Reviews of books by the author "Fitzgerald, F. Scott":
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F. Scott Fitzgerald
Rank: C+
No. Times Read: 1
Last Read: Winter, 1997 to Spring, 1998
Reviewed By: Dave
Date Review Added: 6 / 28 / 2006 - Review: I read Tender Is the Night at an oddly ironic time in my life, though I couldn't have known it at the time. This was (I believe) the third of Fitzgerald's novels I read, though it was his fourth. Its protagonist is Dick Diver, a psychiatrist who falls in love with, and marries, one of his patients, though you don't know this until much later on. The novel is structured in, I believe, a way that was meant to emulate a Faulkner novel. Of course, no one can do Faulkner but Faulkner, so this one didn't work out so well, in my opinion. Essentially, you start out with Dick and his wife traveling in France, and her acting strangely. Later you find out she's one of his patients. Even later, you find out why.
Tender Is the Night is extremely dark, and not very entertaining, in any sense of the word. It reads like something between a case study and a confession, which is perhaps what it was intended to be. In trying to figure out why this of all novels is on the list (number 28!), I was left a bit puzzled. Perhaps it's because Zelda Fitzgerald was crazy, and this novel is more autobiographical than F. Scott Fitzgerald intended. Perhaps it's because this novel is a rather radical departure from his others. Though his second and third are tragic, they're not dark, like this one. It certainly was my least favorite of Fitzgerald's novels. Oh well. Perhaps I'll never understand. Or perhaps I'll have to read it again. It won't be soon, though, I'll tell you that.
- Categories: Classic
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F. Scott Fitzgerald
Rank: B
No. Times Read: 1
Last Read: Summer, 1997
Reviewed By: Dave
Date Review Added: 6 / 29 / 2006 - Review: This may be Fitzgerald's weakest book, but I certainly enjoyed it, and would recommend it.
The Beautiful and Damned (whose title drives me crazy because I think it should be The Beautiful and THE Damned!) is about a young man who begins his life with promise, and who, on account of his societal associations and his marriage, is ruined. It's plot is somewhat reminiscent of Citizen Kane, but then again, what plot isn't?
You can tell reading through this book that poor F. Scott was depressed. The early scenes in the book depicting the carefree days of the youth of the main character (don't make me go and find his name... Think it was Anthony Patch) are very much kind of, "See how much fun my life was...?" scenes that sound more like nostalgia than artistic invention. The point, I believe, was to show that Patch's downfall is inevitable, and that money and women always lead to failure—that the only reason that money and women exist is to bring about the downfall of man (and not "man" in general, but male man).
Despite the misogyny, The Beautiful and Damned is a Fitzgerald novel, and enjoyable to read. The plot idea I chalk up to an unhappy life, and a bitter author. It's not very convincing in the book, but I'm sure it was convincing to Fitzgerald, who was about as depressed as depressed gets, at the time. Plus, there are some scenes that are priceless (e.g., the one where Blaine's friends muse that some dudes way back when wrote the Bible as a practical joke, thinking it'd be hilarious if anyone in the future actually took it seriously).
- Categories: Classic, Worthwhile
- URL: <http://dedalvs.com/read/search_key.php?cid=153>
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F. Scott Fitzgerald
Rank: A+
No. Times Read: 3
Last Read: Summer, 2000
Reviewed By: Dave
Date Review Added: 6 / 28 / 2006 - Review: When all things are said and done, I think this is probably my favorite book.
The Great Gatsby is about an unfortunate series of events, or, perhaps, an unfortunate group of people placed in the wrong time at the wrong place. Narrated by a guy who can't seem to get himself out of the background, The Great Gatsby is about a fellow named Jay Gatz (later changed to Gatsby) who can't get the girl of his dreams, and so turns to a life of crime to obtain the fabulous wealth he believes he'll need to
get that girl. Once he obtains his wealth, though, he finds that his girl has already been taken by a claude. He tries in vain to get her back, and ends up dead, on account of being mistaken for someone else.
While there really could never be a perfect novel (too many words; too many possibilities), this comes close to it. Fitzgerald may not be as great a stylist or Ellison or Nabokov, and may not be as funny as Heller, but at least for this book, he attained perfection. The plot is not unfamiliar; the setting not spectacular; the text itself rather short. Yet, for this story, the writing is perfect: not a word is out of place. It's short, yet rich; tragic, yet a joy to read. I like to think of it as the Casablanca of literature.
Let me add some extra-textual stuff which adds to my appreciation of this book. First, this was Fitzgerald's third novel. His first, This Side of Paradise, was very much a "first" novel (largely autobiographical, young man coming of age type of deal), and achieved a great deal of success. He became an overnight celebrity, or as much of one as could be imagined during the 20's. He married Zelda, he had a child, he partied non-stop... It was quite a life. He followed up his first novel two years later with The Beautiful and Damned, which was kind of a let down, but not as much as his brief foray into Broadway, which put him in debt. He had to write his way out of debt, and, in 1924, left for France, where he wrote The Great Gatsby. The critics made an about face and praised The Great Gatsby, but sales slacked, and so he stayed in France with the rest of the expatriates. The rest of his work would never equal The Great Gatsby, and after some tumultuous years with Zelda, and an unsuccessful Hollywood escapade, he eventually died of a heart attack, thinking himself a failure.
I always felt sorry for Fitzgerald. He could never get it together, in the real world. Further, his stories never seem to get beyond the level of people doing stuff. Yet, he was a good writer, and constructed well-organized plots.
He didn't seem to realize this, though, and always felt inferior to other writers—in particular, James Joyce. Apparently, at a party at which they both were in attendance, he proclaimed that he'd throw himself out a window if James Joyce said so. Joyce said that he shouldn't. He even tried to make a little outline for I believe it was The Great Gatsby as Joyce did with Ulysses, even though it didn't make sense to do so. In his estimation, there was no greater book than Ulysses. In my estimation, The Great Gatsby is just such a book (even though William Styron et al. don't agree).
If you haven't read The Great Gatsby, I strongly recommend you take some time out to do so. It's short,
and you'll be hard-pressed to find a better American novel, all-in-all, from start to finish. It's not by any means impossible to get through (either because of verbiage or because it's boring), and there are no throw-away paragraphs—not even any throw-away sentences. It's a well-crafted masterpiece: a perfect book. This is the great American novel.
[Note: Ever wonder why every copy of The Great Gatsby has the same cover? First, it's a great picture.
Second, an artist was hired specifically to paint that picture for the cover of the original release of The Great Gatsby. It really does add to the effect of the novel.]
- Categories: Art, Classic, Pop, Short, Worthwhile
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F. Scott Fitzgerald
Rank: A-
No. Times Read: 1
Last Read: Spring, 1997
Reviewed By: Dave
Date Review Added: 6 / 29 / 2006 - Review: Now this is the way to start your literary career!
F. Scott Fitzgerald was attending Princeton University, and had had some success publishing stories, and so decided to write a novel. He sent This Side of Paradise to the publishers, who accepted it. He suggested that its first edition would sell 20,000 copies, which made the editors laugh, since a good book by an established author would be lucky to sell 10,000. The first printing of This Side of Paradise went on to sell out, selling more than 25,000 copies, and Fitzgerald became an overnight success.
So, why was This Side of Paradise so popular? I'm not sure. Perhaps the big names of the 20's were too heady. Maybe what people wanted was a kind of society novel that wasn't garbage. This Side of Paradise is one of those coming of age novels along the lines of Jacob's Room or Glory, but unlike those two, it's light and funny. It follows the Fitzgerald-like character Amory Blaine as he tries to figure out what to do with himself after graduating from Princeton (sound familiar?). He has a couple bizarre friends, a love interest, and encounter with a businessman, a society encounter, etc. Additionally, influenced by Joyce, no doubt, a large section in the middle is told as a play, e.g.:
HE: (After a breathless second) Well, is your curiosity satisfied?
SHE: Is yours?
HE: No, it's only aroused.
(He looks it.)
SHE: (Dreamily) I've kissed dozens of men. I suppose I'll kiss dozens more.
HE: (Abstractedly) Yes, I suppose you could—like that.
etc.
It's fun to read. The whole thing is fun to read. And unlike everything else Fitzgerald would write afterwards, it's not depressing. In fact, the ending is downright uplifting. It ends with Blaine lying in a field, musing about his future which is filled with promise—much like Fitzgerald after the publication of This Side of Paradise. Perhaps if he would have lived on, he would have written This Side of Paradise Lost, about how Blaine's life becomes terrible, kind of like Heller's A Portrait of the Artist as an Old Man. Who knows? And, more importantly, who cares? This is a great book and a joy to read. I recommend it highly to fans of books and book-like documents.
- Categories: Art, Classic, Experimental, Worthwhile
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