The Magnificent Ambersons in Around the World in 80 Books

Sep 29, 2016 Steve rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: e-books, fiction

I may write something longer, later, but right now I'm too irritated with the stupid use of Duex ex Machina at the ending of the book. Within the context of the times, I understand spiritualism could come up. That said, The Magnificent Ambersons is pretty much religious free. Oh, there might be an occasional mention of going to church, and one older character spends some time reflecting on his eventual end, but that's it. To actually hinge the novel's resolution on such a device is bad art. And I may write something longer, later, but right now I'm too irritated with the stupid use of Duex ex Machina at the ending of the book. Within the context of the times, I understand spiritualism could come up. That said, The Magnificent Ambersons is pretty much religious free. Oh, there might be an occasional mention of going to church, and one older character spends some time reflecting on his eventual end, but that's it. To actually hinge the novel's resolution on such a device is bad art. And this is especially aggravating, given Tarkington's obvious gifts as a writer, that he wouldn't know better. Maybe he couldn't pull the trigger on a dark endind and considered, instead, how the book might sell better with a last moment infusion of sap. I dunno. Damn. From 5 to 4 to 3 stars. Just like that.

All of the above bitching aside, The Magnificent Ambersons, is definitely worth a read (absent the ending). It tells the story of an affluent Indiana family around the turn of the century, and it's demise due to the forces of history (and industry). Change is the real villain, though a close second is the asinine and utterly spoiled George Minifer, the only grandson and grandchild of the immediate Amberson family. Tarkington opens the story beautifully, with a quick tour of the town and the family. It's almost like an American fairy tale, punctuated by night time serenades, gentle evenings, and moonlight. It is here we meet George's mother, Isabelle, as a young (and very beautiful) woman. She is being courted, and one her beaus, Morgan, has a goofy and drunken moment, which leads Isabelle to choose the other boring but safe suitor. It is the wrong decision, and cuts against where her heart is tugging her, but the Ambersons are all about appearances and pride. Traditions and attitudes that will be passed down to Isabelle's son, George, who will in turn freeze them in amber, much to his eventual suffering.

Years later, Isabelle's old boyfriend, now a widower, returns. He's an inventor, and totally invested in the new thing: automobiles. George hates automobiles, and insists that are nothing more than a passing fad. Along with Morgan, is his lovely (and very witty) daughter, Lucy. For some reason, entirely rooted in the mystery of Love, she's attracted to George. The attraction is mutual, though George, through nearly every utterance and action, seems ready to spike the budding relationship. These sections of the novel are among the most sparkling. Tarkington was a master at dialogue. Some of the exchanges (arguments) between George and Lucy have a Shakespearian lightness to them that left me wanting more.

But there are other love interests, and jealousies, which lead to misunderstandings, and tragedy. Upon the passing of George's father, Morgan and Isabelle gravitate inevitably toward each other, and that is where George's selfish character blossoms, at least for a time, into a cruel one. Meanwhile the world marches on, cars get bigger and faster, the town grows (not for the better), and time speeds up. Despite the novel's misfire at the end, Tarkington does have points to make regarding the spiritual costs of industry, growth, and a morally untethered change that is rooted only in the acquisition of money. ...more

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Dec 07, 2014 Andrea rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: american-classics

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 midweste ...more

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