
This Side of Paradise
“The glorious spirit of abounding youth glows throughout this fascinating tale…As a picture of the daily existence of what we call loosely ‘college men,’ this book is as nearly perfect as such a work could be…It could have been written only by an artist who knows how to balance his values, plus a delightful literary style.”
New York Times
F. Scott Fitzgerald’s first novel features Amory Blaine, a handsome, wealthy, spoiled, and snobbish young man from the Midwest who attends Princeton University to acquire a refined sense of the proper “social” values. Lacking all sense of purpose, he interests himself primarily in literary cults, vaguely “liberal” student activities, and a series of flirtations with some rather predatory young ladies. Partially autobiographical, This Side of Paradise was credited with having invented the American flapper.
Praise
