This Side of Paradise

While known for The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald does have other published works. I am currently tackling, This Side of Paradise. Set in the early 1900's, I'm following egotistical Amory as he saunters through life.

About half-way through the book, I keep asking myself where the plot is going. However, I don't think Fitzgerald writes stories that are driven by plots. His focus serves more to provide portraits of his characters.

One thing that I really love about Fitzgerald is the romantic way he puts things. My favorite quote so far comes from the character of Monsignor Darcy, a mentor to the main character Amory. He says to young Amory, "At fifteen you had the radiance of early morning, at twenty you will begin to have the melancholy brilliance of the moon, and when you are my age you will give out, as I do, the genial golden warmth of 4 p.m."

What a sensational way to use light to compare life stages with the kind of wisdom and vigor a person will possess.

If nothing else, Fitzgerald is always a romantic escape for me and serves as a glimpse into the slow-paced and somewhat depressing world of young 1900's America.