This Side of Paradise

De: F. Scott Fitzgerald

Narrado por: Robertson Dean

Duración: 9 h y 10 m

Resumen del Editor

If the Roaring Twenties are remembered as the era of "flaming youth", it was F. Scott Fitzgerald who lit the fire. His semiautobiographical first novel, This Side of Paradise, became an instant best seller and established an image of seemingly carefree, party-mad young men and women out to create a new morality for a new, post-war America. It traces the early life of Amory Blaine from the end of prep school through Princeton to the start of an uncertain career in New York City.

Alternately self-confident and self-effacing, torn between ambition and idleness, the self-absorbed, immature Amory yearns to run with Princeton's rich, fast crowd and become one of the "gods" of the campus. Hopelessly romantic, he learns about love and sex from a series of beautiful young "flappers", women who leave him both exhilarated and devastated.

Fitzgerald describes it all in intensely lyrical prose that fills the novel with a heartbreaking sense of longing, as Amory comes to understand that the sweet-scented springtime of his life is fragile and fleeting, disappearing into memory even as he reaches for it.

Public Domain (P)2010 Tantor

A consummate experience for the seasoned American

The narrator heightened the brilliance of this first novel of Fitzgerald. Written in the early 1920s, the American experience of Fitzgerald upper middle-class realizes in prose his young creative years. It is no wonder his genius overwhelmed his passionate emotional mind. Fitzgerald died at 44 in a small apartment in Hollywood, sober but spent.

Perfect book for a trip to Princeton

It’s not The Great Gatsby, but clearly demonstrates F. Scott Fitzgerald’s gift as a writer.

Fitzgerald fan

I love all Fitzgerald’s novels. Ranking them, Tender is the night ranks first because it is powerful with great psychological depth. The beautiful and the damned is second because the story is interesting. This side of paradise is third because some scenes are great and others boring. The great gatsby is his worst in my opinion because the characters aren’t that complex and the protagonist is way too passive.

One of the better classics I've listened to

I, personally, enjoyed this book. I found it very interesting and informative as it is semi-autobiographical of F. Scott Fitzgerald. The good, the bad, and the ugly of that era as it related to the author make it very interesting. I'm finding myself a fan of Fitzgerald's writing.

Probably should’ve read it myself

It was ruined for me by the guy who read it. He had a BEAUTIFUL voice, but he used it as a crutch. There was no music or emotion to it and was extremely hard to pay attention to, much less follow. Fitzgerald can be circumlocutory which can make his stories tough to follow anyway. I probably should’ve just read the book myself.

still relevant

amazing how contemporary the ideas and political philosophy are today with the socialist-democratic party we have now.

Beautiful story

This book involves some deal of philosophy struggles and thinking, yet is very entertaining to read(or listen). If you like to dig deep into yourself, you might enjoy the life of Amory and his self analyzes.

My favorite Fitzgerald novel

I’ve read Gatsby and Tender Is The Night multiple times - for school and again for pleasure. I listened to this reading of This Side of Paradise in a quick few days because I was enthralled from the start. It is my first time reading/listening to this book. I guess I imagined that his debut novel would be less gripping than subsequent books. But I love this one the most because Fitzgerald is speaking directly to his reader before he was a success, his enthusiasms are unbridled, his youthful passions are offered up- it’s intimate, unique. He is unapologetically intellectual while being insecure and aspiring. He fills the pages with poetry and discussions of literary authors, politics, sociology, and he is such a keen observer of society. It’s like opening up the society pages from the 1920’s, very fun and an honest look at the rules for young men and women in the upper classes. Amory Blaine’s description of his brief affair with Eleanor Savage captures her cleverness and extraordinary individuality -she is a fully realized female character who surpasses Fitzgerald’s drawing of Daisy Buchanan or Nicole Diver. Highly recommend listening to this reader. I had a wonderful time and I’m sorry it’s over.

a long boring book but well read

I struggled to finish this one. it was more of a gloomy monologue of a man's life and how selfish he is. it ended as mundane as it began. the reader however did an excellent job considering the material he had to work with

Brilliant, beautifully written, and timely

I honestly think I like it better than the Great Gatsby. Brilliantly and beautifully written.