9 h 53 minAudiobook8 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 does it cost to belong when every invitation depends on money you do not have?
Alice Adams is bright, charming, and poor in a growing Midwestern city where wealth decides who belongs. At the Palmers’ dance, she faces the ease and confidence she envies in Mildred Palmer. When Arthur Russell begins to call, Alice sees a chance to enter the world she wants—and feels the pressure to pretend.
At home, her mother presses for a better life while her father, Virgil, struggles under small pay and family demands. Her younger brother, Walter, adds worries Alice would rather hide. Booth Tarkington keeps her charm and her faults in view, turning social comedy into a tender, painful study of ambition and the need for acceptance.
What you’ll discover
- Charm under pressure Meet a young woman whose wish to fit in makes every visit a performance.
- A dance full of longing Step into the Palmers’ world, where Mildred’s easy confidence sharpens Alice’s sense of exclusion.
- A family pulled apart See how Mrs. Adams’s hopes press against Virgil’s loyalty, weariness, and modest pay.
- The rules of belonging Explore a town where wealth shapes welcome, and money alone does not explain class.
- Laughter with a painful edge Find social comedy that grows tender as Alice’s pretending weighs on those she loves.
Is it for you?
This book suits readers who like character studies, social comedy and old American towns, and anyone who has ever felt out of place at a party. It may feel slow if you want fast plots or a modern, hard-edged style.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A girl who wants more than she has
- One dance that changes her hopes
- Pretending to be someone richer
- A mother's push and a father's wound
- What the story says about class and belonging
- How Tarkington tells it
Who’s who
- Alice AdamsA charming, quick young woman who longs to belong to the town's wealthy circle and pretends to be richer than she is.
- Virgil AdamsAlice's quiet father, a loyal clerk at a wholesale drug firm, worn down by years of small pay and by his wife's demands.
- Mrs. AdamsAlice's anxious, outspoken mother, who is tired of being poor and presses her husband to take a bold step for the family.
- Walter AdamsAlice's restless younger brother, who keeps company Alice would rather not explain and gives the family constant worry.
- Arthur RussellA kind, serious young man of good family who meets Alice at a dance and begins to call on her.
- Mildred PalmerA wealthy, self-assured young woman of the town's leading set, whom Alice envies and sees as her rival.
- J. A. LambThe successful wholesale druggist who employs Virgil Adams and holds a large place in the family's fortunes.
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
- 9 h 53 min, complete, read by Lucas Linden.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 8 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 · 60-day guarantee
- 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, for the whole household.
- We remind you first. We email you 7 days before your first payment. Then your first year is 50% off: USD 0.14 a day, then USD 0.27 a day, never raised. Or USD 0.66 a day on the monthly plan. Cancel online in two clicks.
60-day money-back guarantee. If the library is not for you, ask within 60 days of your first payment and we refund it in full.
25 languages, side by side
Read and hear Alice Adams 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.
Read it side by side
Alice Adams
by Booth Tarkington· 1921
A young woman hides her poverty to enter wealthy society.
Pulitzer Prize for the Novel, 1922
Excellent
- Read or listen
- 25 languages, side by side
- Print and large print at cost
- The whole household
Starts right away, on any device
Read free60-day money-back guaranteeRenews every yearCancel anytimeHow it works
Language: English
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1 of 6
A girl who wants more than she has
The story opens in a Midwestern city that grows richer and noisier every year. Alice Adams lives there with her mother, her father Virgil and her younger brother Walter. Their house is modest and the family has little money. The wealthy families of the town live in grander houses and give grander parties.
Alice has charm, quick wit and a strong wish to be admired. She has learned that in her town, being liked is not enough. You need money, a good address and a family people respect. She has none of these, so she tries to make up the difference with manner, with talk and with small acts of show.
Renews every year · Cancel anytime
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.
Free gifts
USD 580 in free gifts when you start
Every book in every format and in 25 languages, for the whole household. Nothing to pay today.
- 200,000+ classic eBooksIn 25 languages, side by side
USD 170FREE - Every audiobookIn 25 languages, any device
USD 120FREE - 15-minute summariesRead or listen, in 25 languages
USD 60FREE - Print at cost, no markupPaperback, hardcover, large print
USD 60FREE - The whole householdUp to 5 readers
USD 170FREE - A part in rebuilding the libraryNew languages and books for all
FREE
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
Questions about Alice Adams
Can I read it free?
Yes. The beginning, from the first page to the end of chapter 1, and the first 5 minutes of the audiobook are free with no sign-up. Start free and the whole book is yours for 90 days, with the eBook to keep. After that, your first year is 50% off. You also get 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.
Can my family read too?
Yes. The whole household reads and listens: up to 5 readers, each with their own shelf and their own place in every book.
What if it is not for me?
Cancel online in two clicks at any time and nothing more is charged. If you have paid and the library is not for you, ask within 60 days of your first payment and we refund it in full.
What is Alice Adams about?
It is about a young woman in a Midwestern town who wants to belong to the wealthy set and pretends to be richer than her family is. The book follows what that pretending costs her and those she loves.
When was Alice Adams written and did it win a prize?
Booth Tarkington published it in 1921, and it won the Pulitzer Prize for the novel in 1922. It is fiction, but it draws on the real social life of Midwestern towns in the early twentieth century.
Who is Arthur Russell in Alice Adams?
Arthur Russell is a pleasant, serious young man of good family whom Alice meets at a dance. He begins to call on her, and his interest gives her hope of winning a place among the wealthy.
Popular in classics
See all
Free
Free
Free
