24 June 2009

this side of paradise - f. scott fitzgerald

f. scott fitzgerald || this side of paradise || 3.5/5.0

this is fitzgerald's first novel. i was inspired to read it after watching the first 50 minutes of the great gatsby five times as an english class substitute teacher.

for the most part, i enjoyed reading this novel as much as i did gatsby in high school. there were several parts that were a bit hard to follow on audio, however - some free verse and lengthy poetry sections. i also have to confess to struggling with the philosophical elements of class theory and human nature. perhaps i was distracted by beltway traffic?

i did love the narrative portions, however, and i particularly loved the names of characters - very 1920's style: amory blaine, beatrice, isabelle, and rosalind.

not a favorite, but enjoyable nonetheless.

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