Carol Milford dreams of living in a small, rural town. But Gopher Prairie, Minnesota, isn't the paradise she'd imagined. First published in 1920, this unabridged edition of the Sinclair Lewis novel is an American classic, considered by many to be his most noteworthy and lasting work. As a work of social satire, this complex and compelling look at small-town America in the early 20th century has earned its place among the classics.
For more than a century, the term "Main Street" has conjured up nostalgic images of American small-town life. Representations exist all around us, from fiction and film to the architecture of shopping malls and Disneyland. All the while, the nation has become increasingly diverse, exposing tensions within this ideal. In The Death and Life of Main Street, Miles Orvell wrestles with the mythic allure of the small town in all its forms, illustrating how Americans continue to reinscribe these images on real places in order to forge consensus about inclusion and civic identity, especially in times of crisis. Orvell underscores the fact that Main Street was never what it seemed; it has always been much more complex than it appears, as he shows in his discussions of figures like Sinclair Lewis, Willa Cather, Frank Capra, Thornton Wilder, Margaret Bourke-White, and Walker Evans. He argues that translating the overly tidy cultural metaphor into real spaces--as has been done in recent decades, especially in the new urbanist planned communities of Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk and Andres Duany--actually diminishes the communitarian ideals at the center of this nostalgic construct. Orvell investigates the way these tensions play out in a variety of cultural realms and explores the rise of literary and artistic traditions that deliberately challenge the tropes and assumptions of small-town ideology and life.
Flora, Ruby, Olivia, and Nikki start their own summer book club when well-loved books start appearing on their doorsteps in the fifth of Ann Martin's wonderful Main Street books.Flora and Ruby are about to start their second summer in Camden Falls. An element of mystery is instantly added when someone -- the girls don't know who -- leaves copies of a very special book on their doorstop, with instructions to read and discuss it. Olivia and Nikki also get books, and soon the girls are starting their own book club -- with some very interesting ties between the books they're reading and the things they're facing over the summer. But who's their literary benefactor? The girls don't need to read Nancy Drew to track down the answer....
'Irresistable.' Megan Abbott 'A gory, gorgeous feast of a book.' Kiran Millwood Hargrave 'This book is crazy. You have to read it.' Bon Appetit Dorothy Daniels has always had a voracious - and adventurous - appetite. From her idyllic farm-to-table childhood (homegrown tomatoes, thick slices of freshly baked bread) to the heights of her career as a food critic (white truffles washed down with Barolo straight from the bottle) Dorothy has never been shy about indulging her exquisite tastes - even when it lead to her plunging an ice pick into her lover's neck. There is something inside Dorothy that makes her different from everybody else. Something she's finally ready to confess. But beware: her story just might make you wonder how your lover would taste sautéed with shallots and mushrooms and deglazed with a little red wine. 'An unapologetic, rollicking satire of one woman's insatiable appetite.' Irish Times 'Thrilling and awful.' The Times 'One of the most uniquely fun and campily gory books in my recent memory.' New York Times 'Riotously funny and deliriously unhinged.' Refinery29 READERS ARE DEVOURING A CERTAIN HUNGER: 'Decadent, sleazy, visceral, disgusting. I can't believe this is a first novel.' 'If a female Hannibal starred in Orange is the New Black, it would give you a pretty good idea of what to expect from this novel. ... I could write pages about how much I loved this book but it would still not do it justice. Just read it!' 'This was everything I wanted from a book. Exciting, funny, gory, and most of all the absolutely exquisite writing.' 'I loved this book from beginning to end, it was dark, humorous and also made me a feel a little queasy in places!'
In addition to offering her own hard-won expertise, Phelps shares advice and techniques from her fellow business researchers. You'll learn proven strategies for finding quality information about local business and economic conditions, issues, and outlooks. Visit the book's companion website at ResearchOnMainStreet.com for links, updates, and more. --Book Jacket.
On Main Street illuminates the lives of people from earlier generations who influenced the author. The book captures the essence and innocence of a Maine town when communities were more insular and self-sufficient. While the individual events are those of Dexter, they reflect an era of great change in America. The stories’ universal themes combine the child’s sense of wonder with the adult’s observations and experience. On Main Street is about change and loss, connections and ironies, nostalgia and realities. It is told with subtle, self-deprecating humor, new found wisdom, and insight. This book will be enjoyed by an audience spanning several generations. On Main Street celebrates the lives of the author’s family members—a grandfather who is known for his egocentricities and eccentricities, his children who grew up in two very different worlds, and a great-aunt whose strength of character shines through. This book also details the lives of ordinary people and unusual characters in the community from Louis Chabot, who worked the looms at Amos Abbott Woolen Mill, to Jere Abbott, son of the mill owner, who became a co-founder of the Museum of Modern Art in New York City and a benefactor of Colby College’s art museum.
God loves just economies, but sadly the invisible hand of the market has chiseled huge cracks in our communities. Fortunately, Jesus announced freedom for the poor and oppressed, and by taking on his mantle we have a role to play in helping establish just economies here and now! Jesus on Main Street provides church leaders and church planters with a broad overview of Community Economic Development (CED), with practical steps to lead your church in following Jesus into those cracks. You'll be equipped with the CED "toolkit" including microbusinesses, makerspaces, business incubators, worker cooperatives, workforce development, commercial district revitalization, locality development, anchor institutions, and accountable development. A robust assessment and planning guide specifically for churches will help you create a collaborative CED strategy rooted in God's love for people and justice. For churches looking to bring healing to their local economies, CED builds capacity for long-term equitable economic growth, catalyzing a movement of business creation, employment, and job creation that does not leave anybody behind. This is the promise and challenge of CED as we follow Jesus down Main Street and explore what good news for local economies looks like!
Wendy Dow and Nancy Eblen, two very financially comfortable business women, head off their annual summer vacation which they have scheduled together for years. They find themselves on the Island of Nantucket in early May. After a wonderful lunch in the garden of The Chanticleer Inn, they start discussing how nice it would be just to give it all up and spend the entire summer on the island. Well, this adventure moves forward, and they find themselves the owners of a five acre parcel of land in Polpis. The property has two run down barns and a home that has been neglected for quite a number of years. When they start their restoration projects, they uncover a long old slender metal box that is locked. Now, the contents of this mysterious box could it possibly hold the clue to a murder? Ahh, the plot thickens...
