‘The Beautiful and Damned’ by F. Scott Fitzgerald

What can I say about F. Scott Fitzgerald that has not already been said? I'll simply describe my personal response to The Beautiful and Damned and will endeavour to keep it brief for fear of doling out multiple exhausted platitudes.

I've been meaning to read more Fitzgerald for quite some time now, having found myself entranced by that landmark literary gem of his, The Great Gatsby, and the evocative and oxymoronic title of this particular novel has always appealed to me, so I finally forced myself to stop lollygagging and start about reading it.

And I am certainly glad that I did: Anthony and Gloria Patch, the titular hero and heroine of this dazzling novel, epitomise a certain brand of Jazz Age glamour that is at once wholly desirable and utterly overrated. After countless evenings are squandered in a haze of high-balls and high spirits, along with the added sting of abruptly squashed dreams - his in writing, hers in a movie career - their steady descent into the lower ranks becomes difficult to ignore. Neither will commit to any particular enterprise, and they fight in vain for their share of Patch's late grandfather's estate as they feel it is their only real reason to live.

It is a wonderful albeit sobering tale with a 'be careful what you wish for' message, a warning about the precarious nature of social standing, recounted in delicate yet devastating prose by one of the master stylists of American letters. It is not quite as polished an affair as Gatsby, but the makings of an unforgettable talent are all too clear to see - The Beautiful and Damned is a book that I would pass on without a beat of hesitation.

This piece was originally published on alisonlaurabell.tumblr.com in November 2011.