"This Side of Paradise," by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is part of the "Barnes & Noble Classics"" "series, which offers quality editions at affordable pri...
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Jul 01, 2008
oriana
rated it: 
after reading: Meh. Meh, meh, meh. See, this is the problem with re-reading books that shine so bright in your memory — sometimes they just don't live up. I mean, there's really no reason I shouldn't have loved this book. It's filled with philosophical musings and snappy, flirty dialogue; it's pleasantly disjointed, very slice-of-life-y; it's definitely full of verve and probably powerful ideas.... but I just couldn't get into it. I was in fact very impatient throughout. I found Amory Blaine to
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Feb 29, 2008
Lee
rated it: 
Of all the writing by writers in their early 20s I've read (and written), this book is down the street and around the corner from most. I wish I'd read about the Romantic Egotist before I wrote a book about Egotourism that also takes place in the Princeton area. (I loved when Amory Blaine biked at night with a friend from P'ton to my hometown.) Fitzgerald writes sharp, swervy, gorgeous, clever sentences, pretty much always with his eyes on the socio-existential prize. Also, really funny: 30 LOLs
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Dec 11, 2007
Kirk
rated it:
A very flawed novel but one much adored in its day---in fact, Paradise was FSF's best known work during his lifetime (not Gatsby). Inevitably, biographers pun on it: THE FAR SIDE OF PARADISE, EXILES FROM PARADISE, CHEESEBURGER IN PARADISE---okay, maybe not that last one, but you get the point.
What's most interesting about TSOP (as we in the Fitz biz call it) is the new type of Bildungsroman it established. Unlike Victorian coming-of-age novels (think Dickens), Amory Blaine's story av More...
What's most interesting about TSOP (as we in the Fitz biz call it) is the new type of Bildungsroman it established. Unlike Victorian coming-of-age novels (think Dickens), Amory Blaine's story av More...
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Nov 04, 2007
Adrianne
rated it:
Someone needed to tell F. Scott Fitzgerald to stop writing poetry and including it in this book as the work of his characters. You have to read it, because it's freaking F. Scott Fitzgerald and you don't skim the man's work, but honestly this was insufferable.
There were passages in this book that I loved, and parts that I couldn't put down: but overall the work seemed uneven. The plot structure wasn't really there. The whole focus of the book is simply one character's development a More...
There were passages in this book that I loved, and parts that I couldn't put down: but overall the work seemed uneven. The plot structure wasn't really there. The whole focus of the book is simply one character's development a More...
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Dec 17, 2009
Christine
rated it:
If you liked the Great Gatsby this might be one to check out. The main character isn't quite like Gatsby: he seems to be the sort that starts out with the white upper-class set, and his quest for a sort of "American Dream" isn't like Gatsby's rise to riches, but I felt like Amory's fate mirrored the "downfall" like Gatsby's. The chapters on the romance of Amory and his gals somehow makes me visualize it was very similar to F. Scott (Scotty) Fitzgerald's courting of Zelda, or
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Jan 20, 2009
Dan
rated it: 
Too little here to like, too much here to ignore. This book comprises set-pieces in the life of a boy growing into adulthood. Amory is attracted and repulsed by his peers endlessly re-classifying them while working his way through prep-school, Princeton, and the trailings of a trust fund in New York.
Amory's internal struggles often come across as affectations-- his lack of energy and focus less a concern for Fitzgerald than his hero's attempts to define success and thereby himself. I More...
Amory's internal struggles often come across as affectations-- his lack of energy and focus less a concern for Fitzgerald than his hero's attempts to define success and thereby himself. I More...
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Feb 03, 2012
Maggie
rated it:
"But I like you." He cleared his throat. "I like you first and second and third."
"It was always the becoming he dreamed of, never the being."
"If you want to be prominent, get out and try for something; if you don't, just take it easy."
"But really she felt as if a good speech had been taken from the star and given to a minor character..."
"He waited for the mask to drop off, but at the same time More...
"It was always the becoming he dreamed of, never the being."
"If you want to be prominent, get out and try for something; if you don't, just take it easy."
"But really she felt as if a good speech had been taken from the star and given to a minor character..."
"He waited for the mask to drop off, but at the same time More...
Jan 31, 2012
Jamie
rated it:
It was not one of my favorites. In my personal opinion, if you liked, "The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald, then you will also like this one. For me it reminded me of two friends and all of those two friends' negative qualities. It made me wonder why my two friends don't annoy me. With that said, I still think it has its value- I liked a few of the quotes and my favorite parts were, by far, the times he spent with Monsignor Darcy.
Plot- the story follows Amory Blain More...
Plot- the story follows Amory Blain More...
Jan 25, 2012
Collin
rated it:
It was unfortunate because I felt the book climaxed perhaps 12 pages from the end. I thought the most interesting part was when Amory realizes that all the writers that he had idolized and then adopted their codes were in the dark as much as anyone as to the meaning of life. We all try to get through it and perhaps even make the most out of it the best we can but there are still so many unknowns and unknowables that it prevents anyone from getting a really good grasp on their duty or purpose to
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Oct 13, 2011
Chelsea
rated it:
Amory Blaine, the main character of the novel, is a brilliant boy whose mother, even young in his life, was glamorously insane (no mention is made of any kind of concrete insanity, but she suffers frequently from “breakdowns”) and who teaches Amory to follow in her footsteps. He goes to prep school and eventually becomes a Princeton boy, all the while redefining himself in light of the people he encounters and, perhaps most especially, the books he reads. I know, I know, it sounds like your fair
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Aug 14, 2011
Kim
rated it:
This book is about a young man's coming of age. Fitzgerald's first novel, which shows- it is not as polished as his later work, but is quite experimental. I liked Great Gatsby better, but this book had some valiant effort on the changes of style chapter to chapter- Some results included character development through some more unusual means and highlighting particular sections as important through change in style. I thought some of this was creative, and some distracting- I thought switching into
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Jul 27, 2011
Kate
rated it:
Having read the Great Gatsby years ago... and hating it profoundly, I decided to give Fitzgerald another chance. Despite my absolute disdain for overly romanticized "soap-opera" type books (which is how I qualify Gatsby) I dove into This Side of Paradise hoping for the best...
I am pleased to report that it thankfully was devoid of dramatics. Sure, there are twists and turns... heartache and death... as any novel should have, but it is not dwelled upon and it is not the primary motion More...
I am pleased to report that it thankfully was devoid of dramatics. Sure, there are twists and turns... heartache and death... as any novel should have, but it is not dwelled upon and it is not the primary motion More...
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Jun 08, 2011
Regine
rated it:
I kind of have this love/hate relationship going on with Fitzgerald. On one hand, I love what Fitzgerald has to say. When I first read The Great Gatsby, I thought "my, what lovely symbolism this book has. What a great commentary on the decline of the American Dream." As much as I love to ramble on about the green light, and Dr. Eckelburg, I absolutely HATED Nick Carraway's narrative.
The love/hate relationship continues with This Side of Paradise. The problem that I had with More...
The love/hate relationship continues with This Side of Paradise. The problem that I had with More...
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Apr 09, 2011
Michelle
rated it:
I just couldn't like it. I just couldn't. Which is difficult because I remember reading The Great Gatsby in junior year of high school and drooling over the dazzles and dramas of Jazz Age elites.
This Side of Paradise follows the coming of age of Amory Blaine, who grew up calling his cultured, hypochondriac mother by her first name and traveling the world in a state of perpetual vacation. He enters prep school and finally coasts into Princeton, where he encounters the first opposition More...
This Side of Paradise follows the coming of age of Amory Blaine, who grew up calling his cultured, hypochondriac mother by her first name and traveling the world in a state of perpetual vacation. He enters prep school and finally coasts into Princeton, where he encounters the first opposition More...
Mar 24, 2011
Claire
rated it: 
I don't really understand all the average reviews this book is getting... i LOVED it. After reading the whole thing, of course. For the first two chapters, I really detested Amory as a main character. Completely egotistical, shallow, and wanna-be aristocratic. I felt like F. Scott was just kissing the asses of all the upper-crest socialites that read his work. It wasn't until Amory reached his sophomore year of college that I began to love this book, and after that point I couldn't put it down.
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Mar 23, 2011
Zach
rated it:
If this is semi-autobiographical, then FSF could fall in love in the blink of an eye. I know it's a different era with different standards, but part of the appeal of his novels is that they chronicle the beginning of the demise of late 19th Century Puritanism. Also, what the hell is up with Rosalind? She was just an uppity society girl, and Amory should have been much more interested in the progressive, if slightly crazy, Elanor. I totally would have gone for Elanor. Even though this volume
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Feb 11, 2011
Tom
rated it:
It was a fantastic view of the changing times from the Victorian to the Jazz age in America. The new generation of youth, now obsessed with superficial conformities, social classes, drinking and lust contrasting the formal ideas of morality and intellectual achievement that still linger leads to so many interesting events. It is an accurate view of the human experience, even by today's standards I believe. Fitzgerald had an amazing grasp on human interaction and social awareness. Amory's journey
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Jan 01, 2011
Bruce
rated it:
In this, his first published novel at age 24, Fitzgerald begins with a description of the birth and early childhood of Amory Blaine, including his parentage and a portrayal of his mother, Beatrice. The writing is witty and sardonic, and, as is often the case in the first novel of a young writer, somewhat self-conscious and precieux. It is interesting to consider and contrast the writings of young and older authors and to reflect on the responses of readers to them. Often, it would seem, the y
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Nov 26, 2010
Vincent
rated it:
It’s all about the delicious insouciance of richy-rich protagonist Amory Blaine as he moves from supercilious childhood to adult disillusionment. Always armed with a cutting remark or fierce little observation it’s a pleasure to read through. He’s a fancy boy clearly and you’ll feel an almost sentimental connection to Amory only if you’re an entitled North American white male; and if you’re gay even better.
Though never pedantic it’s an uneven read at times with dead-hand social p More...
Though never pedantic it’s an uneven read at times with dead-hand social p More...
Nov 03, 2010
Alex
rated it:
Сейчас ты явственно сознаешь, как много в мире всего - красоты/уродства и того, что обычно затерянно между крайностями, элементарного/непостижимого. Это все настолько объемно, что в попытках загнать в тощее пространство понимания толкования всей этой красоты в любой степени уродства ее проявления, тебе с большей ловкостью опытного трюкача удается пресытиться разнообразием, обесцветить его, умертвить.
Мой визит на эту сторону рая убедил меня лишь в следующем: единственным тем, что явится теб More...
Мой визит на эту сторону рая убедил меня лишь в следующем: единственным тем, что явится теб More...
Nov 02, 2010
Kelli
rated it:
As Fitzgerald writes about World War I and its effectives on the youth of the times, specifically the main character. I as writer have never really been the kind of writer to write about historic events or how they effect the characters in my stories just because I never knew how. After reading This Side of Paradise I have really taken a new outlook on writing about historical events and its effects on characters in my stories.
As Fitzgerald takes his main character through his stor More...
As Fitzgerald takes his main character through his stor More...
Feb 09, 2010
Joanna
rated it:
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Oct 29, 2009
Alayne
rated it:
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 G
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Oct 08, 2009
Josiah
rated it:
"Oh, Lord, what a pleasure it used to be to dream I might be a really great dictator or writer or religious or political leader-- and now even a Leonardo da Vinci or Lorenzo de Medici couldn't be a real old-fashioned bolt in the world. Life is too huge and complex. The world is so overgrown that it can't lift its own fingers, and I was planning to be such an important finger..."
It's not uncommon for readers to pair This Side of Paradise with Catcher in the Rye, citing the s More...
It's not uncommon for readers to pair This Side of Paradise with Catcher in the Rye, citing the s More...
Jun 10, 2009
Joe
rated it:
Read on the Kindle.
"At 5 o'clock he felt the need of hearing his own voice, so he retreated to his house to see if any one else had arrived."
"I've got an adjective that just fits you."
"I wouldn't think of leaving college. It's just that I feel so sad these wonderful nights."
"Isabelle and Amory looked at each other tenderly over the fried chicken and knew that their love was to be eternal."
" More...
"At 5 o'clock he felt the need of hearing his own voice, so he retreated to his house to see if any one else had arrived."
"I've got an adjective that just fits you."
"I wouldn't think of leaving college. It's just that I feel so sad these wonderful nights."
"Isabelle and Amory looked at each other tenderly over the fried chicken and knew that their love was to be eternal."
" More...
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Dec 16, 2009
Julz
rated it:
This one reminds me of my grandad's stories of his college days, right down to the prank where they disassembled a friend's car and put it back together in the faculty lounge. (That was the stunt that got him kicked out of his first university in spite of the fact that his father was on the board of directors.)
Once I read this, years after he passed away, I realized that he and his fellow old-money cronies probably derived inspiration for his final prank from their literary society.
Once I read this, years after he passed away, I realized that he and his fellow old-money cronies probably derived inspiration for his final prank from their literary society.
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Jan 16, 2012
Dan
rated it:
Kind of a pathetic look at Fitzgerald's psyche as he struggled personally in his (real-life) relationship with Zelda, whom he eventually married. FSF's fictionalization of their relationship is not much more than a 250-page march through self-pity, although some of the scenes do make a lasting impression. It would have been good if someone told FSF that all of us have to struggle with relationships at some time in our lives, and his rejection by Zelda was . . . nothing special, really. At least
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Jan 02, 2012
Nick
rated it:
You can call me a blasphemer (or worse) and have a case, but early Fitzgerald makes me gag, and nothing more than his self-centered debut. I think he writes beautifully, I just find myself wanting to grab his protagonists by the ears and shake the spoiled twelve year old out of them. Then, next thing you know, he slides a war into the intermission, a subject he glazes over for lack of real-world experience, mentioning only that the sniveling little brat you just endured for half a book turned ou
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Aug 17, 2011
THE
rated it:
"I know myself...but that is all" decries Amory Blaine at the end of F. Scott Fitzgerald's first novel, published to literary acclaim in 1920. The book describes Amory's journey of self-realization, one in which along the way he discards love, wealth, and propriety to find his true self. He firmly believes that his personal quest has revealed what Cervantes described as "the most difficult lesson in the world," to know oneself. Alas, Amory, the self-described Romantic Egotis
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Oct 30, 2010
Jenny
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