Dodsworth
Tuesday, September 2nd, 2003
Sinclair Lewis
Dodsworth is a successful 50-something businessman with a 40-something wife. Their kids are grown and Dodsworth’s business has been taken over by a conglomerate. The decide to leave their Midwestern home for an extended tour of Europe. What starts as a new beginnings adventure soon turns into a trial for Dodsworth, who discovers that his wife, who fancies herself a sophisticate, is easy prey for any smooth talking guy with an accent and a title.
The book is the story of the destruction of Dodsworth’s life and his rebirth. Though at times Lewis launches into polemics, he always quickly returns to story and character. It’s a bit of a period piece, with references to Prohibition and the business culture of the 1920’s, but it’s more timeless than dated.
