hilbohaggins's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars ...
Ok here's the deal ... I adore F. Scott Fitzgerald. His language is so brilliant and beautiful. He could write a book about absolutely nothing and I would totally dig it for his choice in vocabulary and his dramatic descriptions. But this book took me a while to get through. Like, 6 months to get through. That might just have been my fault for not having much time to give it the attention it could have deserved ? It definitely had its moments, mostly in the second half, but I just found the book to be a bit daunting to pick up. A lot of people have an issue with Fitzgerald's writing style being strictly focused on the dramatic, ritzy lives of the snobbish upper class in the 20s but that's never been an issue for me. That is who he was and I love it and read it for what it is. For me, the writing itself would have been 5 stars, but the plot for me was just a 3 star story.
Ok here's the deal ... I adore F. Scott Fitzgerald. His language is so brilliant and beautiful. He could write a book about absolutely nothing and I would totally dig it for his choice in vocabulary and his dramatic descriptions. But this book took me a while to get through. Like, 6 months to get through. That might just have been my fault for not having much time to give it the attention it could have deserved ? It definitely had its moments, mostly in the second half, but I just found the book to be a bit daunting to pick up. A lot of people have an issue with Fitzgerald's writing style being strictly focused on the dramatic, ritzy lives of the snobbish upper class in the 20s but that's never been an issue for me. That is who he was and I love it and read it for what it is. For me, the writing itself would have been 5 stars, but the plot for me was just a 3 star story.
jessica_flower's review against another edition
1.0
"Amory wondered how people could fail to notice that he was a boy marked for glory, and when faces of the throng turned towards him and ambiguous eyes stared into his, he assumed the most romantic of expressions and walked on the air cushions that lie on the asphalts of fourteen."
"It was always the becoming he dreamt of, never the being. This too was quite characteristic of Amory."
Here we have, in two quotes, the summary of Amory Blaine, as I've come to know him.
What a self-obsessed, narcissistic dandy. I could only read 90 pages - about a third of the book - before I just couldn't take it anymore. Amory is born into wealth, high status, and like what seems to be most of these inherited-rich types, he can't seem to muster up the effort for anything more substantial than how to dress nicely, talk as if he knows a whole lot more about the world than he actually does, and try to make everyone think that he is the most glorious, most romantic, most cultured man they'd ever seen.
Amory puts up this glamour over himself, and believes it to be fact.
That could be just enough to say about this book. But I'm feeling bitter, so here's more.
He goes to Princeton not because he thinks it is a good school, not because he thinks it will help him learn more and get a better career, but because of "its atmosphere of bright colours and its alluring reputation as the pleasantest country club in America."
He essentially treats university like a country club, focusing on the social scene, and when he's given a chance for a makeup exam for a course he didn't pass, he doesn't study, subsequently fails it and subsequently doesn't seem to care about the rest of it anymore too. I feel personally offended by this; education has always been really important to me, and to see someone use it so callously, lazily all the way through, makes my blood simmer with anger.
I'm bitter, because I wanted to like it. I wanted to admire the atmosphere, the writing, the storyline the way I did with The Great Gatsby. The Great Gatsby is one of my favourite books, and I'm sorry to say, that This Side of Paradise is going on the other end of the spectrum: one of the books whose main characters I can't stand.
"It was always the becoming he dreamt of, never the being. This too was quite characteristic of Amory."
Here we have, in two quotes, the summary of Amory Blaine, as I've come to know him.
What a self-obsessed, narcissistic dandy. I could only read 90 pages - about a third of the book - before I just couldn't take it anymore. Amory is born into wealth, high status, and like what seems to be most of these inherited-rich types, he can't seem to muster up the effort for anything more substantial than how to dress nicely, talk as if he knows a whole lot more about the world than he actually does, and try to make everyone think that he is the most glorious, most romantic, most cultured man they'd ever seen.
Amory puts up this glamour over himself, and believes it to be fact.
That could be just enough to say about this book. But I'm feeling bitter, so here's more.
He goes to Princeton not because he thinks it is a good school, not because he thinks it will help him learn more and get a better career, but because of "its atmosphere of bright colours and its alluring reputation as the pleasantest country club in America."
He essentially treats university like a country club, focusing on the social scene, and when he's given a chance for a makeup exam for a course he didn't pass, he doesn't study, subsequently fails it and subsequently doesn't seem to care about the rest of it anymore too. I feel personally offended by this; education has always been really important to me, and to see someone use it so callously, lazily all the way through, makes my blood simmer with anger.
I'm bitter, because I wanted to like it. I wanted to admire the atmosphere, the writing, the storyline the way I did with The Great Gatsby. The Great Gatsby is one of my favourite books, and I'm sorry to say, that This Side of Paradise is going on the other end of the spectrum: one of the books whose main characters I can't stand.
shanviolinlove's review against another edition
4.0
Amazing. First Fitzgerald book I could actually get into. It's very heartbreaking watching this slow process of Amory Blaine falling from such a luxurious childhood to this destitution in which, stripped of everything, he finally knows himself.
anii0's review against another edition
3.0
Although a short book, it took me almost a year to finish because of reading breaks and an unwillingness to continue. However, I finally determined to finish it. I think the only thing that made me continue with this rubbish, and the only thing that made me give three stars, is that Fitzgerald writes wonderfully. Damn, even the most boring parts read like sweet lullabies. I feel the only reason I continued on with this book is just to read more of Fitzgerald's words; they're quite good. But the story, "poor" Amory Blaine, are not good no matter how much Fitzgerald tries to impress on his readers the idea that Amory's maddening life is worth reading about.
milli3's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
adambwriter's review against another edition
3.0
Reviewed at:
http://classiclit.about.com/od/fitzgeraldfsco/fl/This-Side-of-Paradise-1920-by-F-Scott-Fitzgerald.htm
http://classiclit.about.com/od/fitzgeraldfsco/fl/This-Side-of-Paradise-1920-by-F-Scott-Fitzgerald.htm
libraryofthecurlyheadedlady's review against another edition
2.0
There were many interesting ideas presented in this book. It did make me think even though I didn’t really agree with any of them. This story was pretty depressing, and not the good kind. It left me with an heavy, empty feeling in my gut. Which is why it’s getting such a low rating. Definitely a very subjective rating:)