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    The Magnificent Ambersons
    The Magnificent Ambersons
    The Magnificent Ambersons
    Audiobook10 hours

    The Magnificent Ambersons

    Written by Booth Tarkington

    Narrated by Peter Berkrot

    4/5

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    About this audiobook

    Set in the Midwest in the early twentieth century-the dawn of the automobile age-The Magnificent Ambersons begins by introducing the Ambersons, the richest family in town. Exemplifying aristocratic excess, the Ambersons have everything money can buy-and more. But George Amberson Minafer, the spoiled grandson of the family patriarch, is unable to see that great societal changes are taking place and that business tycoons, industrialists, and real estate developers will soon surpass him in wealth and prestige. Rather than join the new mechanical age, George prefers to remain a gentleman, believing that "being things" is superior to "doing things." But as his town becomes a city, and the family palace is enveloped in a cloud of soot, George's protectors disappear one by one, and the elegant, cloistered lifestyle of the Ambersons fades from view and finally vanishes altogether.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateNov 24, 2010
    ISBN9781452670232
    Author

    Booth Tarkington

    Booth Tarkington (1869 - 1946) was an American novelist and dramatist, known for most of his career as “The Midwesterner.” Born in Indianapolis, Indiana, Tarkington was a personable and charming student who studied at both Purdue and Princeton University. Earning no degrees, the young author cemented his memory and place in the society of higher education on his popularity alone—being familiar with several clubs, the college theater and voted “most popular” in the class of 1893. His writing career began just six years later with his debut novel, The Gentleman from Indiana and from there, Tarkington would enjoy two decades of critical and commercial acclaim. Coming to be known for his romanticized and picturesque depiction of the Midwest, he would become one of only four authors to win the Pulitzer Prize more than once for The Magnificent Ambersons (1918) and Alice Adams (1921), at one point being considered America’s greatest living author, comparable only to Mark Twain. While in the later half of the twentieth century Tarkington’s work fell into obscurity, it is undeniable that at the height of his career, Tarkington’s literary work and reputation were untouchable.

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    Reviews for The Magnificent Ambersons

    4/5

    25 ratings18 reviews

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    • 4/5
      A very good read which take place at the turn of the century, published in 1918. George Amberson Minafer is spoiled, arrogant, condescending to both family and others around him. Everyone is hoping for the day when George gets what's coming to him.Changes in the American landscape, automation, and bad investments dwindle the Amberson fortune considerably forcing George to (gasp), get a job in order to support himself and his aunt.There is a beautiful ending to this story when someone who George treated miserably extends an act of kindness to him even after all he had done. I am now looking forward to seeing this movie.
    • 3/5
      Charitably, I suppose you could call this a 'minor classic,' or a 'regional classic,' but it strikes me as more of dated bit of melodrama. It's not hard to see why it might have been popular at it's time, and it no doubt will retain value a look back into tumultuous period (is there any other kind?) in American history. This is one instance where I would definitely recommend the movie (Orson Welles' version) over the source material.
    • 5/5
      I found this book among my late aunt's books. I remembered vaguely that I had heard of this author, nothing else. Once I started reading, I got caught up in not only the story, but the author's exquisite, understated style. Descriptions that hint at meaning rather than exhausting my patience with details, characters who are clearly types, but whom I feel for anyway. Wonderful writing. The basic plot is the story of the Ambersons, one of the founding families and main social pillars of a midwestern American town. The youngest heir of this great family, young George, is a spoiled arrogant brat. When the family's fortunes collapse and they are eclipsed by the wealth and importance of the new manufacturing class, George's self image and, in fact, the world as he has known it, slowly dissolve around him. Truly a gem of a book.
    • 4/5
      At the turn of the 19th century the world was changing incredibly fast. From electricity to automobiles, people could either embrace the changes or get left behind. This Pulitzer-Prize winner’s title describes a wealthy Midwestern family as “magnificent” and then proceeds to chronicle their downfall during this tumultuous time. The Ambersons’ fortune, managed by their patriarch Major Amberson, had always been there for the younger generations and they never doubted it would always been there in the future. The Major’s daughter, Isabel, married and had one son, George Amberson Minofaur. George grew up to be a self-centered young man who becomes infatuated with Lucy Morgan. Lucy and her father Eugene Morgan have known the Ambersons their whole lives. Eugene and Isabel have always been close, though their attraction was limited to friendship after Isabel married. Years later when Isabel is widowed Eugene renews his interest to the chagrin of George. His pompous self-worth won’t even allow him to consider the match as anything less than vulgar. **SPOILER**I know that Isabel is the most sympathetic character, but part of me was frustrated by her actions. She allows her son to bully her into a miserable life. The fact that George is completely spoiled and expects the world to be handed to him on a silver platter has to be, at least in part, attributed to how his parents raised him. Isabel turns a blind eye to George’s cruel snobbery and there are never any consequences to his actions. The ending feels like a really strange add on. It should have ended with George’s accident. I don’t understand what adding a trip to a psychic added to the story except to tidy everything up in an awkward way. **SPOILERS OVER **BOTTOM LINE: I was actually expecting to like this one less than I did. It’s not about lovable characters or romance overcoming all obstacles. It’s a story about the world changing whether you want it to or not. It’s about people making selfish decisions and the way that others are affected by those shortsighted views. It’s about hubris and jealousy, selflessness and devotion. To me those counterpoints made for a fascinating look at this time period. “Youth cannot imagine romance apart from youth. That is why the roles of the heroes and heroines of plays are given by the managers to the most youthful actors they can find among the competent.”SIDE NOTE: Tarkington is one of the only major authors from Indiana (Lew Wallace and John Green round out the short list). There is a local theatre named after him and I’m glad I finally read one of his books!
    • 5/5
      The book follows the fortunes of the Amberson family, particularly the Amberson grandson, George Amberson Minafer. George is a child at the beginning of the story, and by the end is a young man in his 20s. The Ambersons are a prominent family in a Midwestern town, whose prominence rests on the fortune the grandfather amassed after the Civil War via railroads.

      Georgie is worshipped by his mother, and amuses his grandfather who encourages his pride, and generally grows into an obnoxious, pompous, brat who believes family greatness makes him naturally great.

      But Tarkington makes the point that family greatness isn’t possible in America. The great men will always be those who invent/back/develop the next great thing, and those behind the last great thing will fade away. Family love endures, family greatness is bound to collapse.

      The inevitable collapse comes when George is still young enough to possibly salvage his character, and it is very poignantly written. The reader is not given a “happily ever after”, just a possibility of better things for some characters, which feels realistic.

      Overall, an excellent read.
    • 4/5
      Maybe even 4.5* While I knew most of the plot from watching the excellent film adaptation (1942 directed by Orson Wells and starring Joseph Cotten), it was worthwhile reading the original novel. Tarkington is one of a small handful of authors who have won the Pulitzer Prize more than once and reading this novel, I could understand why. Wells focused on the family drama in the film (and ended a few chapters short of the book!) but the book shows that Tarkington is more interested in the wider social commentary. Even with this wider focus, his portrayal of a pompous narcissist bully in Georgie Minafer is excellent and the book is worth reading for that alone. Georgie is not a caricature and I liked the fact that Tarkington showed him as human which allowed me to sympathize with him even when he was at his most annoying. Being a sentimentalist at heart, I liked the fact that the book allowed Georgie (now George) to be reprieved and possibly (hopefully) get back together with Lucy Morgan.
    • 5/5
      Bought 12/22/2013. Great characters and development. Loved Eugene Morgan and daughter Lucy. Great descriptions of the turn of the 20th century.
    • 3/5
      I totally forgot to write down my impressions on this book when I finished it so my recollections are very vague. It was well-written and a good look at a changing society as industrialization started taking over. It was a sad book though as the pride of some of the main characters stood between them and a good life. Adapt or die.
    • 4/5
      The story takes place in the gay '90s "where silk meets silk and money meets money." It is basically the story of a spoiled brat, Georgie Amberson, who wrecks people's lives, including his mother's. This is the story of wealth and rapid industrialization and the havoc it created in some families. 180 pages 3 1/2 stars because the language was beautiful and evocative.
    • 4/5
      This story is illustrative of the demise of the Victorian era from economic and social standpoints. Although the reader feels some wistfulness and nostalgia for times of elegance and propriety, the Ambersons, who symbolize these things, are hardly sympathetic characters and their blind devotion to this way of life makes them seem almost silly. The novel does have a compelling plot and redemption at the conclusion. Yes, it's written in flowery style, perhaps indicative of the time, but it is includes effective imagery and humor. It's a well-rounded piece of literature and worth reading.
    • 4/5
      A classic novel describing the downfall of a nineteenth-century American family, which serves as a metaphor for the rapid disappearance of agrarian small-town America at the hands of twentieth-century industrialization and sprawl. George Amberson Minafer has grown up knowing the importance of his place as the heir to the wealthy and prominent Ambersons, and it has left him spoiled, arrogant and obsessed with his "name." But the end of the nineteenth century brings some devastating changes, embodied by Eugene Morgan, a former suitor of George's mother who has become an inventor of the hot new technology, automobiles. The conflict between George and Eugene will eventually bring down the entire Amberson family and bring irrevocable change to their world.Winner of the Pulitzer Prize in 1919 for this book, Booth Tarkington was an incredibly popular writer who authored many bestsellers of his day. His writing is very good, keeping up the forward movement of the plot while still taking time to beautifully evoke the details of the lost nineteenth-century world -- social mores, architecture, clothing. (Unfortunately, one of the period details he includes is racism toward the black servants of the Amberson family.)The theme of this novel seems to leave Tarkington a bit conflicted. It's true that the Ambersons are not a pleasant bunch and that a lot of their undoing can be blamed on their own foolishness and arrogance, particularly George. But despite that, Tarkington seems almost elegiac in describing their downfall, and he makes it clear that he is sympathetic to George's complaints about the automobile and the devaluation of the Amberson estate. But it's difficult for a modern-day reader to feel much sympathy for a young man who insists that the best people are people who "are" things and not people who "do" things. Tarkington makes a lot of excuses about George's youth, and it's true that young people are susceptible to being idealists about some truly terrible ideas. Tarkington is prescient about some of the problems that widespread automobile use will lead to -- pollution, sprawl -- but he doesn't seem quite sure if the widespread prosperity that also resulted was a good thing or not. I think that may be why Tarkington's work is fairly obscure today, despite being well-written. But in a time when we are facing rapid societal changes ourselves, maybe a look back at how a previous century handled these problems is worthwhile.
    • 4/5
      The Magnificient Ambersons by Booth Tarkington. Winner of the 1919 Pulitzer Prize for Literature. An engaging book, despite at several points wanting it to move along faster. The first half of the book is well constructed, and interesting because the central character is not presented as a likable fellow. Foreshadowing and hiding of the mother's relationship with Morgan is transparent and yet it isn't clear how intended this was. The climax of the book is understandable on a human level, but was probably more compelling to readers in 1918. The last part of the book-- destruction of the family, chemical worker, run over by a car, psychic-- all seem too much for believeability today.Also, the book is a bit melodramatic, the tragedies a bit too constructed. But I did enjoy it. I see why it won the Pulitzer: it is an American story. This could take place in almost any American city of the period; I seemed to reference St. Louis but it could have been in a dozen different places.The romance between Georgie and Lucy seemed real, probably the most real part of the book.
    • 3/5
      The Magnificent Ambersons is one of those books that I enjoyed more than I thought I would. I was afraid it was going to be heavy and dull, and it certainly wasn't. Still, it was not a favorite of mine. It moved right along through the story of the demise of the once-prominent Amberson family and the growth of their Midwestern town into an industrial city. However, it moved along at such a clip, and with so little thematic subtlety, that it seemed like a book for young adults. I'm not saying that Tarkington should have handled his themes with the heavy hand of Henry James, but a little of Edith Wharton's nuance or F. Scott Fitzgerald's precision would have added depth to the tale.
    • 4/5
      The Magnificent Ambersons Takes place at the turn of the century in your typical, growing Midwestern town. It follows the rise and fall of a wealthy family and shows the fascinating struggle between old money & new money and the struggle faced by many who grow up with old money, feel a sense of entitlement, think they will never have to work a day in their lives, & find out that they are wrong. I loved this book. Social commentary, especially in this time of American history, is my absolute favorite thing to read. I did find it hard to ever have any positive feelings toward the main character, George Amberson Minafer, who was a spoiled brat whom everyone in town hoped would one day "get his come-upance." And, while he eventually does get his "come-upance" by pridefully refusing to work and continuing to spend the family money, by the time he does the town has long ago moved on and no one even remembers him.I would definitely recommend this book. It is a fascinating study in the way that America shifted from truly valuing "Old Money" as the only authentic form of wealth to valuing money only, regardless of whether it is new or old.
    • 4/5
      A Magnificent Pulitzer Prize winning novel about the changing fortunes of social class in America in the period following the end of the Civil War to the early part of the 20th century, a time of rapid change in America. It examines three generations of an aristocratic mid-western family the Ambersons as they cling to the old ways and are "run over" (literally) by the rise of a new money industrialist class ("riffraff"). Written in 1918 by Tarkington who was born in 1868, just at the end of the Civil War, he lived and saw in person the changing fashions and changing way of life brought on by the industrial revolution: from small towns with horses to modern industrial cities with cars and factories. The Amberson family is a metaphor for a class of people who get their "comeuppance", as the path to success changes from heredity to meritocracy during the industrial revolution and its socially democratizing effects in America.
    • 5/5
      That was a very interesting reading. It shows the rise and fall of American families who leave a footnote in history or nothing. In this particular story the fall of the Amberson family is shown. Whereas George Amberson Minafer's grandfather was a wealthy and respected man, his offspring show no incentive to manage or enhance the asset. On the contrary, they feel that they can continue to live on a large foot as this was the case earlier, without doing anything for the community and also to pursue any profession. But the world turned quickly. New inventions such as the car has been made, the city kept growing and new names were more important to the community than the Ambersons. George Amberson Minafer started to work only when the whole family fortune was lost and he had to support his aunt so she could spend a pleasant retirement.
    • 3/5
      I was dreading this book, but it was next on my Pulitzer list. I had forgotton how much I like Booth Tarkington. The book was engaging, and you came to like its very unlikable protagonist, and to regret the sad twist at the end.
    • 5/5
      Pulizter Prize winner, 1919.This is the story of the fall from social prominence of a “Midland” family around the turn of the 20th century. Due to the financial success through land and investments of Major Amberson, the patriarch of the family, the Ambersons achieved social prominence in one generation. The story is primarily concerned with the abrupt decline of that family in the 3rd generation, as experienced by Major Amberson’s only grandchild, George Amberson Minafer. An arrogant and self-absorbed child who keeps those less-than-endearing personality traits into adulthood, George is the embodiment of the selfish, narcissistic “dandy”; his life goal is not “to do”—any sort of work or profession is beneath him and his self-perceived status—but “to be”—a gentleman.But coming along to upset almost everyone’s ideas of society and progress is the automobile, its disruptive force personified of one of its (fictional) pioneers, Eugene Morgan. A former resident of the town as well as a former suitor of George’s mother, Isabel, Morgan invokes uneasiness in George, who proceeds to fall in love with Morgan’s daughter, Lucy.. That uneasiness turns to hatred when George’s is unaccustomedly denied something he wants and has his superficial values of life rejected. The result is tragic.The automobile, however, is more than just an irritant for George, an unacceptable way for Morgan to make a living. It represents enormous economic and social upheaval, as wealth shifts from the American equivalent of the landed gentry to the new industrialists and speculators. The mobility provided by the automobile drastically alters the landscapes of urban areas; the Midland town—a mall puddle in which the Ambersons are large frogs—becomes a large city, whose growth in unchecked, leaving the Ambersons and their old-fashioned ideas of society behind; the Ambersons literally vanish in the sprawl of a large industrialized city.In 1919, when Tarkington wrote the book, there was nothing remotely approaching an “environmental movement”. Yet Tarkington, in vivid prose, describes the price of the automobile and the resulting unrestricted growth, both in cities and in industry: soot-filled air from soft coal-fired furnaces of factories; disappearance of farm land as the city “upheaves” and moves its boundaries further and further out; the disintegration of the old pioneer values that had held sway for nearly 100 years only to be replaced by those of untrammeled greed; the destruction of neighborhoods as families are displaced by apartment dwellers and those living next to one another hardly ever meet. The Magnificent Ambersons is prophetic.These forces destroy George’s world, so affectionately described at the opening of the book. But Tarkington doesn’t lay the blame solely on outside forces; instead, he makes very clear the negative impact of a doting mother and grandfather, who give George everything he wants and treat him like a god, an indifferent father who cares only for his business, and a group of fawning companions and similarly afflicted spoiled colleagues at university. George is not a bad person, but his self-absorption, his mania about preserving the “family name” as a reflection off his own self-important social status, is a recipe for disaster for those closest to him. The language may seem stilted, more suited to the post-Victorian era which it portrays (the story ends before the start of World War I), but the story is immortal; it can be seen played out in today’s media by the society celebrities of this age.The Magnificent Ambersons is a morality tale with obvious lessons. George, a sinner, is suitably punished but earns redemption. While the language of the Victorian Age may present a bit of a problem and personal behavior may stretch the credulity of an early 21st century reader, the story is told poignantly, with great clarity, and to enormous effect.