the last fifty or so pages saved the book and made me happy I didn't stop reading it, as I seriously considered because parts of this are like a shitty romance novel. A lot of pretty worthless stuff but also a variety of forms (poems, a play section, a Q&A session, philosophy) make it good. Like "A Portrait of the Artist" except written by Joyce's retarded brother. ( )

Ahhhh Mr. Fitzgerald. How you woo me with your lyrical prose and bore me with your philosophical shpeel.

There were times during This Side of Paradise where I was overcome by what I was reading because it was just that amazing. And then there were times where I glazed over the philosophy with dry eyes and an annoying buzz in my ears. But looking beyond those parts, I have to acknowledge Paradise as Fitz’s first novel, and therefore the good parts were made that much better since he had nothing Gatsby-like to live up to. The bits of genius were effortless and beautiful because they were the first of their kind, pure and innocent. Paradise seems like it was easy for Fitz. Fun. I feel like I can tell this is his first novel because it wouldn’t be until later that the pressure of being a “good writer” would hit him. For that reason, I enjoyed this novel tremendously.

This Side of Paradise revolves around Amory Blaine. There are many words to describe Amory: self-involved, self-indulgent, self-conscious. Overly dramatic, lost, found, curious, lonely, broken, bruised. Affected. Amory is a character. He’s full of life but completely lost. He’s a dreamer and an idealist and a realist all at the same time; he is one big hypocritical oxymoron, and he’s completely overwhelmingly tragic.

We begin Amory’s life from whence all his issues started: Beatrice. Beatrice is dear old mother with her delicacy and indulgences, and her personality makes Amory into the person he is because of her eccentricities and failures. We follow Amory through school and his younger years (where he’s disliked by his classmates because they don’t get him), through his college years (where he’s liked by classmates because they don’t get him), vaguely through World War I, and always through his women, until we meet Rosalind – the beginning, end, and in-between of everything Amory wanted and could never have.

Amory is always looking for himself, and never finding the person he wants. He loses himself in whatever he likes at the time, whether it be school, an idea, a place, or a person. He’s never happy and never content for long. He wants to be remembered, but never sticks to anything long enough to be cause for remembrance. He’s lost, and I feel sad for him. He never quite finds what he’s looking for.

The best description of Amory can be found on the twelfth page of the book:

“It was always the becoming he dreamed of, never the being.” ( )

I read this expecting at least a glimpse of the genius from The Great Gatsby, but I was sorely disappointed. The book follows a self involved, spoiled boy who is honestly a chore to read about because his character progresses so little throughout the book. The first half of the novel is nothing but tedious and as soon as Amory begins to become a slightly interesting character, the story ends. It really wasn't worth the time it took to muddle through. ( )

Fitzgerald written about a young man named Amory. Amory comes from some old money, goes to Princeton, fights in the war, and along the way, has several intense love relationships. It's a story about self-discovery and love where Amory famously ends the novel by saying, "I know myself, but that is all--." ( )

nice in the beginning, fresh and amusing, then it just dragged so horribly that i had to put an end to it ( )