Showing results by author "Booth Tarkington" in All Categories

The American Classics Collection: Volume II is a century-spanning collection of 15 classic novels, short stories, essay, and poetry by American authors, read by a cast of incredible narrators including Adam Sims; Nathan Osgood; Robert G. Slade; Jonathan Keeble, Katherine Fenton; and more. Included here are stories by some of the greatest writers of all time, including Herman Melville; Upton Sinclair; Mark Twain; Walt Whitman; F. Scott Fitzgerald; Thornton Wilder; Edith Wharton; Jack London; amongst a host of others.

The Ultimate Classics Collection: Volume Four is the fourth instalment of our wide-ranging classic collections. Volume Four features 12 timeless works that largely focuses on the greats of American and British literature, with novels from Charles Dickens, Edith Wharton, Thomas Hardy, Victor Hugo, and others. Read by a cast of incredible narrators including Miranda Raison, Pearl Mackie, Adam Sims, David Rintoul, and more, this is a chance to expand your listening with some of the greatest authors of all time.

A melodramatic folksy Christmas story, a little like Dickens - with a Tiny Tim, but also with some romance. Tarkington's writings are very much set in his early 1900s American culture. We are meant to sympathize with the crippled child but not even notice the slights to the black servants. Still, Tarkington promotes kindness and uses a milder style of humor than many authors of his day. (Arnold Banner)

Alice Adams follows the day-to-day life of a young woman who dreams of climbing the social ladder and escaping from her middle-class background. She struggles with the constant tension between her parents and her older brother. When a wealthy young man becomes interested in her, she weaves a...

"The Magnificent Ambersons" is the 1918 novel by Booth Tarkington which won the 1919 Pulitzer Prize. It is the second novel in "The Growth Trilogy," which includes "The Turmoil"(1915) and "The Midlander" (1923). In 1942, Orson Welles directed a film version of it, also titled "The Magnificent Ambersons" and starring Joseph Cotten, Dolores Costello, and Anne Baxter. The novel and trilogy traces the growth of the United States through the declining fortunes of three generations of the aristocratic Amberson family.

Bigger, newer, faster. Demolish and rebuild, then demolish and rebuild again. Smoke, soot, and noise are the badges of prosperity, and growth is for growth's sake.

The second book in what would become known as Booth Tarkington's "growth trilogy" is about a small Midwestern town rapidly transforming into a modern industrial city. The Ambersons, once the town's most glamorous old-money family, is unable to adapt to the changing environment and is slowly declining toward oblivion, while Eugene Morgan and his newly invented motorcar are the future.

Bigger, newer, faster. Demolish and rebuild, then demolish and rebuild again. Smoke, soot, and noise are the badges of prosperity, and growth is for growth's sake.

Penrod is a collection of comic sketches by Booth Tarkington that was first published in 1914. The book follows the misadventures of Penrod Schofield, an eleven-year-old boy growing up in the pre–World War I Midwestern United States, in a similar vein to The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. Like most...

In this American classic, 17-year-old William is in the throes of first love. Lola Pratt, the object of his affection, is visiting her cousin in William's town for the summer. William finds obstacles at every turn in winning her affections, in the form of other suitors, a pesky little sister, and the necessity of the "perfect outfit". With the pomposity of Frasier Crane and the soul of a poet, William attempts to win Miss Pratt's heart and to be the sole recipient of her charming "baby talk".

Winner of the 1919 Pulitzer Prize when it was first published, The Magnificent Ambersons chronicles the changing fortunes of three generations of an American dynasty. The family serves as a metaphor for the old society that crumbled after the Industrial Revolution while a middle-western town...

Set in the Midwest in the early 20th 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.

Plucky and romantic Alice tries to rise above the crudities of her hopelessly shabby background in this Pulitzer Prize–winning classic about ambition and self-delusion. The lower-middle class Adams family faces a slow disintegration in a small Midwestern town. Alice, a social climber, is...

A young man disguised as a barber forces a noble whom he has caught cheating at cards to introduce him to the lovely Lady Mary Carlisle. Love flourishes, tempers flare, and swords clash in the ensuing results!

This is the hilarious story of the escapades of 12-year-old Penrod Schofield, whose active imagination keeps him in hot water at home and at school.

This Pulitzer Prize-winning novel focuses on materialism and the fortunes of a Midwestern family in the early 20th century. Horseless carriages were just appearing on the scene, the strata of society was in a constant state of flux, and the inherent values of the Amberson family were fast becoming a thing of the past.

The American literary tradition has, in a far shorter span of time than others throughout history, achieved a glowing and glittering reputation. From its transatlantic roots it has absorbed the sons and daughters of other cultures, other lands and made them part of her own. Within this melting pot of styles, genres and wordplay one fact stands out: In the American short story, literary tradition has a strong, vibrant and almost inclusive history, if you know where to look.

A collection of adult stories - sad, humorous, and adventurous - about Man's Best Friend. NOTE: Some of these selections contain violence and racial stereotypes that will be objectionable to some listeners. - Summary by TriciaG

In a world where a gentlemans identity is defined more by his essence than his actions, the Amberson familys reputation hangs in a delicate balance. At the heart of this struggle is George Amberson Minafer, the sole heir expected to uphold his familys proud traditions. Despite the elegance provided by wealthy relatives, George is a young man consumed by superficiality. This is a consequence, perhaps, of his mothers unwavering love, which prioritizes his happiness over her own. As Georges perceptive uncle notes, “life and money both behave like loose quicksilver in a nest of cracks.” Amidst...

Set against the backdrop of a hurricane-ravaged railway station, Intimate Strangers unfolds the story of a young girl and a perplexed lawyer, both at a crossroads in their lives. With humor and charm, we follow them from the station to the girls home, where the lawyer, initially dismissive of the girl’s age and boldness, finds himself at the mercy of her adventurous spirit. As he grapples with his own preconceptions about brazen young huzzies in breeches, he is hilariously drawn into her world, leading to unexpected revelations and delightful comedy.