
MAIN STREET
By Sinclair Lewis
To James Branch Cabell and Joseph Hergesheimer
CHAPTER I - I
CHAPTER II
CHAPTER III
CHAPTER IV - I
CHAPTER V - I
CHAPTER VI - I
CHAPTER VII - I
In the heart of the American Midwest lies a modest town whose Main Street feels like a crossroads of every small community across the plains. Here wheat fields stretch to the horizon, the railway station is a point of pride, and the local grocer and banker dictate the rhythm of daily life. The novel captures the comfortable, sometimes suffocating, traditions that shape the lives of its residents.
Into this world steps Carol Milford, a bright and restless graduate of the conservative Blodgett College near Minneapolis. She is a whirlwind of curiosity—playing tennis, attending drama seminars, and dreaming of cities beyond the cornfields—yet she feels the pull of the familiar hill where she first looked out over the sky. As she returns home, her longing for something more sets her at odds with the expectations of a town that values stability above ambition.
Listeners will follow Carol as she navigates the tension between her yearning for a wider world and the pull of hometown loyalty, discovering how ordinary lives reveal deeper desires and disappointments. The story offers a witty, observant portrait of small‑town America on the brink of change.
Language
en
Duration
~16 hours (941K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by Charles Keller and David Widger
Release date
2006-01-21
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1885–1951
Known for sharp, funny, and sometimes ruthless portraits of American life, this Nobel Prize-winning novelist turned small towns, business culture, and public morality into unforgettable fiction. His best-known books include Main Street, Babbitt, Arrowsmith, Elmer Gantry, and It Can't Happen Here.
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