Determined to up their social status, Mrs. Adams and her daughter Alice make poignant, hilarious attempts to impose themselves on high society. Mrs. Adams even emotionally blackmails her husband into leaving his job for a risky venture. This penetrating portrait of a wife who wants more, a husband torn by conflicting loyalties, and a social-climbing daughter is a compelling satire iced with a comic veneer and served by a brilliant observer of American life. Reprint.
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Determined to up their social status, Mrs. Adams and her daughter Alice make poignant, hilarious attempts to impose themselves on high society. Mrs. Adams even emotionally blackmails her husband into leaving his job for a risky venture. This penetrating portrait of a wife who wants more, a husband torn by conflicting loyalties, and a social-climbing daughter is a compelling satire iced with a comic veneer and served by a brilliant observer of American life. Reprint.
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Add this copy of Alice Adams to cart. $3.86, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Baltimore rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Halethorpe, MD, UNITED STATES, published 1961 by Signet Classics.
Add this copy of Alice Adams to cart. $3.86, fair condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Dallas rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 1961 by Signet Classics.
Add this copy of Alice Adams to cart. $4.16, very good condition, Sold by HPB-Diamond rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 1961 by Signet Classics.
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Very good. Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used books may not include companion materials, and may have some shelf wear or limited writing. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!
Add this copy of Alice Adams to cart. $4.16, fair condition, Sold by Pilkington & Sons rated 3.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Windber, PA, UNITED STATES, published 1961 by Signet Classics.
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Fair. Mass Market Paperback. Some surface/edge wear to cover. First Bio pages top right corner has been cut off. Inside pages are good. -Disclaimer: May have a different cover image than stock photos shows, as well as being a different edition/printing, unless otherwise stated. Please contact us if you're looking for one of these specifically. Your order will ship with FREE Delivery Confirmation (Tracking). We are a family business, and your satisfaction is our goal!
Add this copy of Alice Adams to cart. $4.90, good condition, Sold by Alibris rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from NV, USA, published 2017 by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform.
Add this copy of Alice Adams (Library of Indiana Classics) to cart. $5.00, good condition, Sold by Bookmans rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Tucson, AZ, UNITED STATES, published 2003 by Indiana University Press.
Add this copy of Alice Adams to cart. $5.00, very good condition, Sold by bookseller1947 rated 1.0 out of 5 stars, ships from grand junction, CO, UNITED STATES, published 1997 by Bantam Classics.
Add this copy of Alice Adams: Vintage Movie Classics to cart. $5.21, very good condition, Sold by Half Price Books Inc rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2014 by Vintage.
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Add this copy of Alice Adams: Vintage Movie Classics to cart. $5.82, very good condition, Sold by Half Price Books Inc rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2014 by Vintage.
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Add this copy of Alice Adams to cart. $5.96, very good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Atlanta rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Austell, GA, UNITED STATES, published by North Books.
Tarkington writes about small town Indiana in the early Twentieth Century better than anyone. Alice Adams is an ambitious social climber, but coming from a poor family it's a hard climb. A handsome young man of 'good quality' is attracted to Alice, but she can't be herself. She must make up stories to put her and her family in a better light. When her father's business venture develops into a scandal, she sees the error of her ways and faces her future with her head held high while remaining loyal to her family. This was a very enjoyable read...
GypsyLee
Jun 25, 2009
An underrated classic-
An underrated classic, pure Americana- warts and all. Proof yet again that a good contemporary novel beats a ?historical? one any day. The kind of book you?ll want to have on your shelf, to read again.
Tarkington was very much a product of his time, and his language reflects this. Translation: the novel contains racist terms and characterizations which, interestingly enough, only serve to reinforce its original premise: the ugliness of the ?class system? of early 20th century America, and the utter futility of one outsider?s struggle to bluff her way into its upper stratum. Blind to her own prejudices, the heroine is painfully sensitive to the treatment she receives as an outsider; contrast this with her brother, far more egalitarian in his associations, yet so discouraged by hisown clear-sightedness that he makes a classic error. The African-Americans in the story provide a resonant counterpoint: despite the ?minstrelization? of their characters, they have the collective effect of a Greek chorus, which I believe was the author?s intention, though I am not one of those who claim he did not himself buy into the bigotries he depicted. Put another way, Yes: Tarkington did in fact intend these characters to be ?clownish?; to have the effect (collectively) without the eerie dignity (individually or otherwise) of the classical Greek chorus.
Time, in my opinion, has had the last laugh.
My advice: hold your nose (over spots) and read it anyway. If you haven?t seen the 1935 Hollywood (-ending) version with Katherine Hepburn ? don?t bother (misses the point).
