Play Book Tag discussion

The Beautiful and Damned by F. Scott Fitzgerald - 3* - My Review

Published in 1922, this book is set mostly in New York during the Jazz Age. It follows the relationship between Anthony Patch and his girlfriend-wife, Gloria. They are part of New York’s high society and lead a rather dissolute lifestyle. Anthony expects to inherit a fortune from his grandfather, but when he is disowned, their lives take a downturn, and their relationship deteriorates. They appear to have everything – beauty, wealth, intelligence – but it is not enough to keep their lives from falling apart.

I have mixed feelings about this work. On the positive side, the prose is wonderful, and places the reader in the midst of a bygone era. On the negative side, it is difficult to root for these self-centered entitled people. It meanders a bit in the middle sections. It is not my favorite of Fitzgerald’s work, but I am glad to have read it.