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adarshvee's review against another edition
3.0
The review is available with a much more readable formatting at : http://adarsh89.blogspot.com/2017/05/review-of-scott-fitzgeralds-this-side.html
"It was always the becoming he dreamed of, never the
being"
I picked Scott Fitzgerald's This Side of Paradise from my local public library for two
reasons : I wanted to read a classic; and having moved to an area not far away
from Princeton, I was attracted by the blurb that indicated that a major part
of the story takes place in Princeton. It occurred to me a bit later that the
place would have changed immensely in the last century and that I might not be
able to relate to the geography after all. With Scott Fitzgerald's
semi-autobiographical debut novel set in early 20th century, not only was I not
able to relate to the place, I was not able to relate to the characters too for
the most part of the book.
This Side of Paradise is the coming-of-age story of Amory
Blaine. Amory's father is dismissed off quickly as "an ineffectual,
inarticulate man". We learn that Amory takes after his mother ("But
Beatrice Blaine! There was a woman!"). Beatrice comes from an European
family of wealth, and ensures that for a good part of Amory's life, he does not
have to worry about petty things such as money. She treats her son in a way we
could only envy, with advice such as "dear, don't think of getting out of
bed yet. I've always suspected that early rising in early life makes one
nervous". Amory's initial education consists of private tutoring, until he
decides to attend prep school at America. These were different times, and Amory
attends a boarding school with the grand motto "To impart a Thorough
Mental, Moral, and Physical Training as
a Christian Gentleman, to fit the boy for meeting problems of his day and
generation, and to give a solid foundation in the Arts and Sciences". His
teachers think of him as "idle, unreliable and superficially clever",
but he does not get the message. Amory completes school thinking highly of
himself, and with disenchantment from his first love.
At Princeton University, Amory is in single minded pursuit
of his ambition to maintain a high status, as are most of his fellow students.
He discovers literature with his friends, and attempts a lot of not-so-ambitious
poetry. He is terribly self-concerned (as Fitzgerald points out, he is just a
"romantic egotist"). If you are a fan of such things, there are some
beautiful lines here that describe the passage of various seasons, and there
are many references to other literary works of the time. I am not, so I had
through hurry through this phase with as much disinterest as Amory had on his
studies. There are some exhilarating sequences, such as the one where a set of
students elope for an unplanned vacation and eat a lot of expensive food
without paying much. Amory, in the mean time, falls in love, and falls out of
it once again. He also comes across Monsignor Darcy, an old friend of Beatrice
and a mentor figure to Amory. Darcy is "intensely ritualistic, startlingly
dramatic, loved the idea of God enough to be celibate, and rather liked his
neighbor". Monsignor Darcy gives some important advice to Amory, such as
"we're not personalities, but personages". However Amory does not
seem to be taking much note.
World War 1 intervenes, but we do read much about it.
Amory's outlook towards the war is described as "the attitude he might
have held toward an amusing melodrama, he hoped it would be long and bloody. If
it had not continued he would have felt like an irate ticket holder at a
prizefight where the principals refused to mix up". The whole World War
passes away as an interlude of a few pages. Amory is a changed man after the
war, or so we think. But he falls in love once again with a girl artfully
described as "her philosophy is carpe diem for herself and laissez faire
for others". It takes a few more episodes, and a few more flinges with
various women before Amory realizes that he has run out of the considerable sum
of money he had inherited. Amory turns a leaf, and even starts to develop an
affection to communism ("However the brain and abilities of men may
differ, their stomachs are essentially the same").
This Side of Paradise has an unpredictable narrative, taking
the form of prose, poetry, and even drama. This in itself is extremely innovative. The writing is brilliant at times,
and let's just say that I couldn't recognize the brilliance at other times.
What kept me going was the fact that Scott Fitzgerald does not pretend that his
protagonist is a hero. The writing is self-aware, and is self-critical of
Amory's narrow-mindedness. This was after all a generation at the beginning of
a new century, a generation that was caught in a war unlike anything else
preceding it. The importance of this book, is thus, more contextual than
objective. This Side of Paradise makes more sense for students of literature
than to the lay reader.
"It was always the becoming he dreamed of, never the
being"
I picked Scott Fitzgerald's This Side of Paradise from my local public library for two
reasons : I wanted to read a classic; and having moved to an area not far away
from Princeton, I was attracted by the blurb that indicated that a major part
of the story takes place in Princeton. It occurred to me a bit later that the
place would have changed immensely in the last century and that I might not be
able to relate to the geography after all. With Scott Fitzgerald's
semi-autobiographical debut novel set in early 20th century, not only was I not
able to relate to the place, I was not able to relate to the characters too for
the most part of the book.
This Side of Paradise is the coming-of-age story of Amory
Blaine. Amory's father is dismissed off quickly as "an ineffectual,
inarticulate man". We learn that Amory takes after his mother ("But
Beatrice Blaine! There was a woman!"). Beatrice comes from an European
family of wealth, and ensures that for a good part of Amory's life, he does not
have to worry about petty things such as money. She treats her son in a way we
could only envy, with advice such as "dear, don't think of getting out of
bed yet. I've always suspected that early rising in early life makes one
nervous". Amory's initial education consists of private tutoring, until he
decides to attend prep school at America. These were different times, and Amory
attends a boarding school with the grand motto "To impart a Thorough
Mental, Moral, and Physical Training as
a Christian Gentleman, to fit the boy for meeting problems of his day and
generation, and to give a solid foundation in the Arts and Sciences". His
teachers think of him as "idle, unreliable and superficially clever",
but he does not get the message. Amory completes school thinking highly of
himself, and with disenchantment from his first love.
At Princeton University, Amory is in single minded pursuit
of his ambition to maintain a high status, as are most of his fellow students.
He discovers literature with his friends, and attempts a lot of not-so-ambitious
poetry. He is terribly self-concerned (as Fitzgerald points out, he is just a
"romantic egotist"). If you are a fan of such things, there are some
beautiful lines here that describe the passage of various seasons, and there
are many references to other literary works of the time. I am not, so I had
through hurry through this phase with as much disinterest as Amory had on his
studies. There are some exhilarating sequences, such as the one where a set of
students elope for an unplanned vacation and eat a lot of expensive food
without paying much. Amory, in the mean time, falls in love, and falls out of
it once again. He also comes across Monsignor Darcy, an old friend of Beatrice
and a mentor figure to Amory. Darcy is "intensely ritualistic, startlingly
dramatic, loved the idea of God enough to be celibate, and rather liked his
neighbor". Monsignor Darcy gives some important advice to Amory, such as
"we're not personalities, but personages". However Amory does not
seem to be taking much note.
World War 1 intervenes, but we do read much about it.
Amory's outlook towards the war is described as "the attitude he might
have held toward an amusing melodrama, he hoped it would be long and bloody. If
it had not continued he would have felt like an irate ticket holder at a
prizefight where the principals refused to mix up". The whole World War
passes away as an interlude of a few pages. Amory is a changed man after the
war, or so we think. But he falls in love once again with a girl artfully
described as "her philosophy is carpe diem for herself and laissez faire
for others". It takes a few more episodes, and a few more flinges with
various women before Amory realizes that he has run out of the considerable sum
of money he had inherited. Amory turns a leaf, and even starts to develop an
affection to communism ("However the brain and abilities of men may
differ, their stomachs are essentially the same").
This Side of Paradise has an unpredictable narrative, taking
the form of prose, poetry, and even drama. This in itself is extremely innovative. The writing is brilliant at times,
and let's just say that I couldn't recognize the brilliance at other times.
What kept me going was the fact that Scott Fitzgerald does not pretend that his
protagonist is a hero. The writing is self-aware, and is self-critical of
Amory's narrow-mindedness. This was after all a generation at the beginning of
a new century, a generation that was caught in a war unlike anything else
preceding it. The importance of this book, is thus, more contextual than
objective. This Side of Paradise makes more sense for students of literature
than to the lay reader.
lizzye33's review against another edition
All over the place, tragical, and in a word, unclear.
I had to watch a long overview to explain what I read. I felt like I was zoning out because of how scattered the writing narrative was, and I realized I was not missing something. Sadly, it was a classic I had wanted to read for a long time, and I did not enjoy it after the wait.
I'm happy for those who enjoy it and get something out of it, but I did not like the characters or feel there was a plot to embrace.
I had to watch a long overview to explain what I read. I felt like I was zoning out because of how scattered the writing narrative was, and I realized I was not missing something. Sadly, it was a classic I had wanted to read for a long time, and I did not enjoy it after the wait.
I'm happy for those who enjoy it and get something out of it, but I did not like the characters or feel there was a plot to embrace.
anneliehyatt's review against another edition
5.0
“Every author ought to write every book as if he were going to be beheaded the day he finished it.”
This Side of Paradise certainly adheres to this theme. Fitzgerald puts all of himself in it, whether or not everything fit. There were some passages so beautiful that my jaw dropped open--which almost never happens to me. I love reading debut novels, in part because I believe that they capture the novel at his most giving and ambitious. This book certainly has many structural flaws, and Amory's loss of innocence doesn't feel quite earned. However Fitzgerald is such a genius and this book is so earnest that I'm giving it five stars in any case.
This Side of Paradise certainly adheres to this theme. Fitzgerald puts all of himself in it, whether or not everything fit. There were some passages so beautiful that my jaw dropped open--which almost never happens to me. I love reading debut novels, in part because I believe that they capture the novel at his most giving and ambitious. This book certainly has many structural flaws, and Amory's loss of innocence doesn't feel quite earned. However Fitzgerald is such a genius and this book is so earnest that I'm giving it five stars in any case.
xgigglypuff's review against another edition
3.75
pleasantly surprised, decently good read
figured it wouldn’t stand up to Gatsby, and it’s not as good but I do like it
it touches on the same themes, concepts, lifestyle, and life experiences, but it’s written differently
it’s written like a third-person journal or a collection of short stories all about the same person at different points in his life, chronologically - I don’t know how to explain it
I find it reminiscent of the catcher in the rye - maybe a Princeton guy with a different personality type’s version. In the catcher in the rye, he’s the same guy but doesn’t care about anything. In this version, he’s that guy demographically, but he’s the type of guy to care way too much about everything. They’d probably hate each other. Idk
it’s intriguing to me to get insight into Ivy League culture many years ago, it’s always interesting how things persist. you talk to an alumni from 30 years ago and it feels like nothing changes. they had a nearly identical experience. the human experience is so universal sometimes
I’m also thinking about how often Fitzgerald writes about working really hard to get money and losing a woman you love to not having enough money (??)
fawndolyn's review against another edition
1.0
I couldn't read this book in public due to people thinking I'm having a seizure because I rolled my eyes so often at how exceedingly boring this book got. I have always loved F. Scott's writing style, but my god, are his subjects dull! I'm not kidding when I say, I couldn't even get through the Sparknotes.
johnnykeeley13's review against another edition
4.0
Similarly to when I look back on my past, I found this book much more enjoyable once I stopped taking the main character so seriously. Then, instead of only cringing, I could also laugh as Amory continuously makes an ass of himself. F. Scott's beautiful turns of phrase lighten the blow as you push through the coming-of-age story of another young white male who desperately needs a therapist and a hug.
The story itself was quintessentially Fitzgerald as the writer floated in and around the plot in a dreamlike manner that could both entrance and confuse. Essentially it told the story of an egotistical Ivy League drop-out who gets humbled until his disillusionment with himself and the world starts to disappear. Saying the book didn't have a linear storyline would probably be kind, but again, Fitzgerald's dreamy prose would often make you forget you were lost in the first place.
It would be easy to say Amory sucked and deserved all that came to him, b/c honestly that's the truth. However, by the end, I looked back at his immature missteps with the hope that his character could finally learn and maybe laugh at his mistakes too. And if that isn't you're early 20's, I don't know what is.
The story itself was quintessentially Fitzgerald as the writer floated in and around the plot in a dreamlike manner that could both entrance and confuse. Essentially it told the story of an egotistical Ivy League drop-out who gets humbled until his disillusionment with himself and the world starts to disappear. Saying the book didn't have a linear storyline would probably be kind, but again, Fitzgerald's dreamy prose would often make you forget you were lost in the first place.
It would be easy to say Amory sucked and deserved all that came to him, b/c honestly that's the truth. However, by the end, I looked back at his immature missteps with the hope that his character could finally learn and maybe laugh at his mistakes too. And if that isn't you're early 20's, I don't know what is.
tamsyn_henke's review against another edition
I got busy with studying for AP classes. Also low key I was reading this on my phone on the bus soooo
khmulligan's review against another edition
1.0
I really disliked this book because of the plot. Though I understand the time period at which this book was written and I did enjoy Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, this story was confusing and boring. I did not like the main character and he didn't even seem to be doing anything that interesting. *SPOILERS* It was just about a man who went to college and fell in love a couple of times and went to war. The character wasn't very interesting and the plot wasn't very interesting to me.
karen_lipkey's review against another edition
4.0
I'm not sure why it took me so long to read this book. It's good but in small doses. Fitzgerald is known to be "the" representation of his generation - which is good in understanding the angst of the early 1900's but is bad in the sense that he references a lot of slang used at that time or products that were popular at that time. So it took me a while to wade through that and determine what he was referring to or how it tied into the story. I know a more sophisticated reader will be able to tell me the true meaning of the story (such as The Great Gatsby partially being about the American dream? Really?! Unbeknownst to me). I like how Amory wades through popularity, women, wealth, politics, etc, in his search for himself and when it's all said and done, that's what he's got, himself and nothing else. DRAMA!