1919: The Magnificent Ambersons

 

1919

The Magnificent Ambersons,

by Booth Tarkington

320 pages

Book Summary

Read this book to get a front-row seat on the birth of the automotive industry. The auto changed American’s towns forever by shifting populations to where land was cheap and plentiful. The story delves into the human reaction to change. George Minafer is a spoiled son living on the wealth of his grandfather's land speculation. He considers himself aristocracy, and he abhors anyone in “trade.” His mother indulges him, so he acquires no practical work experience. When his mother’s old beau comes to town, George objects to them re-kindling their relationship. He believes that that the old beau,  Eugene Morgan, is lower in social prominence. In reality, Eugene Morgan is an automobile inventor who moved to town to open a factory there. Eventually Morgan's auto business booms, changing the social order of the town. The Minafer fortune has been in decline for years. Eventually it all comes down to George Minafer. Will he be able to support the Minafer family pretentions, and will he win the heart of Morgan's daughter, Lucy? 

Adaptations

Orson Welles directed and starred in the 1942 masterpiece film, The Magnificent Ambersons, with Joseph Cotton and Agnes Moorehead. Welles' ambitions for the film exceeded the studio’s patience, meaning he lost creative control of the film. Studio editors finalized the film, cutting more than an hour of footage and tacking on a different ending. Even so, the film is regarded as one of the best ever made. And who better to play the arrogant George Minafer than the enfant terrible of theatre, Orson Welles? It's a delightful film on many layers.  

Related Activities

This book taught me that the US automobile industry got its start in small companies based in Indiana. (Which is why the Indy 500 is still located there!) Ford’s assembly line and the move to Detroit shifted automotive history away from Indiana. One reason why this novel is such a gem is that the story depicts a time right before a seismic cultural shift. An appropriate way to honor finishing this book is to visit the Auburn Cord Dusenberg Museum in Auburn, Indiana--a 3-hour drive from Chicago. (https://automobilemuseum.org/). The museum building is the former headquarters of the Auburn Automotive Company, an Art Deco gem all by itself. More than 120 vintage cars are housed there, giving a solid picture of the first hand-assembled cars, just like the ones that rocked George Minafer’s world.

You can also visit North Meriden Street in Indianapolis, the wealthy neighborhood where the author  Booth Tarkington lived. Although the homes are privately owned, the street has been designated as a national historic district to recognize the stately architecture and the concentration of wealth there during the Roaring Twenties. (https://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/indianapolis/northmeridianstreet.htm)


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