I can safely assume that this is not the book for which Lewis was awarded the Nobel Prize. A New York society girl sets off with her convalescent father to drive across the country. On the way she meets a young man who is the SALT OF THE EARTH, a happy contrast to her jaded and cynical society friends.

The best parts of this book are the descriptions of the trip across the country: the people on the way, the small towns and the countryside. Motoring was in its early days, the roads were bad and garages were few and far between. For a young woman to drive from New York to Seattle really was a brave undertaking. ( )

Quaint. ( )

My third Sinclair Lewis novel after “Arrowsmith” and “Main Street”, and I really like his portrayals of early 20th century America and Americans. Here we find Claire, driving her father from New York to Seattle, and Milt, a rather unsophisticated man she encounters on the way, who determines to look after her and captures her heart, but finds himself out of his depth. Well written and very perceptive on the effect of our social surroundings on our character and behaviour. An unfortunate animal death notwithstanding, a fine book, and an author I will continue to look out for. ( )

Ok… I’ll admit it, I was duped. I thought this was on the 1001 books list but, after I’d finished it and went to my spreadsheet to mark it as read, guess what? It wasn’t there! I’d enjoyed Babbitt so very much that I presumed this would be. Still, I enjoyed it and find Lewis way ahead of his time. This time, instead of exploring the inner workings of a man in a mid-life crisis, he’s exploring the very real notion of class in his native USA.

A wealthy heiress and her father set out from the eastern side of the US for a car journey all the way to Seattle. On the way, a talented mechanic in a two-bit town spots them, takes a shine to her, and follows them. Through a series of ‘accicoincidental’ meetings along the way, the two strike up a friendship and Lewis uses this as the vehicle (forgive the pun) to present prejudice from both ends of the social spectrum. Yes, it’s been done before (ahem… Austen) but, as with many things USAnian, this is on a grander scale. The gulf between the two is not just social, it’s… wait for it… yep, much worse than all that social Austenesque vanity… it’s economic.

Lewis has helped me understand class prejudice from a US perspective in a similar way to Edith Wharton’s novels. In the US, it seems to me that social gaps can be bridged far more easily than monetary ones. In the UK, its the reverse I find. In the UK, you can be dirt poor, laden with debt and yet still remain at the pinnacle of the social ladder. You remain there because of your breeding, your education and the role you play in society, notwithstanding being penniless. And if you’re talented enough to come from an underprivileged background and make it economically a la Alan Sugar, you still find yourself struggling to reach the first rung on the ladder, even if you are made a Lord.

But in Free Air, we see that money is the barrier, not breeding. And even if that money has been gained illicitly, as we find out late on in the novel, it’s money nevertheless. Ostentation is everything and we see the pair struggle to meet halfway, he buying new clothes and she ruining hers. I found their relationship a little shallow. I think he could have done more with it. It seemed a bit to simple to me, but his wit bites into both him and her as they battle with their versions of life and I often found myself chuckling while listening to it.

So a worthwhile read and some useful insights into life across the sea 100 years or so ago. It’s also one of the very first road novels, if not the first. ( )

This is one fun read! Fascinatingly old fashion. Sinclair Lewis has a glib voice that draws you in and keeps you wanting to see what happens next. ( )