Literary Fiction · MelancholicA young woman lies to hide her family's modest means
Alice Adams
A girl from a modest family tries to pass as better off
Alice Adams is set in an unnamed Midwestern town shortly after World War I, in a lower-middle-class household. Alice, an ambitious young woman, hopes to rise socially and win the affections of Arthur Russell, a wealthy young man. To do so she tells a series of lies to hide her family's humble economic status.
More about this book
Who
Alice Adams; Arthur Russell, a wealthy young man; her father Virgil, her mother and her brother Walter; and J. A. Lamb, Virgil's employer.
World
An unnamed Midwestern town shortly after World War I.
What makes it different
It won Tarkington his second Pulitzer Prize, in 1922. The 1935 film directed by George Stevens, with Katharine Hepburn, has a different ending from the novel.
Feel
Gently ironic, with an ache under the comedy.
Page count and cover shown for: Selected edition
Behind the book
The 1935 film adaptation was directed by George Stevens, starred Katharine Hepburn and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture.
Source: Wikipedia
Further reading
- Alice AdamsWikipedia