100. "The Magnificent Ambersons," Booth Tarkington

Nancy Pearl, librarian extraordinaire, espouses the Rule of 50: if you're under 50 years old, read the first 50 pages of a book. If you're not loving it, give it up and try something else. Well, if I had done this, I certainly would not have finished The Magnificent Ambersons, and I'm glad I did!

Written in 1918, this book took the 1919 Pulitzer Prize. It centers on a very wealthy family that spirals out of control during the Industrialization of the United States. It follows the growth of a small town of affluence into a large and dirty city full of perils. The rise of the automobile plays a huge part near the end of the novel, especially in the life of George Minafer, the young heir to the Amberson (mis)fortunes.

I was probably half way through this novel, reading maybe 10 pages at a go, before I finally became absorbed in the characters. I'm not sure if Tarkington intended this sort of evolution for the reader, but I found that it worked quite well. The reader's affections for characters has a natural shift as the events play out.

While I originally questioned how this novel could have possibly made the List, I find myself thankful that it did.