Take a photo of a barcode or cover
lilcookie 's review for:
F. Scott Fitzgerald: This Side of Paradise
by F. Scott Fitzgerald
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.