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This Side of Paradise  By  cover art

This Side of Paradise

By: F. Scott Fitzgerald
Narrated by: Brian D'eon
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Publisher's summary

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s pseudo- autobiographical first novel. It describes life at Princeton among the glittering, bored, and disillusioned “lost generation” of post World War1 America. Published in 1920, when he was just 23, the novel was an overnight success and propelled Fitzgerald to instant stardom as spokesman of the Jazz Age.

Public Domain (P)2010 trout lake media
  • Unabridged Audiobook
  • Categories: Romance

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What listeners say about This Side of Paradise

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A Joy-Ride through Pompous Asseville

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, It was a wonderful listen. A story written by one pompous ass about other pompous asses. Not as good as The Great Gatsby but definitely up there.

What was one of the most memorable moments of This Side of Paradise?

It was a short book. I liked the whole journey. I will be buying more of F. Scott Fitzgerald's work and I will read this one again. What I like best is this man knows how to tell and great story with minimal words.

What about Brian D'eon’s performance did you like?

He was perfection. The accent and the attitude. He had it all.

If you could rename This Side of Paradise, what would you call it?

Leave the title. It is perfection. F Scott Fitzgerald picks great titles.

Any additional comments?

Read it. It is part American history most people don't experience first hand.

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10 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

pre-WWI joy

I think that I enjoyed this book more because of its period than anything. This is not the sort of book I would hand to just anyone and expect that they would like it. Of course this is no great gatsby and is, from what I understand, Fitzgerald's first novel written at age 23. I enjoyed it because I wanted to enjoy it, but don't expect to be wowed as with his true classics. This is about a privledged kid growing up and going through college. Reminds me at times almost like Catcher in the Rye, although Catcher came many decades later. Anyway, there are four or five versions of this on audible and this version has the best narrator. I was very pleased with the production. 5 stars.

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10 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

I just let it wash over me.

It's not a book I would normally read, but I just finished "Z", so I just had to see what it was all about. I didn't try to follow the story or look too deeply into any of it, I just let it wash over me and I found myself enjoying the experience. I would not have had the patients to actually read it, but having it read; and read so beautifully, was a truly pleasant experience. I think was the pros, it just flowed...

Over all it was a very nice experience. Can't wait to read Gatsby.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Slow at first, but so worth the read!

Brilliant and clever book, I love Fitzgerald's work and this book is no exception. The readers voice was hard to get used to at first, but I ended up really loving it.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Not Scott's best work

Some parts show brilliant character development, while other areas of his novel are just mediocre.
Scott shows his keen insights and knowledge of human emotions and academic absurdity.
The ending of this book was very abrupt, and left me curious why end it now.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Clasics: Re-Visited

Any additional comments?

This is my second time reading F. Scott's first novel. I first picked it up as an 18 year old Freshman in college on the recommendation of a beautiful and smart young women I was seeing at the time. I related so much to Amory and felt like his life at Princeton so nearly reflected mine. However, wen I went back for the second read through, I found myself much more interested in Amory's love affairs and how they personally related to the women I had dated. Rosalind Connage is so perfectly written. I couldn't even believe it. Fitzgerald's lessons are timeless classics and should be highly recommended to anyone of any age, BUT this book is the PERFECT read for young men who feel like college isn't quite working out for them. I remember so distinctly feeling unfulfilled, uninterested, and unimpressed by school and asking myself "is this for me?" much like Amory. Seeing those questions played out through Amory's life gave me an incredible reassurance that I wasn't alone.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Interesting but long and dry

I enjoyed this Side of Paradise. It's strange story about a selfish and egotistical person kinda of learning who they are. I enjoyed most of the the time Emory spent at Princeton. It's the attitude and feel of the story that is interesting not really the content. The performance was great.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Irritating- Performance Average

I read this after reading about Zelda Fitzgerald. The publication of this novel changed the Fitzgerald’s life forever and wanted to see what all the fuss was about. I also plan to compare this to Sinclair Lewis’ novel of the same time period “Main Street.”

That said, I did not enjoy this. It made sense in comparison to the egotistical and hoity character of F. Scott Fitzgerald, which I learned about in my other reading. Still, I found it hard to digest the narcissistic and try-to-hard illusions. The storyline was overridden by all the literary tools Fitzgerald found more important and I can’t think of a better place for this novel than a high school English class as a study of literary devices.

The reading was average- not bad, but nothing stood out. A great deal for the price I paid (about $4). It’s hard to tell if my distaste for the story influenced how I feel about the performance.

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Meh

What disappointed you about This Side of Paradise?

Pretty boring. Its basically a diary of a boring, narcissistic person. Im still not sure why this was so popular at the time. However, I think if you are interested in the author, I think it is an interesting insight into Fitzgerald's mind and youth.

Would you be willing to try another one of Brian D'eon’s performances?

Yes

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  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

F Scott is a talentless windbag

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

If I could return the book and get it off my phone memory.

What could F. Scott Fitzgerald have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

Having a plot would be nice. Putting a conflict in the story would be nice too.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Brian D'eon?

It's not the narrator's fault that the story is bad.

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from This Side of Paradise?

I would not have published him at all. The whole first part was pointless and a waist of time.

Any additional comments?

Don't get this book.

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