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3.47 AVERAGE
3.47 AVERAGE
I actually enjoyed the first half of this! Although Amory is dislikable and vain, I liked reading his thoughts and analyses on social situations and some of the people he encounters - we have all had moments where we’ve been judgmental towards other and/or preoccupied with what others think of us (sometimes at the same time), so I enjoyed that these feelings were articulated and I found these moments funny and ironic rather than annoying. That said, I wouldn’t widely recommend this. I also enjoyed reading about his college experience, but only because it made me think of my own time as a student. I skimmed over the second half of the book (I couldn’t focus on any of the poetry / play insertions) and don’t feel that I missed much. Glad I know what this is about now, but not going to re-read.
This book was okay. I can see why it was a big deal at the time since its experiments in style were interesting. It's not as tightly plotted as the later Fitzgerald I've read and all the poems were tiresome.
Poor baby Fitzgerald, the definition of annoyance
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I don't want to repeat my innocence. I want the pleasure of losing it again.
This was a dense, indulgent read full of prose, ponderings, and the special brand of musings that seems to be associated with #writers and #artists who happen to be the most privileged. I only sort of liked this book because there were too many poems for my liking and at times I couldn't understand where it was going, nor do I think F. Scott Fitzgerald fully knew himself. Still, I can't help but respect the way he describes the life of Amory Blaine. It was also satisfying to see an author characterize the masculine peer interactions at Princeton as sometimes "catty" affairs that undermine the notion that only women care about status, reputation, and plain old popularity. Given how he wrote characters like Rosalind, I wonder if Fitzgerald noticed the similarities himself.
There were MANY times where I had to roll my eyes at Amory's self-importance and the way all characters in this book exuded entitlement at every term. It's clear Fitzgerald was intimately familiar with the material, which made some of my eye-rolling transfer to him as an author. Yet, there were also times where his skills were clear as day, because he was able to make me empathize with Amory's lack of direction, heartbreak over unfair circumstances, and ideological growth. I recognize the desire to be liked and regarded by my peers within myself, so seeing Amory struggle against that innate need felt genuine.
This was a dense, indulgent read full of prose, ponderings, and the special brand of musings that seems to be associated with #writers and #artists who happen to be the most privileged. I only sort of liked this book because there were too many poems for my liking and at times I couldn't understand where it was going, nor do I think F. Scott Fitzgerald fully knew himself. Still, I can't help but respect the way he describes the life of Amory Blaine. It was also satisfying to see an author characterize the masculine peer interactions at Princeton as sometimes "catty" affairs that undermine the notion that only women care about status, reputation, and plain old popularity. Given how he wrote characters like Rosalind, I wonder if Fitzgerald noticed the similarities himself.
There were MANY times where I had to roll my eyes at Amory's self-importance and the way all characters in this book exuded entitlement at every term. It's clear Fitzgerald was intimately familiar with the material, which made some of my eye-rolling transfer to him as an author. Yet, there were also times where his skills were clear as day, because he was able to make me empathize with Amory's lack of direction, heartbreak over unfair circumstances, and ideological growth. I recognize the desire to be liked and regarded by my peers within myself, so seeing Amory struggle against that innate need felt genuine.
"All those wasted miles
All those aimless drives
Through green aisles
Our careless life style
It was not so unwise
No"
All those aimless drives
Through green aisles
Our careless life style
It was not so unwise
No"
A young man's book if there ever was one, this is romantic, lyrical, self-absorbed and privileged. Also episodic and a bit all over the place, but the glimmers of genius - and hints of The Great Gatsby - are there.
3 stars. I really enjoy Fitzgerald’s writing style. It’s very witty and quick but this story wise wasn’t my favorite. It’s a very easy book to get through but I found that I was nowhere near as invested as I was in The Great Gatsby. I liked Amory and thought he was an interesting character but it just wasn’t enough. I’m glad to have finally read more by Fitzgerald though even though I think I’ve already read the best he has to offer.
challenging
emotional
informative
slow-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
I can appreciate this work for being Fitzgerald’s debute novel, and attribute many of the *unique*{weird} stylistic choices as trying to find a voice in writing. What I cannot appreciate is Amory’s story. Whether this is semi-autobiographical or not so many of Amory’s choices read as pretentious and entitled. Maybe that is the intent, but there are zero redeeming qualities about him that it makes the novel incredibly hard to relate to. Squandering his education, ranting about the disgusting nature of being poor, and mishandling a lost love connection, make Amory impossible to relate to in this decade.
2.5 rounding down to 2 because I cannot say that any part of myself enjoyed this story, or unique writing style.
2.5 rounding down to 2 because I cannot say that any part of myself enjoyed this story, or unique writing style.