Clearly an early work (1920), with many imperfections, but still, it captivates. The composition is a bit messy, pluriform, so not everything is equally good. The central themes are that of the Fallen Angel and of punctured certainties. Perhaps this could qualify more as a Quest than as a 'Bildungsroman' or a 'coming-of-age'. Reading this, it felt a bit like Oscar Wilde, with an intrusive accumulation of quotes. (2.5 stars)

(3.25/5) Reminiscent of the jazz age which I'm familiar with solely due to the film "Midnight in Paris", this book was Fitzgerald's debut novel.
A combination of Catcher in the Rye with Dead Poets Society, the first half was wonderful. I loved the character of Amory, full of himself but somewhat endearing and entertaining but the novel meandered endlessly in the second half. I grew bored of the shallow monologues and unnecessary lyrical chapters. I was restlessly waiting for it get over soon. Nevertheless, F. Scott's exciting and exaggerated life has always felt very interesting to me and this book helped me gain a closer insight into the author's personality as it was loosely inspired by himself.

The circumstances of the novel have blurred over the years. It is certain that I finished the book at a White Castle, perhaps avoiding aspects of my life which had veered problematic. I recall highballs, many of them. The drinks were in the novel, of course. My own problems involved living in the wrong place and that finding the reciprocity of a relationship was corroding my self-esteem. There is an echo of that within the pages. That was a funny time. Does my smile appear forced?

Wow, what a tale of opulence and young angst - allow me to explain. In this semi-autobiographical novel of Fitzgerald's, the narrative follows a young Amory Blaine from his teenage years until his mid-twenties. It is a story of young love, loss of innocence, and tragedy, all compiled into one, admittedly elitist, work. Fitzgerald's opulent taste is evident throughout, and his high-class upbringing makes for a main character that is at times dislikable but also ultimately lovable. Although I found the ending abrupt and not giving of closure, the journey through Blaine's years was enjoyable and afforded me a wonderful bit of escape into an entirely different era than our own. 3.5/5 stars.

DNF @ 20%

I really, really tried to like this but I just couldn’t…

The first chapter, while sometimes difficult to get through, was still somewhat readable. But everything after Amory arrives at college was really testing my patience (and ability to read).

I was expecting to love this, especially since The Great Gatsby is one of my favourite books, and I’ve also adored The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and every other short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald I’ve ever read.

Now, I assume it’s because this was his debut novel, but I found the writing so dense it took away all pleasure out of reading it for me. Despite the fact that every single sentence is a complex one, it also feels like each one has at least three metaphors and thirty adjectives. I cannot-

I began this book with mediocre expectations. Fitzgerald is known for his very colorful, sometimes over-the-top prose, and as someone who generally prefers Hemingway-esque curtness, I wasn't looking forward to that.

After a whirlwind reading (1.5 days), I am absolutely certain that it is one of the truest and most agonizing books I've ever read. There was almost no part of Amory's story that did not resonate with me on a very personal level, and when one is reading, they feel as though they are learning about life right along with him. What is college supposed to mean? What happens with traits we've identified ourselves with begin to disappear? How do we keep from projecting our own ideas about someone onto them?

It is hard to say a lot about something one finds very wonderful. It is a remarkable book.

Amory Blaine, a mid-Westerner and middle class, begin what feels like the start of the rest of his life, in the place he feels he is meant to be, and on his arrival at Princeton (university) he feels at his life's greatest moment. This is his story, via a mix of narrators, styles, even genres, the story of his painful intellectual and sexual awakening as part of the 'Jazz Age' in the shadows of and after the Great War (World War I), as America begins to find itself moving to Superpower status, whilst it's young as ever question the empowered way of life, and in this case the superpowered to be way of life.

Fitzgerald's quasi autobiographical bildungsroman debut novel is everything: showing the genius to come; showing the failings that would impede his future success; overall thematically looking at America at it's perceived best, and realised worst; dysfunctional romantic liaisons; and at its heart a quest for identity. Loathed by some critics (even now), but loved by readers at the time (his best seller in his lifetime!!!!), this starts with a strong erudite man-on-campus feel that evolves into a lot more. The first Fitzgerald read that I've enjoyed that may now lead me to rereading and reading his other works. Worth reading alone for the final chapters when Amory throws contrary opinions at the monied classes in such a delightful way, with arguments that could still be used today! 7 out of 12.

2022 read

Equal parts loathed and loved this book by America's most beloved author. I loved the dreamlike quality and the switching of verses from the standard novel, stories, poetry, play, and even a section drafted in Q&A format. Original and provocative, especially given that Fitzgerald was only 23 when he wrote this book. I could feel the greenness of his life, and how frightened he must have been of what the world had to offer.

I hated the arrogance and conceited attitude of the main character Amory Blaine- for I can't think of another protagonist that I hated as much I hated Amory. I also tend to hate novels filled with philosophizing and seemingly meaningless ramblings. For those things noted, I had to veer to three stars for this one.

A formative text for me; that initial read during my first semester of undergrad was nothing less than revelatory. Felt compelled to finally return, which I'm just now realizing is almost exactly twenty(!) years to the date. And while the story itself no longer feels so personally meaningful—I read it now more with a sense of warm reminiscence, like catching up with a long lost friend, smiling over shared memories—it remains such an exciting read, fiercely ablaze with youthful swagger, enthusiasms, & ideas. As autofiction there's obviously a sharp specificity to the story of Amory Blaine, but I was most intrigued this time around with how the shifts in format, voice, & mode, while not always individually successful, have a wonderful cumulative, collage-like effect; it really does feel like the scrapbook of an era, an entire generation. And, of course, crowned by one of THE great closing lines in all literature.

"I don't want to repeat my innocence. I want the pleasure of losing it again."

This Side of Paradise was the debut and coming-of-age novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald that heralded a new and dynamic author into writing about the gilded age and the emerging jazz age in 1920. This novel is purported to be semi-autobiographical, and at times not a very flattering portrait. And at times the book seems disjointed as Fitzgerald experiments with different structures in the novel resulting in long passages of poetry and prose focusing on socialism, religion and relationships. Amory Blaine is a privileged young man but struggling to find his core. He attended a preparatory school in Minnesota and then went to Princeton. But in his early life, what it so endearing is his relationship with his neurotic mother whom he calls Beatrice, and the beautiful and emerging relationship with Monsignor Darcy. It becomes clear that the Monsignor regarded him as a son and some of the best parts of this novel are the meetings and letters between them. One of the most beautiful passages:

"They slipped into an intimacy from which they never recovered."

And the essence of this novel is very much a romantic tale, but we see F. Scott Fitzgerald's instinct for the tragic view of life as we follow Amory Blaine through his years at Princeton and beyond. After all, we are looking at lives in the aftermath of World War I. I loved this book and all of the promise that this young author at the age of 23-years of age brought forth. F. Scott Fitzgerald's brilliance is apparent within these pages.

One of the most poignant moments in this book and my favorite is with Amory Blaine at loose ends and trying to find himself as he is pondering social class issues in American society and where he fits. As he is walking back to Princeton and feeling driven that that is what he must do, he is given a ride by a limousine driver. It is in this riveting conversation between these men that we learn so much, not only about Amory Blaine, but about ourselves and our beliefs.

n  

"I sent my son to Princeton,"
"Did you?"
"Perhaps you knew him. His name was Jesse Ferrenby. He was killed last year in France."
"I knew him very well. In fact he was one of my particular friends."

n

This is perhaps one of the best stories for a twenty-something year old to read during the recession, especially if they have had to set aside their dreams and currently search for something less than extraordinary in order to survive. It is amazing how relevant it is even so long after the emergence of the Jazz Age. Where the book was focused on the clash between old Victorian ideals and the emerging youth liberalization after the first World War, today we find ourselves just as lost. These wars that we've been fighting and this recession that we are suffering through will redefine our nation just as it was redefined after the conflict of WWI. The question is how?

Amory is caught in the very center of this clash between Victorian conservatism and youth liberalization. It is up to him and the other young men and women of the times to either create the new new, or stick with the old. I see the character of Amory Blaine in the face of all my college friends who had dreams of what their lives would be like after graduation, only to have those dreams dashed upon the rocks of this recession. Let us all pray that in the end we don't end up like Fitzgerald, who modeled his character Amory after himself. Let us hope that we don't follow in the path of Amory and are able to regain our aspirations when things improve, otherwise we might drown our hopelessness in bottles of alcohol until it kills us just like the famed U.S. author that wrote this book.

Fitzgerald has long been one of my literary blind spots. The Great Gatsby is a masterpiece, sure: I studied it in school and have read it another couple of times since, as well as lots of background nonfiction and some contemporary novels that riff on the story line. But everything else of his that I’ve tried (Tender Is the Night was the other one) has felt aimless and more stylish than substantive.

Amory Blaine is a wealthy Midwesterner who goes from boarding school to Princeton and has literary ambitions and various love affairs. He’s convinced he’s a “boy marked for glory.” But Monsignor Darcy, his guru, encourages the young man to focus on developing his character more than his dashing personality.

Hugely popular at its first release, this debut novel won Fitzgerald his literary reputation – as well as Zelda Sayre’s hand in marriage. What with the slang (“Oh my Lord, I’m going to cast a kitten”), it felt very much like a period piece to me, most impressive for its experimentation with structure: parts are written like a film script or Q&A, and there are also some poems and lists. This novelty may well be a result of the author cobbling together drafts and unpublished odds and ends, but still struck me as daring.

In a strange way, though, the novel is ahistorical in that it glosses over world events with a flippancy that I find typical of Fitzgerald. Even though Amory is called up to serve, his general reaction to the First World War is dispatched in a paragraph; Prohibition doesn’t get much more of a look-in.

I understand that the book is fairly autobiographical and in its original form was written in the first person, which I might have preferred if it led to greater sincerity. I could admire some of the witty banter and the general coming-of-age arc, but mostly felt indifferent to this one.