The Magnificent Ambersons

Listened to the LibriVox recording.

This was a decent story. Not amazing, or it wouldn't've taken me forever to finish listening to, but it was good.

★ ★ ★ 1/2 (rounded up)
This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
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... the grandeur of the Amberson family was instantly conspicuous as a permanent thing: it was impossible to doubt that the Ambersons were entrenched, in their nobility and riches, behind polished and glittering barriers which were as solid as they were brilliant, and would last.

The Magnificent Ambersons

Youth cannot imagine romance apart from youth. That is why the roles of the heroes and heroines of plays are given by the managers to the most youthful actors they can find among the competent. Both middle-aged people and young people enjoy a play about young lovers; but only middle-aged people will tolerate a play about middle-aged lovers; young people will not come to see such a play, because, for them, middle-aged lovers are a joke–not a very funny one. Therefore, to bring both the middle-aged people and the young people into his house, the manager makes his romance as young as he can. Youth will indeed be served, and its profound instinct is to be not only scornfully amused but vaguely angered by middle-age romance.

“With all their speed forward [automobiles] may be a step backward in civilization–that is, in spiritual civilization. It may be that they will not add to the beauty of the world, nor to the life of men's souls. I am not sure. But automobiles have come, and they bring a greater change in our life than most of us suspect. They are here, and almost all outward things are going to be different because of what they bring. They are going to alter war, and they are going to alter peace. I think men's minds are going to be changed in subtle ways because of automobiles; just how, though, I could hardly guess. But you can't have the immense outward changes that they will cause without some inward ones, and it may be that George is right, and that the spiritual alteration will be bad for us. Perhaps, ten or twenty years from now, if we can see the inward change in men by that time, I shouldn't be able to defend the gasoline engine, but would have to agree with him that automobiles ‘had no business to be invented.'”

The Geography of Nowhere

This is a pretty good read. Some of the terms and even the writing style are a little dated. It felt like an old movie from the 30's with the melodramatic style.
But deep I'm that style there is substance. The way the world can evolve around you and if you are too self involved you may never even realize that time is passing you by.
Many of the themes are relevant today as they were 100 years ago. Be kind, be thoughtful, think of other people. Just try to get along.
I think what is so funny about this book is that it treats the past as golden years while today is just dreary. 100 years later you can still relate.
I picked up this book as it was number 100 on the best modern novels. It did not disappoint.