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3.56 AVERAGE
3.56 AVERAGE
I'll try not to spoil this 100 year old book, but man, I hit a wall where I really, fully gave up rooting for these people. Which I think is the point. They became so frustrating that I almost didn't want to finish the book out of disgust, but the judgemental, sarcastic narration is just too good. God, I love his writing. Certain character qualities were peppered in at just the right time, as well...I do think this might not be as enjoyable for someone without the same proximity I have to multiple aspects of the setting, but it's still a very funny book. Do you enjoy yelling aloud at the MCs? This is for you.
I didn't like the style of writing. The plot wasn't intriguing to me either.
The Great Gatsby is full of pathetic terrible people, but Nick keeps everything grounded and provides a center to hold on to. The Beautiful and Damned has no Nick. It's just unrelenting horrible selfish people making awful decisions. It's a dark book, yet it's full of lovely gorgeous sentences. I'd want to put the book down and then would hit this perfect sentence and keep going. What makes the book even worse is that it describes how Scott and Zelda actually lived. How? Why? Scott clearly was repulsed by their behavior, so why didn't they change?
Reading this was not enjoyable but was worthwhile.
Reading this was not enjoyable but was worthwhile.
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
BOOK 16 (OF 100) OF THE 100 PENGUIN CLASSICS TO READ BEFORE YOU DIE
6th Best Audiobook of 2018!
I was incredibly disappointed by this book - 2.5*
After being swept up by the glitz and glamour of The Great Gatsby , I am disappointed by this book. I hate Fitzgerald's characters; I can never begin to like them. I think I despised Anthony and Gloria further than any other characters. Does that mean I hate Fitzgerald and Zelda? To be honest, I have no idea. This book supposedly represents the Fitzgeralds, which is crazy because I don't know how they dealt with this.
I can't deny that this book is generally cynical and I think Fitzgerald is providing a cynical insight into his own life. Its very enlightening but also terrifying.
I think I'm just disappointed that Fitzgerald's novel didn't go anywhere else than I expected. After reading his other novels, this became predictable and that's not my type of novel.
Audiobook note: I didn't mind the Libravox recording. I didn't like the narrator's voice and I have no idea why. She provided appropriate intonation but I just don't know. I couldn't get into it...
6th Best Audiobook of 2018!
I was incredibly disappointed by this book - 2.5*
After being swept up by the glitz and glamour of The Great Gatsby , I am disappointed by this book. I hate Fitzgerald's characters; I can never begin to like them. I think I despised Anthony and Gloria further than any other characters. Does that mean I hate Fitzgerald and Zelda? To be honest, I have no idea. This book supposedly represents the Fitzgeralds, which is crazy because I don't know how they dealt with this.
I can't deny that this book is generally cynical and I think Fitzgerald is providing a cynical insight into his own life. Its very enlightening but also terrifying.
I think I'm just disappointed that Fitzgerald's novel didn't go anywhere else than I expected. After reading his other novels, this became predictable and that's not my type of novel.
Audiobook note: I didn't mind the Libravox recording. I didn't like the narrator's voice and I have no idea why. She provided appropriate intonation but I just don't know. I couldn't get into it...
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I may come back to it but I just wasn't getting pulled in yet
Theres some really pretty language in this book and the characters of Anthony and Gloria Patch are really fleshed out and deeply tragic, but when I compare this book to the one that came before it and the one that followed I just don’t know if it holds up.
This Side of Paradise is potentially my favorite book of all time and I didn’t expect this book to compete with that to be fair. However the characters and themes of This Side of Paradise are way better than this book in my opinion. This book is aggressively nihilistic and way less subtle than its predecessor, which may work for some people.
The Great Gatsby is a clear and concise story that doesn’t waste its time trying to say anything more than what it wants to. It gets in and gets out with efficiency, not to mention the writing is just better in that book tbh. The beautiful and damned feels way longer than it needs to at times.
It may sound like I don’t like this book but I do. I think there are plenty of interesting and tragically beautiful scenes embedded throughout this books runtime, I just didn’t build the connection I thought I would have.
This Side of Paradise is potentially my favorite book of all time and I didn’t expect this book to compete with that to be fair. However the characters and themes of This Side of Paradise are way better than this book in my opinion. This book is aggressively nihilistic and way less subtle than its predecessor, which may work for some people.
The Great Gatsby is a clear and concise story that doesn’t waste its time trying to say anything more than what it wants to. It gets in and gets out with efficiency, not to mention the writing is just better in that book tbh. The beautiful and damned feels way longer than it needs to at times.
It may sound like I don’t like this book but I do. I think there are plenty of interesting and tragically beautiful scenes embedded throughout this books runtime, I just didn’t build the connection I thought I would have.
Beautifully written - no Plot?
I have to start off with saying that I am tremendously sorry to give this book only 3 stars.
The first book is great: I love the world of Anthony Patch, his two sidekick friends and the love affair to the beautiful Gloria.
Book two and three drag on. Fitzgerald writing is the saving grace here. If it wouldn’t have been for the way he structures his sentences, the vocabulary he uses, I don’t think I would have finished the book.
If you take out 100 pages of the Beautiful and the damned and structure the plot a bit better it would have been a good book.
The story has an interesting point, focusing on the decline of wealth, love, happiness and (self)respect in a toxic relationship. If rumors are true that the beautiful and damned is the closest representation of Fitzgerald relationship to Zelda, his wife, at least at some points in their life, it makes a lot more sense on why he focuses on the same (boring, mundane) things over and over again.
In the end I‘m a sucker for all the beautiful quotes that are in this book. At least 5 of his most memorable quotes stem from the beautiful and the damned.
I have to start off with saying that I am tremendously sorry to give this book only 3 stars.
The first book is great: I love the world of Anthony Patch, his two sidekick friends and the love affair to the beautiful Gloria.
Book two and three drag on. Fitzgerald writing is the saving grace here. If it wouldn’t have been for the way he structures his sentences, the vocabulary he uses, I don’t think I would have finished the book.
If you take out 100 pages of the Beautiful and the damned and structure the plot a bit better it would have been a good book.
The story has an interesting point, focusing on the decline of wealth, love, happiness and (self)respect in a toxic relationship. If rumors are true that the beautiful and damned is the closest representation of Fitzgerald relationship to Zelda, his wife, at least at some points in their life, it makes a lot more sense on why he focuses on the same (boring, mundane) things over and over again.
In the end I‘m a sucker for all the beautiful quotes that are in this book. At least 5 of his most memorable quotes stem from the beautiful and the damned.