Booth Tarkington
Winner of the Pulitzer Prize when it was first published in 1918, The Magnificent Ambersons chronicles the changing fortunes of three generations of an American dynasty. The protagonist of Booth Tarkington's great historical drama is George Amberson Minafer, the spoiled and arrogant grandson of the founder of the family's magnificence. Eclipsed by a...
2) Alice Adams
3) Penrod
6) The flirt
Pulitzer Prize-winning author Booth Tarkington has an amazingly deft touch with characterization, and the tense relationship between town flirt Cora Madison and her quieter sister Laura is so compelling that the story has been the basis for a number of filmed versions. As with Tarkington's later novel The Magnificent Ambersons, The Flirt is a thoroughly entertaining portrait of a dysfunctional but ultimately loving family.
7) Seventeen
Throughout history, bit players on the sidelines have somehow become embroiled in the most notorious scandals, finding themselves wrapped up in intrigue with far-reaching consequences they could never have imagined. That's exactly what happens to the eponymous protagonist of Booth Tarkington's novel, Monsieur Beaucaire. This humble barber to the French ambassador to England finds himself at the center of a scandalous love triangle. Will
...One of the most popular novels of the early twentieth century, Booth Tarkington's The Two Vanrevels is a gripping and entertaining romp that effortlessly weaves together many of the elements that define the author's oeuvre, including a passionate love triangle, a case of mistaken identity, and a look at how political and social events can often intrude on the personal sphere.
What does it mean to be popular? Is it a mark of good character, or merely a sign that you're well-regarded among an influential group of elites? The hero in Booth Tarkington's tale The Conquest of Canaan has achieved a strange kind of popularity—he's seen as a prince among those who are down on their luck, but to the upper classes and the powerful, he might as well be invisible. Will Joe Loudon be able to channel his limited influence
...Stoke the fire, grab a cup of hot cocoa, and curl up with this heartwarming Christmas tale from beloved American author Booth Tarkington. Set in an unnamed state in the Midwest, Beasley's Christmas Party follows the adventures of a journalist who has just moved to town to join the staff of the local newspaper. Soon after arriving, he becomes aware of an interesting and eccentric local character named David Beasley whose political prospects
...Booth Tarkington's wildly successful novel Seventeen satirizes the vagaries of American adolescence. Though 17-year-old protagonist William Sylvanus Baxter is awkward, tactless, and often less than likable, Tarkington's insightful—and hilarious—take on teenage life and love is sure to please readers who appreciate top-notch humor writing.
14) His Own People
Many people who are traveling abroad take the opportunity to forge a new, albeit temporary, identity for themselves. In his quest to be welcomed among the upper crust in Europe, American Robert Russ Mellin creates a moneyed, cultured alter ego. However, before long, Mellin happens to encounter a man who is the embodiment of everything that he himself aspires to be. Will he survive this collision of the real and the imaginary?
American novelist Booth Tarkington was a keen observer of the divisions between social classes in the United States, and his stories often focused on those who reigned supreme in the country's halls of power. The collection In the Arena brings together a number of Tarkington's best-known short works that deal with various aspects of the U.S. political process.
16) Gentle Julia
Although the title character, Julia, is a sweet and pretty girl with dozens of admirers, it is her young cousin Florence who really steals the show with her tart observations and complicated schemes. Author Booth Tarkington was known as an uncannily apt creator of child characters, and he hits the ball out of the park with Gentle Julia. This delightful story is a must-read for classic literature lovers of all ages.
American novelist Booth Tarkington's life spanned the period 1869-1946, giving him a unique insight into the United States as its culture underwent a number of rapid changes. In the humorous novel Harlequin and Columbine, Tarkington explores the cult of celebrity that began to flower in earnest in the early decades of the twentieth century, using the character of an egotistical actor, Talbot Potter, as the focus of his gentle but hilariously
...Alongside William Faulkner and John Updike, Booth Tarkington is one of just three authors to win the Pulitzer Prize more than once. Tarkington accomplished the feat with Alice Adams and The Magnificent Ambersons, dramas that explored the lives of fictional characters who live in a setting similar to the one Tarkington experienced in Indianapolis. Tarkington continues to garner praise for his works' historical realism.
Alongside William Faulkner and John Updike, Booth Tarkington is one of just three authors to win the Pulitzer Prize more than once. Tarkington accomplished the feat with Alice Adams and The Magnificent Ambersons, dramas that explored the lives of fictional characters who live in a setting similar to the one Tarkington experienced in Indianapolis. Tarkington continues to garner praise for his works' historical realism.