'The Beautiful and Damned', by F. Scott Fitzgerald: Review

(This review briefly goes over the plot and ending of the book.)

The Beautiful and Damned was Fitzgerald's second novel and set in New York's 'cafe society' of the 1920's.

Anthony Patch has never worked a day in his life due to his very wealthy grandfather who supports his self-indulgent lifestyle. He makes lackadaisical attempts at writing in his spare time, but doesn't seem able to stick at it. When he meets Gloria, a narcissistic who is familiar with receiving men's affections, he is determined to make her his; however, when she rejects him, Anthony becomes tormented and obsessed. Upon meeting several months later, Gloria finds herself attracted to him, and they pursue a brief courtship before getting married.

As Anthony believes that he will receive a sumptuous inheritance from his grandfather upon his passing, the couple indulge in a car, a second house, and endless parties which gradually eat into their income. Anthony's grandfather eventually realises that his grandson has no intention of making anything of himself when he makes a surprise appearance at one of his famous parties, and any hope of inheritance is seemingly dashed. Still, the couple continue to spend at an alarming rate and it soon becomes apparent that their lifestyle is impossible to maintain; Gloria tries to convince Anthony to work, however he struggles to stick with anything as he just doesn't want to be employed. When his grandfather dies, their fear of receiving little or no money is confirmed when all of the money is distributed among distant cousins, and the couple enter a lengthy court case to contest the will. Their arguments become more and more frequent until war breaks out and Anthony is drafted into the army, yet upon his return his need to do nothing returns and he sinks into alcoholism. Soon after spending their very last dollar in the pub, the couple find out that they won the court case and have received millions.

It's obvious, but I just didn't like these characters. I found them to be completely intolerable and only stuck with the book to see how their story ended, which was even more infuriating. The book actually ends with Patch saying, "I showed them . . . it was a hard fight, but I didn't give up and I came through!". So years of scrimping and scraping, arguing, alcoholism, losing all of their friends and the regards of his closest living relative was worth it in the end, just so that he didn't have to work? I really believe that we're supposed to despise these characters because at no point did Fitzgerald give Anthony and Gloria any redeemable traits. I understand that their attitudes and personalities are a result of nurture and the time that they were in, yet other characters born in the same 'leisure culture' appeared to have interesting and fulfilling lives, so I couldn't be sympathetic.

I wasn't really a fan of The Great Gatsby and I really struggled with this one too, so perhaps the writing style just isn't for me, but I also struggled because The Beautiful and Damned didn't have enough structure or a strong enough plot to go on for as long as it did. I think the story of Anthony and Gloria would have made an interesting short story, but their lives were too dull to expand any further than that.

This novel offers an insight into the kind of lifestyle open to select few in the 1920's and so in that sense it was worthwhile, however it didn't really float my boat.

Rating: 1/5