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Cover of The Magnificent Ambersons by Booth TarkingtonThe Magnificent Ambersons
Classic · Fiction, Classics, Literature

The Magnificent Ambersons

by Booth Tarkington
1918 · 278 pages · Fiction
65.2Must-Read
Score Classic
Critics' pick
≈ 7 hours to read · about 2 weeks at 30 minutes a day

What it's about

The Ambersons are the richest family in a growing Midwestern town in the late 1800s, and George Amberson Minafer, the only grandson, is spoiled, arrogant and longed by the town to get his 'comeuppance'. As the automobile arrives and the town becomes a sooty industrial city, the family's fortune fades, and George's selfishness costs his mother the man she loves.

Why it's worth reading

It won the Pulitzer Prize and is on the Modern Library list of the best novels. Orson Welles made it into a famous film.

You'll love it if you liked

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Good to know

It's leisurely and old-fashioned in style. It's a portrait of a vanishing America.

By the numbers

65.2Must-Read Score
  • Readers10 out of 100 · counts 42%
  • Critics86 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
  • Bestseller2 out of 100 · counts 14%
  • Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%

Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.

Where it ranks

Why it made the list

Won
Pulitzer Prize for Fiction winner (1919)
On the lists
Modern Library 100 Best Novels

Reads as

Moving

How we rank

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Explore the best-of lists

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Quick answers

Is The Magnificent Ambersons worth reading?

Yes. It won the Pulitzer Prize and is on the Modern Library list of the best novels. It ranks #1,848 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 65.2 (the best book we found scores 99).

What is The Magnificent Ambersons about?

The Ambersons are the richest family in a growing Midwestern town in the late 1800s, and George Amberson Minafer, the only grandson, is spoiled, arrogant and longed by the town to get his 'comeuppance'. As the automobile arrives and the town becomes a sooty industrial city, the family's fortune fades, and George's selfishness costs his mother the man she loves.

How long does it take to read The Magnificent Ambersons?

About 7 hours (278 pages), or about 2 weeks at 30 minutes a day.

What awards has The Magnificent Ambersons won?

Pulitzer Prize for Fiction winner (1919).

What should I read after The Magnificent Ambersons?

If you liked it, try The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald or Buddenbrooks by Thomas Mann.