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A review by d_iris
Alice Adams by Booth Tarkington
3.0
You see, this is why we write reviews. To remember just how we felt about a story, or a character, or a world.
I liked this story; I mean, I remember REALLY liking this story. I had seen the movie with the indelible Katherine Hepburn, and I thought it was so charming. I thought she was so charming, and naïve and good natured. It was just a joy to watch her want, and then a nightmare to watch her lie, and feel shamed and ashamed. And that's where the book differs.
In the film, Alice is flighty and lighthearted, and believes she can will herself into the upper-class: The crème de la crème. And in the end, she does. But in the novel, though she tries, and lies and learns, she is not rewarded for it. Life smacks our girl in the face and she has to move on and move past. It hurt me to read that, believing she would be okay in the end. And at the time I thought it was unfair for her to have that ending. But years later, looking back, it wasn't all that bad. A simple smack on the wrist. A life lesson to keep. A way to help her realize and grow.
I think Hollywood gets a little too caught up in the romance of the now to fully see and appreciate the romanticism that could be in future.
3.3/5
I liked this story; I mean, I remember REALLY liking this story. I had seen the movie with the indelible Katherine Hepburn, and I thought it was so charming. I thought she was so charming, and naïve and good natured. It was just a joy to watch her want, and then a nightmare to watch her lie, and feel shamed and ashamed. And that's where the book differs.
In the film, Alice is flighty and lighthearted, and believes she can will herself into the upper-class: The crème de la crème. And in the end, she does. But in the novel, though she tries, and lies and learns, she is not rewarded for it. Life smacks our girl in the face and she has to move on and move past. It hurt me to read that, believing she would be okay in the end. And at the time I thought it was unfair for her to have that ending. But years later, looking back, it wasn't all that bad. A simple smack on the wrist. A life lesson to keep. A way to help her realize and grow.
I think Hollywood gets a little too caught up in the romance of the now to fully see and appreciate the romanticism that could be in future.
3.3/5