The Magnificent Ambersons
by Booth Tarkington
Modern Library #100

It was really interesting that I just happened to check this book out the same time I checked out Winesberg, Ohio. These two books were written about a year apart and deal with similar topics. This topic being life in the American midwest and the effects of modernization. The major difference between these two books is that Where Winesberg is from the point of view of average middle class people, The Magnificent Ambersons is about the wealthy.

Booth Tarkington has a somewhat old-fashioned prose style that reminds me of Charles Dickens. I would say that Tarkington's writing is more economical and not so dependent on suspense. I think he does many interesting things in this book. Most importantly he makes the main character out to be a total jerk. George Amberson Minafer is rude, uncaring, completely oblivious, and wants to spend his life doing absolutely nothing. He's the perfect prototype for the modern American anti-hero, but in spite of this I enjoyed reading the book about him.

I actually quite liked this book. It seems to get better with each chapter. The last 80 pages or so were especially good, even if the last chapter was a little odd. I wanted to read this one because it was the very bottom of the list. I can't really say if it belonged so far down yet or not because I haven't read the whole list, but I certainly do think it belonged there.

I guess that's about it. I'm now up to 20, so that makes me technically 1/5 of the way there! I may actually be able to finish this in my lifetime!