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3.48 AVERAGE
3.48 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
this is, i think, the first book ever that upon finishing i've felt the need to immediately start reading again from the beginning. i already know that i'm going to keep coming back to it and that it'll get better and better each time.
in terms of the story, a common criticism seems to be that it's not actually about anything. anyone who claims that is point blank wrong, like, sorry the book went completely over your head and that you also apparently don't partake in introspection of any kind. the most obvious story being told is that of youth and the disillusionment of the lost generation, the development of an "egotist" into a "personage" during the roaring 20s, but there's also a religious undertow, a meditation on good vs evil. lots of parallels to be drawn between the modern day too. i'm sure there's a lot more going on as it's incredibly sophisticated, and i think i'll be following new and different threads with evey reread.
in terms of the writing itself, for a debut novel published at 23 years old fitzgerald's grip and use of language is absolutely incredible. the writing is so beautiful, evocative, witty, and contrary to popular opinion i actually love the slightly experimental structure and combination of prose, play, poetry, third person narrative vs stream of consciousness, q&a, etc - it's a first novel, throw everything at the wall and see what sticks, i'm with you baby! it doesn't negatively impact the reading experience at all, if anything it helps set a tone for how to understand and interpret certain sections of the story.
overall the perfect coming of age book for anyone in their mid 20s who's a bit lost and has no fucking idea who they are or where they're going.
in terms of the story, a common criticism seems to be that it's not actually about anything. anyone who claims that is point blank wrong, like, sorry the book went completely over your head and that you also apparently don't partake in introspection of any kind. the most obvious story being told is that of youth and the disillusionment of the lost generation, the development of an "egotist" into a "personage" during the roaring 20s, but there's also a religious undertow, a meditation on good vs evil. lots of parallels to be drawn between the modern day too. i'm sure there's a lot more going on as it's incredibly sophisticated, and i think i'll be following new and different threads with evey reread.
in terms of the writing itself, for a debut novel published at 23 years old fitzgerald's grip and use of language is absolutely incredible. the writing is so beautiful, evocative, witty, and contrary to popular opinion i actually love the slightly experimental structure and combination of prose, play, poetry, third person narrative vs stream of consciousness, q&a, etc - it's a first novel, throw everything at the wall and see what sticks, i'm with you baby! it doesn't negatively impact the reading experience at all, if anything it helps set a tone for how to understand and interpret certain sections of the story.
overall the perfect coming of age book for anyone in their mid 20s who's a bit lost and has no fucking idea who they are or where they're going.
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
Loved Great Gatsby so wanted to read the rest of Fitzgerald's works in chronological order. You can see the the bones of themes that are more fully explored in Gatsby, but it does feel pretty all over the place and like not much happens. There also aren't really any likeable characters. Wouldn't read again, but good to see where he came from I guess, and I'm still planning to persevere with reading the rest of his novels at some point.
challenging
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
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
This is everything I love in a book. It’s extremely reflective without being overly intelectual. I really like Fitzgeralds writing style and he is subtly very witty. It helped me learn a lot about the lost generation, and what may be an echo of their sentiments found in my own generation.
medium-paced
dark
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I know myself and that is all.
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A classic!
I read Fitzgerald wrong as I started with Beautiful and the Damned and then read This Side of Paradise. It's SO interesting seeing how his writing style changed between the books and the second book of This Side of Paradise flowed into the next.
Wasn't a big fan of character development. I just didn't care about most of the characters introduced and I didn't know who I should pay attention to or not.
Fitzgerald did a lot better in his next books.
Words not your thing? Odd you are on goodreads then. No judgement, check out my picture book on this new hip site called 'Instagram'.
A classic!
I read Fitzgerald wrong as I started with Beautiful and the Damned and then read This Side of Paradise. It's SO interesting seeing how his writing style changed between the books and the second book of This Side of Paradise flowed into the next.
Wasn't a big fan of character development. I just didn't care about most of the characters introduced and I didn't know who I should pay attention to or not.
Fitzgerald did a lot better in his next books.
Words not your thing? Odd you are on goodreads then. No judgement, check out my picture book on this new hip site called 'Instagram'.