The Gentleman from Indiana

The Gentleman from Indiana
by Booth Tarkington

A beautifully written description of small-town Indiana around the turn of the 20th century. The descriptions are vivid and fun, and the story is slow to start, but ultimately rewarding. I was tempted to call this book a “chick book”, as the main romance in the book is more than a little frilly, but the political and social commentary peppered throughout gives the book texture and substance. A very fun read.

To me, the most memorable thing about this book was the physical object itself. The copy I borrowed from the Somerville public library was published in the 1920’s, and very much looked its age. It was yellow and crumbling, its printing fading against the long-grains of the pulpy paper. The experience was altogether different from reading Oliver Twist on the iPod touch, which I did simultaneously. There is something beautiful about the elegance and simplicity of a book in print, despite its practical disadvantages.