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henshinyo 's review for:
This Side of Paradise
by F. Scott Fitzgerald
This Side of Paradise reads as a practice piece for Fitzgerald's Great Gatsby as he makes light social commentary that doesn't quite pull through. Many literary references to great classics were lost on me, and I would have enjoyed the novel much more were I privy to the jokes and general air of aristocracy and fine breeding associated with them. Knowledge of the time period and inner workings of the social elite in the 1920's feels necessary to understand Amory's rise and fall through the classes. The work reaches a decided lull at the midpoint that would have made me put the book down were Fitzgerald not my favorite author. Overall, I felt the author missed the mark in making his point, though a thorough read through with a literary guide or discussion by a knowledgable party might make this literature worthwhile.