For Gloria and Anthony Patch, "Life, it seemed must be a setting up of props around one- otherwise, it was a disaster." How to describe these characters?
"In 1913, when Anthony Patch was twenty-five, two years were already gone since irony, the Holy Ghost of this later day, had, theoretically at least, descended upon him." Anthony cannot find something to do with himself, a vocation. He sometimes pretends to "write history" but he is just killing time until he inherits his grandfather's fortune.
Gloria is beautiful, and "darn nice- not a brain in her head." As she describes herself, she is "like Japanese lanterns and crepe paper and the music and orchestra...she has a streak of cheapness," but the world is hers while she is young and beautiful.
Their exploits are a criticism of the Jazz Age lifestyle in NYC. Parties and drinking are the main pastimes for the couple and their friends.
In the introduction to my edition, Hortense Calisher writes that "Fitzgerald does use works as a juggler might...simple- see through that net a certain iridescence as if they spin up and then home into place...There is not a dead sentence among them, not a moment when Fitzgerald's magic fails to work." I heartily agree.
The book is over 100 years old but still, a relevant and enjoyable exploration of the effects money, beauty, and purpose have on the human psyche.
Click here to see my full review: https://lovelearning619870804.wordpress.com/2024/02/27/focus-on-fitz-the-beautif... ( )

Different front cover on book we own

The Beautiful and the Damned by F. Scott Fitzgerald is a 1922 publication.

"Gatsby" was a school assignment for me- and although it was rare for me to enjoy assigned reading, I liked it. But, for some reason, I have never read another book by Fitzgerald. I have, though, been quite curious about him and his wife in their private life- which has been the subject of books and movies for years. I have several books on my Kindle about Zelda, which I had planned to work into my reading schedule sometime this year. But, in the meantime, I thought it would be a good idea to read another book by this author. I chose this one for two reasons- the simplest one was that I already had it on my Kindle, and because allegedly Fitzgerald had modeled the characters after himself and Zelda.

Unfortunately, the book fell flat for me. To begin with the characters are not at all likeable. They are too empty, shallow, lazy… and BORING- with no redeeming qualities whatsoever. I kept thinking things would pick up- but they just kept getting worse with the characters circling the drain, even after they finally get what they thought would bring them happiness.

My experience with this book has given me second thoughts about reading anything about the Fitzgeralds- but because so much has been made about that marriage- and Zelda in particular, I’ll still probably delve into their lives at some point- but I’m not in a big hurry to tackle those books anytime soon, if they were anything like the couple in this book. Oy!

Overall, this book isn’t terribly long- but I felt like it took ages to read it and that’s never a good sign. I’m not sure I’ll ever tackle another novel by this author- but if I do, I’ll approach it with caution.

2 stars ( )

Spectacular writing. Riveting story. ( )

Many reviewers have criticised the book for its length and seeming verbosity. Yet, the book would suffer if it were as short as "The Great Gatsby." I preferred this book to "The Great Gatsby" for the meticulous manner in which F. Scott Fitzgerald depicted the two main protagonists in the book. They are imperfect creatures with fatal flaws. Their flaws are open for everyone to see.

He traced their downfall because they had nothing to do with their lives but party and wait for Anthony's grandfather to die and leave them his money.

Their marriage disintegrated, but I foresee them living together until the end of their days. More than this, the depiction of their fall in society and the disintegration of their characters is masterly. ( )