The Love of the Last Tycoon
by F. Scott Fitzgerald
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 785)
Read in June, 2008
I never had to read any F. Scott Fitzgerald in high school, and all I knew about him was that he wrote The Great Gatsby. In an English class in college, though, a teacher went on and on about the textual studies of Tender is the Night. As soon as the quarter was over and I had free time, I read TItN and fell in love. So The Love of the Last Tycoon is the second book in my FSF journey, and it didn't disappoint. The Love of the Last Tycoon is, to put it very simp...more
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Read in January, 2006
I was blown away by this book, mostly because I had an idea in my head (from a high school English teacher) that nothing Fitzgerald wrote besides The Great Gatsby, was any good. I unfairly pictured him as a dissipated alcoholic, creatively washed-up and writing merely to fund his lifestyle. Not only was the book itself solidly engaging, but Fitzgerald's working notes in the back, showing his process and the ideas he was working on for the end of the novel, depict a man truly serious about his cr...more
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Read in July, 2007
recommends it for:
fiction writers
I hadn't realized this book was unfinished when I started reading it (I skipped the introduction, silly me), and was slightly confused when I started to come across incomplete paragraphs and characters who didn't really make sense. The narrative ends about 3/4's of the way into the book, and the rest of the plot is sketched out using Fitzgerald's notes. That said, it was HIGHLY interesting to read through his notes, and shed much light into how he constructs his novels- plot and characters firs...more
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Read in April, 2008
recommends it for:
people who love his other novels
Not my favorite of his. The style is a little different. It bounces back and forth between being narrated by Cecelia (it felt odd that he was writing from the perspective of a woman...not at all like his other novels) and an unknown outside observer. While the plot was interesting some of the sparkle just wasn't there. His dialogue was not as sharp and descriptions just didn't capture the same intensity as say in Tender is the Night or This Side of Paradise. This all could have something to do w...more
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Read in July, 2007
recommends it for:
everyone
good portrayal of hollywood world pre-labor-unions, during an era of glam and gluttony. Convertibles, romance, sketches of back lots and beach houses, hollywood apartments and mansions alike. If you like the day of the locust by Nathanial West you'll like this. Plus it's Fitzgerald. Only drawback is he never finished it, so it kind of ends abruptly, and it has been "compiled" from his notes, so you never really know what it could have been...
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To be honest, I was a little disappointed in this. However, when I thought about the fact that Fitzgerald passed away while working on it, I decided that if it had been finished, it would have been great. I really think Fitzgerald had a great idea and he had so much more to write. I would really have liked to seen the novel completely finished because I know it would have been as good as his other works.
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Such a sad story. Not the book, but the story behind it. This is a classic novel even though it is unedited, unfinished, and essentially a first draft. Fitzgerald went and died in the middle of writing it. The notes that remain about the remaining story make you want to literally cry as you realize that you are holding the first, and only half, of The Great American Novel.
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Read in January, 2008
This book was Fitzgerald's last before he died. It is so amazingly well written! Unfortunately he died before it was finished, so there is no official end, only one that is thought to be similar to what he would have written. The story is fun and interesting. I would have given it five stars probably if there had been an ending.
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Read in June, 2008
"He saw regret in her face--but there was a flick of the lip, also, a bending of the smile towards some indirection, a momentary dropping and lifting of a curtain over a forbidden passage...
He was glad there was beauty in the world that would not be weighed in the scales of the casting department."
He was glad there was beauty in the world that would not be weighed in the scales of the casting department."
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This was a nice little story, even if unfinished. Their were some lovely lines about love, seeing sparks in the dark between them etc though it was obvious their love was plauged from the start, as he was only attracted to her because he looked like his dead wife and she needed a bloody slap. But yes, nice.
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Read in March, 2008
Fitzgerald is always a delight to read-- his sentences are immaculate-- and this incomplete, last novel is no exception. All the documents about his plans, writing methods etc. are really interesting, as is the novel itself. I felt like I got a sense of his process.
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Probably my favorite F. Scott Fitzgerald
book. Just a fragment of what might have
been since he never finished it.
I like the part where the director is
describing a scene from a movie. You
could see Fitzgerald's resonance from
movies of that era.
book. Just a fragment of what might have
been since he never finished it.
I like the part where the director is
describing a scene from a movie. You
could see Fitzgerald's resonance from
movies of that era.
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Read in January, 1998
I knew that this book was unfinished, and I still decided to read it. I enjoy how Fitzgerald writes, I thin he's a great storyteller. I was still disappointed and surprised when I got to the end of it, I wish he'd had the time to finish this novel.
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Read in April, 2008
I'm in the process of trudging through Fitzgerald's last and it's unfinished nature shows. The makings of a great novel are in here, but it seems jerky at times and a bit frustrating. And since he didn't finish it, there won't be much payoff.
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Read in October, 2001
recommends it for:
writers
This was the book Fitzgerald was writing when he died. It's a fascinating read-- the prose is gorgeous, the plot intriguing, and it's unfinished, so you get to see his notes for the rest of the book. Reading this was an awesome experience.
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Read in July, 1999
Went through a big Fitzgerald renaissance during the summer of '99, while I was working in the office at a steel mill. Guess I just needed an extra bit of glamor in my day-to-day life.
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I just finished reading this book. It is an unfinished manuscript that editors compiled, but it has moments of pure genius. I wish he would have finished writing this book!
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Read in January, 2007
recommends it for:
most people
although the author died while working on this book, it still stands out. It's a love story in LA of the 30s. Nice language and a good eye for intrigues... check it out!
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Read in December, 2007
I was really getting into this book and then it ended because it was never finished. Still, its a quick and good read due to it ony being half way completed
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Read in January, 2002
Even though the novel went unfinished, the story is solid. I believe had Fitzgerald had the opportunity to finish the book, it could rival The Great Gatsby.
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