The Pulitzer Trip

1922 Alice Adams   by  Booth Tarkington 264 pages  Summary  Booth Tarkington won both the second and fifth Pulitzers ever awarded (see Entry #2, 1919: The Magnificent Ambersons ). Once again, this story examines the interplay of class, ambition, and personal happiness at just the right moment, when rapid changes were transforming choices for young people. Critics have said that this book verges on being a morality play because it carries such a strong message. However, the broad appeal of this book is evident in the successful movie adaptation. Alice Adams is the daughter of a modest Indiana business man. She is a likely candidate to attend the local secretarial school, but she disdains the idea of work. Alice and her mother harbor ambitions that cause them to act grander than the family really is. In contrast, Alice's brother goes to the other extreme. He flaunts his disregard for hypocritical conventions and keeps very low company . Alice sets her sights on...

1921 The Age of Innocence ,  by Edith Wharton  384 pages Summary: Wharton’s reputation suffered for a time from the "Jane Austen effect." Because she wrote about social mores and marriageable women, her books are often dismissed as escapist fluff or melodrama. In reality, Wharton was a rebel in her day, tackling unpleasant topics and social gray areas. In this novel, Wharton based the story on the uncomfortable question: Is an abused wife obligated to stay with her husband? What is a family’s duty to support a daughter after an untenable marriage?  Archer Newland is a lawyer among the New York blue bloods. He is resigned to marry a stolid, unimaginative young woman--until her exciting, unconventional cousin comes to town. Countess Ellen Olenska is fleeing an abusive marriage to a Polish count. As a potential divorcee, Ellen is a social embarrassment to her family. Newland, as a lawyer and practically a family  member, is enlisted to talk Ellen out of a scandalous di...

1920  No Award  No Pulitzer for the Novel was awarded in 1920 because of one small word. Late in 1919, the Pulitzer Board tweaked the original mission language. The mission language was changed from from recognizing a book that depicts "the whole atmosphere of American life" to depicting "the wholesome  atmosphere of American life." The difference in meaning is quite interesting to contemplate. The intent of Joseph Pulitzer has been a matter of speculation ever since.  The front running book for the 1920 prize was Java Head by Joseph Hergesheimer. The committee disagreed on how the "wholesomeness" clause applied to this novel; thus no award was made. Hergesheimer and his novel are virtually forgotten today. Reviews on this hard-to-find book vary widely. The book averages a 3 1/2-star rating on GoodReads. Some people say it is little more than a melodrama, and others say it is a fair depiction of a society widened by trade and intermarriage. ( https://www...

  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 A merican’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...

  1918  H is Family, by Ernest Poole 320 pages Book Summary: This book is interesting for a few reasons. First, it deals with women’s issues and their growing independence on the cusp of the Roaring '20s. Second, the main character’s business is a glimpse into the world before computers: Roger Gale, a widower with three daughters, runs a successful business clipping newspaper articles and society page references on behalf of wealthy clients wishing to manage their reputations. Third, the Settlement House movement is a large part of the book, which is an unusual choice. Roger promised his wife, who passed away, to always watch over their three girls. One daughter, a party girl, lives a self-indulgent life, like the 1920s flappers to come. Another daughter moves out of the established city neighborhood to raise her children in that wholesome new invention, the suburbs. The third daughter--Deborah--lives at home. She works as a school principal in a settlement house school. B...

  Day Trip, or Trip of a Lifetime    This blog stems from my goal to read all the Pulitzers novels. (For my method, see the page "Sticks and Carrots.") I hope this blog helps you tackle the challenging books on your to-read lists. Or maybe even inspire you to read the entire Pulitzer list. You might use these entries singly, to plan reading selections for your book group. Seeing the movie version or taking a related field trip can be a powerful motivator for your club. The posts take you through each Pulitzer Novel and Fiction winner by winning year, with the following information for each title:  Pulitzer Winning Year Title Page Count    Summary Adaptations (movies, plays, etc.)  Related Activities  FAQs Why does the Pulitzer list include "Novels" and "Fiction"? In the first 31 years of the Pulitzer Prizes, the prize for "Novels" was awarded 27 times. In 1948 the Pulitzer Board recognized that excellent literature might take the form of collect...