The Beautiful Lady

by Booth Tarkington, 1stworld Library (Editor)

Nothing could have been more painful to my sensiti-veness than to occupy myself, confused with blushes, at the center of the whole world as a living advertise-ment of the least amusing ballet in Paris. To be the day's sensation of the boulevards one must possess an eccentricity of appearance conceived by nothing short of genius; and my misfortunes had reduced me to present such to all eyes seeking mirth. It was not that I was one of those people in uniform who carry placards and strange figures upon their backs, nor that my coat was of rags; on the contrary, my whole costume was delicately rich and well chosen, of soft grey and fine linen (such as you see worn by a marquis in the pe'sage at Auteuil) according well with my usual air and countenance, sometimes esteemed to resemble my father's, which were not wanting in distinction.

Genres: Classics, Fiction

108 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1905

About the author

Newton Booth Tarkington was an American novelist and dramatist best known for his Pulitzer Prize-winning novels The Magnificent Ambersons and Alice Adams. He is one of only four novelists to win the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction/Novel more than once, along with William Faulkner, John Updike and Colson Whitehead. Although he is little read now, in the 1910s and 1920s he was considered America's greatest living author.

Reviews

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 rounded up because I love Tarkington's way with a description. This is a short, charming story about feeling overwhelmed by beauty and the quiet joy of being truly seen.

[Brian Fagan · Rating 1 out of 5]

My wife, knowing my love of Tarkington, found this little volume for me. It's a novella from 1904. A young man traveling in Europe falls on hard times and finds himself in a desperate position. The only job he can find, perhaps because he doesn't speak the language, is to shave his head and sit for hours every day outside a cafe with an advertisement painted on his scalp. In the midst of his humiliation he sees the woman of his dreams go by. The story is an exploration of love - how it changes our entire outlook, indeed changes an "inlook" to an "outlook". Unfortunately, it doesn't approach the excellence of most of Tarkington's work.

[Sean Harding · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book #5 from Tarkington still has some interest for the reader.

[Dave · Rating 3 out of 5]

“The Beautiful Lady”, is another of the short novels from Booth Tarkington’s early career. It was originally published in two parts, December of 1904 and January of 1905, in “Harper’s Magazine”, and then as Tarkington’s fifth book in May of 1905. As with many of Tarkington’s other works, it is a bit too predictable, though in this case that doesn’t detract too much from the story.

The story appears to sets up a love triangle (or in this case it may be a love square), but it does deviate from that a bit. The story is told from the point of the Italian, Ansolini from Naples, living in Paris who due to being down on his luck is forced into a most embarrassing position of acting as a billboard by shaving his head and having an advertisement for a show placed on the back of his bald head. It is while performing this job, that he nearly meets the “beautiful lady”, though he keeps his head down and sees only her feet and the hem of her skirt and hears her lovely voice as it has sympathy for his plight. In fact, Ansolini’s feelings are appreciative of her beautiful soul, and not that of romance.

The job gets him out of his immediate need for cash, but he is resolved to find a better line of work, and after writing to a friend he is setup for a position where he needs to appear much older, and so he continues to keep his head shaven as to appear older. The job is for him to take care of Mr. Lambert R. Poor’s son and keep him out of trouble. The son, Rufus, is likely older than Ansolini is. Ansolini fails miserably at this job, until he learns that the son recognized Ansolini from his previous job, and knows that he isn’t as old as he pretended to be. They become friends, and we learn that Rufus Poor also has a woman who he is set on, and to no surprise for anyone who has read Tarkington before that their feelings are for the same woman, Mrs. Landry.

Next, the reader learns that there is another man who appears to be about to become engaged to Mrs. Landry, and again the reader who knows Tarkington knows exactly who this man is. Ansolini is touched by the beautiful soul of Mrs. Landry, and ultimately he comes to her defense to protect her, not for himself, and not initially for Rufus Poor, but for the kindness she showed him with her sympathy for him when he was at his lowest point. It is a fairly quick read, though a bit too predictable. There are better choices if you are looking for an introduction to Tarkington, but there are worse ones as well.

[Meleya]

Still can't compare to the Growth Trilogy but it was good.

[Lois · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tarkington beautifully captures what it feels like to be overwhelmed by someone's beauty. This is a poignant and moving tale, written with deep skill and understanding.

[Jay C · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yeah, maybe it was too predictable or too sappy, but it was a sweet novella and rather touching, even to a brute like me. :-)

[Jennifer Ochoa · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable bittersweet novella.