8 h 18 minAudiobook4 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What happens when one woman treats love as a game, and everyone around her plays for keeps?
In Booth Tarkington’s The Flirt, Cora Madison knows how to make a man feel chosen. A tilted head, a moment of attention, and another admirer joins her circle. In her Midwestern town, charm draws people close—but Cora gives little thought to what their feelings might cost them.
Her steadier sister, Laura Madison, gives more than she asks and quietly feels the effects of Cora’s choices. Then Valentine Corliss arrives, a glamorous outsider whose polished manner attracts attention. Around them, family life and courtship become a sharp social comedy about admiration, honesty, and the people left carrying the hurt.
What you’ll discover
- Charm with a cost Meet a young woman whose hunger for admiration makes other people’s feelings dangerously easy to overlook.
- A sister in the shadow Follow Laura’s quiet generosity as Cora’s choices reach beyond romance and into the family home.
- The outsider’s polished appeal Watch Valentine Corliss bring the glamour of elsewhere into a town ready to notice him.
- Small-town eyes and ears Enter a closely observed Midwestern world where manners, courtship, and family life invite humor and sympathy.
- When play becomes pain Consider what people owe each other when one treats lightly what another takes to heart.
Who will love it
For readers who love early twentieth century American fiction, family stories and sharp social comedy. Anyone who enjoys character studies of charming but troubling people will feel at home.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Cora Madison charms everyone she meets
- A family lives in her shadow
- Strangers and suitors test the town
- Charm, honesty and the cost of play
Who’s who
- Cora MadisonA bright, charming young woman who loves admiration and plays at romance without thinking much about those who take it seriously.
- Laura MadisonCora's steadier sister, who gives more than she asks and quietly feels the effects of Cora's choices.
- Valentine CorlissA glamorous outsider whose polished manner draws attention in a small town and tests the people around him.
Formats and delivery
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet, computer or Kindle, with the type as large as you like.
- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, from the first page.
- Audiobook
- 8 h 18 min, complete, read by Lucas Linden.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 4 minutes, to read or to hear.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
eBooks and audiobooks open right away. Download EPUB or PDF, or send the book to your Kindle. Every printed copy is made when you order it and shipped worldwide; shipping is shown at checkout.
How it works
- Start free. Nothing to pay today; the eBook of this book is yours to keep.
- Read, listen and print. 200,000+ classics as eBook, large-print eBook, audiobook and 15-minute summary, and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print, 5 accounts for the price of one.
- We remind you first. Free for 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment. Then 0,14 USD a day in your first year on the yearly plan and 0,27 USD a day after, or 0,66 USD a day on the monthly plan. Cancel online in two clicks.
Bought on its own? Every eBook, audiobook and printed book you buy without the plan carries our 30-day money-back guarantee.
25 languages, side by side
Read and hear El seductor in 25 languages and switch at any time. Or read two side by side, paragraph by paragraph: the way to learn a language with a book you love.
El seductor
by Booth Tarkington · 1913
Cora Madison collects admirers in a Midwestern town, putting her family's loyalty and her suitors' hearts at stake.
Medium level5–10 hours to read25 languages
Excellent
- Read or listen
- 25 languages, side by side
- Print and large print at cost
- 5 accounts for the price of one
Free for 3 months · starts right away, on any device
Read free3 months free · cancel anytimeFree for 3 months, then 0,14 USD a dayCancel anytimeHow it works
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
Cora Madison charms everyone she meets
The story centers on Cora Madison, a young woman in a Midwestern town who has a gift for attention. She knows how to tilt her head, how to listen, and how to make a man feel chosen. Tarkington presents this skill with real humor, because the town sees it and the reader sees it too.
Cora does not begin as a villain. She is quick, bright and eager for life, and the novel lets you enjoy her company before it makes you question it. Her admirers are many, and each one believes he has found something special. She enjoys the game, and she rarely asks what it costs the other players.
Free for 3 months · Cancel anytime
Free gifts
580 USD in free gifts when you start
Every book in every format and in 25 languages, 5 accounts for the price of one. Nothing to pay today.
- 200,000+ classic eBooksIn 25 languages, side by side
170 USDFREE - Every audiobookIn 25 languages, any device
120 USDFREE - 15-minute summariesRead or listen, in 25 languages
60 USDFREE - Print at cost, no markupPaperback, hardcover, large print
60 USDFREE - 5 accounts for the price of oneA shelf for everyone at home
170 USDFREE - A part in rebuilding the libraryNew languages and books for all
FREE
Questions about El seductor
Can I read it free?
Yes. The first key idea of the 15-minute summary is free with no sign-up. Start free and the whole book is yours for 3 months, with the eBook to keep, plus 200,000+ more classics and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print. Nothing to pay today: we email you 7 days before your first payment, and you can cancel online in two clicks.
Can I buy the printed book?
Soon. The paperback, hardcover and large print editions are being prepared. Choose Paperback or Hardcover above, leave your email, and we tell you the day you can order it, printed at cost.
How many accounts do I get?
Five, for the price of one: you and 4 more people, each with their own login, shelf and their own place in every book.
Can I cancel anytime?
Yes. Cancel online in two clicks at any time and nothing more is charged. Nothing is charged in your first 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment.
What is The Flirt by Booth Tarkington about?
It is a novel about Cora Madison, a charming young woman in a Midwestern town who plays with the affections of her suitors, and about the effects of her behavior on her family and community.
When was The Flirt written?
Booth Tarkington published it in 1913. It is a work of fiction, though it draws on the manners and social life of small Midwestern towns in the early twentieth century.
Who is Cora Madison in The Flirt?
Cora is the title character, a lively young woman who loves attention and flirts freely. The novel follows how her habits affect her sister, her family and the men who admire her.
The author
Booth Tarkington
1869–1946 · American novelist
Booth Tarkington was an American novelist born in Indianapolis, Indiana, in 1869. He lived in Indianapolis and spent summers in Kennebunkport, Maine. He wrote Penrod (1914), Seventeen (1916), The Magnificent Ambersons (1918), and Alice Adams (1921). He also wrote plays. He died in Indianapolis in 1946.
More like this
Free
Our mission
The library burned once. We are building it back.
Every great book, in every language and every format, for every family. Every plan helps pay for new languages, new audiobooks and books for readers who have never had them. Join the movement.
Read our story- Every language25 languages today, side by side, and more every year
- No wastePrinted on demand: no warehouses, no unsold stock, no pulped copies
- For everyonePaperback, hardcover and large print at the cost of printing
Popular in classics
See all
Free
