I am thoroughly enjoying reading through the Pulitzer-Prize winners. Years of Grace is a delightful novel. It is a surprisingly whimsical and light read for a 600-page book, yet it is sorely lacking in substance. Margaret Ayer Barnes spends a great deal of time describing the world of little Jane Ward; the books she reads, … Continue reading Thoughts on Years of Grace
pulitzer
The Pursuit of Beauty in Edna Ferber’s So Big
So Big by Edna Ferber is going to take some time for me to mull over. It was an enjoyable novel, albeit scattered. It was published in 1924, and won the Pulitzer in 1925. It is a novel that strives to find beauty in the ordinary. It rejects modern materialism while seeking to expose the new … Continue reading The Pursuit of Beauty in Edna Ferber’s So Big
The Pioneer Spirit in One of Ours
One of Ours is a surprisingly deep and powerful novel. In truth, it is two stories in one book, told in five parts: Book I "On Lovely Creek", Book II "Enid", Book III "Sunrise on the Prairie", Book IV "The Voyage of the Anchises", Book V "Bidding the Eagles of the West Fly On". The … Continue reading The Pioneer Spirit in One of Ours
The Forgettable Alice Adams
In the pantheon of great American literature, Booth Tarkington stands alone as the most forgettable writer to ever win the Pulitzer. He won the award not just once, but twice, one of three writers to accomplish the feat thus far (the others are William Faulkner and John Updike). As of 2020 Colson Whitehead also joined … Continue reading The Forgettable Alice Adams
Thoughts on His Family
Published in 1917, Ernest Poole's, His Family, winner of the first Pulitzer Prize for the Novel in 1918, is a surprisingly delightful read. The book has been largely out of print in recent years, much like other early winners of the Pulitzer Prize, including Booth Tarkington's The Magnificent Ambersons. It tells the story of the … Continue reading Thoughts on His Family
The Age of Innocence on Trial
The title of Edith Wharton's most famous, Pulitzer Prize winning novel is likely derived from a popular painting by Sir Joshua Reynolds. The painting was created sometime between 1785-1788 (see below). Sir Reynolds did not actually title the painting, as the name was given to the work after his death. The painting was first presented … Continue reading The Age of Innocence on Trial
