The Two Vanrevels

"The Two Vanrevels" by Booth Tarkington is a novel written in the early 20th century. The story is set in the quaint town of Rouen, where themes of love, rivalry, and social dynamics play out, centered around the lives of two young men, Tom Vanrevel and Crailey Gray, both of whom are deeply affected by the arrival of the beautiful Betty Carewe, the daughter of the town's wealthy magnate, Robert Carewe. The opening of the novel introduces Betty Carewe as she returns from a convent education, filled with curiosity and excitement about the world outside. On her arrival home, she captures the attention of Tom Vanrevel, who is immediately entranced by her beauty and presence, even as he grapples with the hostility of her father. As the narrative unfolds, there is a distinct sense of competition between Tom and Crailey Gray, who is engaged to another woman. The bustling town of Rouen becomes a backdrop for the romantic complexities and social rivalries that will resonate throughout the novel, setting the stage for a rich exploration of love and societal expectations. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Newton Booth Tarkington was an American novelist and dramatist best known for his novels The Magnificent Ambersons (1918) and Alice Adams (1921). He is one of only four novelists to win the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction more than once, along with William Faulkner, John Updike, and Colson Whitehead. In the 1910s and 1920s he was considered the United States' greatest living author. Several of his stories were adapted to film.