Main Street

Main Street is a satirical novel by American writer and playwright Sinclair Lewis, first published in 1920. It tells the story of Carol Milford, who grows up in a mid-sized town in Minnesota before moving to Chicago for college. After her education she moves to Minneapolis to work as a librarian where she meets Will Kennicott, a small-town doctor. After the two get married they move to Gopher Prairie, Kennicott’s home town. Gopher Prairie was modeled on Sauk Centre, the town in which Lewis himself grew up, and is a detailed satirical take on small-town American life. Carol, missing the city life she experienced in Chicago, soon begins to struggle not only with the backwardness of the townsfolk, and their conservative way of life, but also her marriage, which has become increasingly cold.

Main Street was awarded the 1921 Pulitzer Prize, but the decision was overturned by the prize’s Board of Trustees and awarded instead to Edith Wharton for The Age of Innocence. As a result of this, when Lewis went on to win the 1926 Pulitzer for Arrowsmith, he declined it.

This book has 168,239 words, and was originally published in 1920.