street there has now been renamed Sinclair Lewis Boulevard.
Rating:
Summary: A wonderful and entertaining novel
Review: Coming from a small town in Iowa, I found "Main Street" to be a gem that is just as timely today as it was when it was published. A very readable book that is hard to put down.
Rating:
Summary: Classic Analysis Of Small-Town Aspirations By A Master
Review: Dissatisfied with her first job at the St. Paul Library, Carol Milford finds assurance in the solid (older) form of Dr. Will Kennicott. The newlyweds establish themselves in Dr. Kennicott's hometown of Gopher Prairie, Minnesota. Here Carol runs head-on into the obstacle of local society. Her struggle to find fulfillment in these small-town surroundings, fighting town gossip, promoting new ideas, grasping at illusions, is the story of Main Street.
Lewis' brief foreword anticipates the "malling" of America, and the standardization of our experiences. As Carol becomes more stifled by her surroundings, her anger is palpable, and Lewis' modern sensibility shines through. As an example, in the middle of another banal dinner conversation, "Carol reflected that the carving-knife would make an excellent dagger with which to kill Uncle Whittier."
As you read, you will be shocked at how true Lewis' Main Street of 1920 is to our Main Streets of today. Enormously successful on publication, Lewis' best novels (Main Street, Babbitt, Arrowsmith, Elmer Gantry) continue to illuminate this country's psyche. Enjoy a classic, and gain an appreciation of this under-read American master.
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