Okay, went ahead and did a review on
Alice Adams.
**Spoiler***Took some time to think over the story. I wasn't going to review it but after thinking it over I figured I should.
Basically the story is about wealth and status in America. Alice is a young adult who finds herself having to "pretend" so she could fit in with the wealthy, something she was once familiar with, but because her father never advanced, her family fell backwards while her friends and neighbors moved forward. None of her old friends liked her anymore because she (and her family) can't live up to their standards, yet she tries extra hard to fit in knowing deep down that it may never be.
In the early 1900's, meeting a good looking and wealthy man was part of the status. There was pressure to be the perfect girl. Alice kept her hopes up and when she meets Arthur Russell, she falls so deeply for him that she tries to warn him of the gossips about her and her family. He is very sweet and likes her a lot but she is so clouded by status and wealth that she can't see how much he really likes her.
In the end, she decides to take matters into her own hands and attend a trade college for women. This was something that was looked down upon but she did it anyway (there's more to it but that's as much as I'll say). I found her very brave for taking that step.
I love how the author wrote from Alice's POV. It's odd how he nailed her because as a young girl, I felt pressured too. Pressure to be perfect and to pretend so that I could meet the good looking and wealthy boys. I was brought up in a different culture but it's all the same: wealth and status. Alice was fortunate to have met Arthur Russell, someone who just wanted to be with her for no other reason than to be around her, but even then, she didn't fall for that. She held onto the belief that Arthur was still going to find out things about her that would change his mind about her. There is also another way to look at their relationship. I mean, Arthur did like her a lot but I believe he could have done a lot more to show that he wanted to be with her. Maybe that's what she sensed and she just couldn't wait around for him to make a bigger move...if at all.
In this day and age, we don't have that kind of pressure anymore. No one needs a man to provide and there is no status to having a man or not so the story might come across as out-dated. I love the story for the fact that it once was true and that I can relate to some of it. Of course, I loved how well the story was written too.