Just finished writing a thesis with Lewis's Babbitt as the centerpiece. It looked at Babbitt as the best-loved American book in France in the 1920s and early 1930s.

In the end, I enjoyed Babbitt, though Lewis sometimes beats the reader over the head with his use of episode.

Great mysteries with smart literary elements weaved in.

Another Country is not the most accessible Baldwin work, but the compelling dynamic between its characters, well-articulated, complex people who are difficult to embrace, is a testament to author's abilities. Rufus, Vivaldo, Cass, and Richard (and Rufus's sister, whose name I now forget) come to life as they clash with one another. Despite their superficially shared values, they emerge from fundamentally different worldviews.