Title: This Side of Paradise
Author: F. Scott Fitzgerald
Publisher: 1920
Genre: Classics
Pages: 287
Rating: 3/5 stars
Reading Challenges: Mount TBR; Back to the Classics - 20th Century
Fitzgerald's first novel, This Side of Paradise (1920) was an immediate, spectacular success and established his literary reputation. Perhaps the definitive novel of that "Lost Generation," it tells the story of Amory Blaine, a handsome, wealthy Princeton student who halfheartedly involves himself in literary cults, "liberal" student activities, and a series of empty flirtations with young women. When he finally does fall truly in love, however, the young woman rejects him for another. After serving in France during the war, Blaine returns to embark on a career in advertising. Still young, but already cynical and world-weary, he exemplifies the young men and women of the '20s, described by Fitzgerald as "a generation grown up to find all gods dead, all wars fought, all faiths in man shaken."
It's no The Great Gatsby. Okay, that was unfair as Gatsby is one of the quintessential American novels. I can see how Amory Blaine was a prototype for Jay Gatbsy. I can see how Fitzgerald's voice evolved between the two novels. I get the volume's place in literary history. What I didn't like was the storyline and main character. For the most part, I was bored throughout the book and kept wanting to punch Amory Blaine. Hence the 3 star rating.