7 h 44 minAudiobook15 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 7 h 44 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What if your first great love makes you feel like a man—and your little sister refuses to believe it?
William Sylvanus Baxter is seventeen, in love, and desperate to be taken seriously. One summer in a small Midwestern town, visiting Lola Pratt becomes the center of his world. Her charm and baby talk dazzle him. If only his family could see the romantic hero he feels himself to be.
But Jane Baxter sees straight through her brother's grand poses, while his parents struggle with his moods and plans. Even a dress suit becomes a badge of manhood. In Seventeen, Booth Tarkington turns porches, parties, and household friction into a gentle comedy about the painful distance between feeling grown-up and looking it.
What you’ll discover
- First love, felt completely Share William's overwhelming feelings as Lola turns an ordinary summer into his own romance.
- A sister without illusions Meet blunt, watchful Jane, whose clear eyes leave little room for her brother's airs.
- The all-important dress suit See how evening clothes carry William's hopes of looking like the man he longs to be.
- A household under strain Enjoy a father's dry humor and a mother's efforts to keep peace amid romantic turmoil.
- Laughter with a kind heart Follow a knowing narrator who teases William without treating his tender feelings with scorn.
Who will love it
This is for readers who love gentle comedy, lively family scenes, and a young hero who takes himself very seriously. If you remember your first crush with a smile and a wince, William will feel like an old friend.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- William practices looking above it all
- Love makes an ordinary chore humiliating
- Borrowed clothes create a grand romance
- Jane knows what William keeps secret
- Small accidents become private catastrophes
- A new rival unites the boys
- The right clothes feel like necessity
- Embarrassment carries real feeling beneath it
Who’s who
- William Sylvanus BaxterA seventeen year old who wants to look worldly and grown up, and who falls hard for a visiting girl.
- Jane BaxterWilliam's calm ten year old sister, who eats bread and butter with applesauce and hears every secret.
- Lola PrattA pretty visitor who talks baby talk, carries her dog Flopit, and enjoys the attention of every boy in town.
- Mrs. BaxterWilliam's patient mother, who guides him with quiet tricks and a good sense of humor.
- Mr. BaxterWilliam's plainspoken father, who refuses a dress suit on principle and cannot remember being seventeen.
- Mr. ParcherMay's tired father, whose home is overrun by boys and who longs for peace.
- GenesisThe Baxters' easygoing yard man and part time waiter, who owns a faithful dog named Clematis.
- George CrooperJohnnie Watson's huge, boastful cousin, who tries to win Miss Pratt with talk of a racing car.
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Seventeen in 25 languages, side by side, paragraph by paragraph, once the book texts are online: the way to learn a language with a book you love.
Seventeen
by Booth Tarkington · 1916
A boy of seventeen puts on a fake yawn, a wild hat, and his father's evening suit to impress a girl with a dog.
Medium level2–5 hours to read20 languages
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“Put simply, a person of seventeen who is in love may sit down anywhere.”
In short
Can a fake yawn save a boy's pride? William Sylvanus Baxter is seventeen, and on a shady street he meets a stranger with a parasol and a tiny white dog.
Seventeen at a glance
- Reading time
- About 4 h 30 min3 h 30 min fast, 5 h 20 min slow
- Length
- 63,700 words
- Library level
- Medium longer sentences, everyday words
- First published
- 1916by Booth Tarkington
Reading time at 238 words a minute (fast 300, slow 200). How long the classics take to read · Updated
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A boy who practices looking worldly
William spends his summer days acting like a man of the world. He stands outside the drugstore, gazing at his own reflection in the window, then turns away with a look of lofty amusement. His hat is a twisted thing of no known color, his collar has lost a button, and he checks his chin for the first signs of a beard.
His friend Johnnie Watson calls him Silly Bill, which William hates. To protect his dignity, William announces that he has never seen a girl he would care about. Johnnie goes off to spread the news among the girls themselves.
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Details
- First published
- 1916
- Language
- English
- Reading time
- 5 h 0 min
- Level
- Medium level
Cite this edition
Tarkington, Booth. Seventeen. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/seventeen.
Tarkington, B. (2026). Seventeen. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/seventeen (Original work published 1916)
Tarkington, Booth. Seventeen. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/seventeen.
@book{tarkington2026seventeen,
author = {Tarkington, Booth},
title = {Seventeen},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/seventeen},
note = {First published 1916}
}
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What is Seventeen by Booth Tarkington about?
It follows William Baxter, a boy of seventeen, through one summer in a Midwestern town. He falls in love with a visitor named Lola Pratt and goes to great and funny lengths to impress her, while his family looks on.
Who is Flopit in Seventeen?
Flopit is Miss Lola Pratt's tiny white dog, who is spoiled, small, and surprisingly brave. He is often carried, wears a ribbon, and fights Genesis's dog Clematis, who has no idea what Flopit is.
Who are Jane and Genesis in Seventeen?
Jane is William's ten year old sister, who hears everything and tells it at the right moment. Genesis is the family's yard man and part time waiter, who owns a dog named Clematis.
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.
“Put simply, a person of seventeen who is in love may sit down anywhere.”
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