THE MAGNIFICENT AMBERSONS
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The Magnificent Ambersons is a 1918 novel by Booth Tarkington which won the 1919 Pulitzer Prize for novel. The novel traces the growth of the United States through the declining fortunes of three generations of the aristocratic Amberson family tree in a fictional Mid-Western town, between the end of the Civil War and the early part of the 20th century, a period of rapid industrialization and socio-economic change in America. The decline of the Ambersons is contrasted with the rising fortunes of manufacturing tycoons and additional new-money families, which did not derive power from family tree names but by “doing things”. As George Amberson’s friend (name unspecified) says, “don’t you reflect being things is ‘rahthuh bettuh’ than doing things?”
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This is trash. Terribly written, melodramatic, utterly silly. My copy is already in the recycle (not: re-use) bin.
Reader’s Rating: 1 / 5
If you’re a movie fan, you’ve probably seen the Orson Welles movie version of this novel, or at least seen scenes of it in various retrospectives. You may be curious about the novel now specifically because it recently was named one of the Modern Libray Top 100. You may be wondering why. Chances are, even if you’re an English major, you’ve never heard of Booth Tarkington. If your grandparents have a shelf of forgotten books in their attic, this novel might be one of them. Its hard to know why the Modern Library choses this as one of the 100 best novels in English. It seems as near to being forgotten as a book can be, and perhaps it is better left so.
Reader’s Rating: 2 / 5
I just can’t judge a book of this caliber won a Pulitzer. I do admit to being pulled into the tale at times, but the writing is deeply flawed. The protagonist is unlikeable, the characters regularly react inconsistently, and finally, the last 20 pages of the novel are jaw-droppingly terrible–the deux ex machina ending was beyond belief. Also, I should note that the edition I have is full of typos.
I’m going to rent the movie to see Welles’ interpretation. While this novel has redeeming qualities . . . excellent grief–a PULITZER??
Reader’s Rating: 2 / 5
The Magnificent Ambersons is a well-written terrible book. And by terrible, I mean APPALLING. Crap. The plot had me shaking my head, grimacing, leafing yet to be, and putting the book down repeatedly. I could only manage thirty pages at a time before I had to place off reading, cleanse my mental palate, and then resume the slog after a lengthy interval.
The weird thing is that Booth Tarkington was a excellent writer. He had all the technical chops you could want–along with a certain talent for composing a axiom. But the godforsaken PLOT–Jesus. The characters are ciphers. You despise the protagonist, George Minafer, who is a perfect caricature, and yet you have to spend time with him and his dull, pointless family tree. Genteel folk sliding into poverty. Even in 1918 that was hackneyed.
There are clumsy and abrupt shifts in time, giving the narrative a disjointed aspect, along with ridiculous examples of factitious behavior. George Minafer may as well have marionette strings emanating from his shoulders. I didn’t care whether he lived, died, or grew mushrooms from his crack. Deaths occurred when convenient, and…gah!
Don’t read this book, and if you’re assigned it, get the CliffsNotes. Life is too fleeting. (The MLA says this is the hundredth best novel of the 20th Century–which, if you place any stock into the MLA, is f’ing PATHETIC.)
Reader’s Rating: 2 / 5
GEORGE MINAFER IS THE GRANDSON OF THE PATRIARCH OF A SMALL MIDWESTERN TOWN THAT BLOSSOMS INTO A CITY JUST AFTER THE TURN OF THE CENTURY.
GEORGE IS ARROGANT AND CONDESCENDING AND PICTURES HIMSELF AS A GENTLEMAN AND DANDY WITH NO NEED FOR ANY MEANINGFUL OCCUPATION;
AFETR ALL HIS UNCLE IS A US SENATOR, HIS MOTHER IS THE BELLE OF THE TOWN, AND HIS GRANDFATHER’S ESTATE IS THE CENTERPEICE OF THE COMMUNITY.
EVERYTHING COMES UNRAVELLED WITH THE ARRIVAL OF EUGENE MORGAN AND HIS DAUGHTER LUCY. EUGENE IT SEEMS IS GEORGE’S MOTHER, ISOBEL’S, EX SWEETHEART AND GEORGE IS IMMEDIATELY ENCHANTED BY LUCY. GEORGE’S LOVE FOR LUCY IS IN CONFLICT WITH HIS HATRED OF EUGENE, WHO GEORGE PERCEIVES AS A RIVAL FOR HIS MOTHER’S DEVOTION. OF EQUAL IMPORTANCE, GEORGE ALSO RESENTS EUGENE FOR THE PERCEPTION THAT BY OPENING AN AUTOMOBILE ASSEMBLY PLANT, EUGENE REPRESENTS CHANGE THAT GEORGE IS TOTALLY OPPOSED TO.
THE DEATH OF GEORGE’S FATHER INTENSIFIES GEORGE’S JEALOUSY OF EUGENE. THE JEALOUSY IS FUELED BY GEORGE’S OLD MAID AUNT FANNY, WHO HAS SECRET PASSION FOR EUGENE. GEORGE’S PRIDE CAUSES HIM TO FOREGO HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH LUCY AND HE DEMANDS THAT ISOBEL CHOOSE BETWEEN HIM AND EUGENE. AS SHE HAS DONE HER ENTTIRE LIFE, ISOBEL GIVES INTO TO GEORGE AND ACCOMPANY’S HIM TO EUROPE EVEN THOUGH SHE IS ILL.
MEANWHILE BAD INVESTMENTS AND CHANGING TIMES CAUSE THE AMBERSON WEALTH AND POWER TO FADE. GEORGE’S UNCLE RETIRES FROM THE SENATE AND MOVES AWAY AND HIS GRANDFATHER DIES. ISOBEL ALSO COMES BACK HOME DEATHLY ILL AND GEORGE PREVENTS HER FROM SEEING EUGENE BEFORE SHE DIES. THROUGH A MISHANDLING OF THE GRANDFATHER’S ESTATE, GEORGE AND HIS AUNT FANNY LOSE THEIR HOME.
GEORGE FINALLY STARTS MAKING RESPONSIBLE CHOICES TO TAKE CARE OF HIS AUNT AND TAKES ON A DANGEROUS JOB TRANSPORTING MUNITIONS. THROUGH IT ALL GEORGE MAINTAINS HIS ARROGANCE AND HAS FEW FRIENDS. AFTER AN INJURY EUGENE AND LUCY COME TO HIS SIDE AND HE FINALLY COMES TO GRIPS WITH THE EMOTIONAL DAMAGE HE HAS CAUSED.
‘THE MAGNIFICENT AMBERFSONS’ IS A VERY READABLE CLASSIC AND PRESENTS A WONDERFUL PICTURE OF MIDDLE AMERICA COMING TO TREM WITH THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION.
Reader’s Rating: 5 / 5