Thursday, August 18, 2005

This Side of a Bad Book

I finished (finally) F. Scott Fitzgerald's "This Side of Paradise". And I have to say, despite accolades I've read that it's better than "The Great Gatsby".. it might be one of the most tedious books I've ever read. It's the story of Amory Blaine, growing up through the 1900's. I should have read between the lines - it was the worst "coming of age" book I've read yet.
Its saving grace was in the last 20 pages, in which it transformed into a semi-Socialist "Atlas Shrugged", and some really interesting (and though often rehashed, probably original ideas at the time) points of view. But they could have done without the previous 270 pages. My eyes are sore from rolling in my head. Don't waste your time - read the last 20 pages, and count yourself lucky.

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