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    The Beautiful and Damned
    The Beautiful and Damned
    The Beautiful and Damned
    Audiobook15 hours

    The Beautiful and Damned

    Written by F. Scott Fitzgerald

    Narrated by Kirby Heyborne

    3.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    F. Scott Fitzgerald's second novel, The Beautiful and Damned, is a savage and haunting satire of the young, rootless postwar generation who live intent only on the pursuit of wealth and decadent pleasure. Anthony Patch is a 1920s socialite and the presumptive heir to a tycoon's fortune. His marriage to the beautiful but selfish Gloria is idyllic at first, but the union slowly disintegrates as reality sets in and their sole goal becomes Anthony's grandfather's fortune. Gloria's beauty fades, and Anthony's drinking takes its toll.



    Charting the corrosive attraction of wealth and malign influence, The Beautiful and Damned is also a vivid portrait of early-twentieth-century New York and the sights and sounds of the city's burgeoning night life.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateSep 22, 2010
    ISBN9781400189618
    Author

    F. Scott Fitzgerald

    F. Scott Fitzgerald (1896-1940) est l'un des plus grands écrivains américains du XXe siècle. Surtout connu pour son roman The Great Gatsby, il a capturé dans ses œuvres les excès et les désillusions de l'âge du jazz. Sa prose brillante, ses commentaires sociaux acérés et son exploration du rêve américain ont fait de lui une voix déterminante de la littérature américaine. Outre The Great Gatsby, il a écrit Tender Is the Night et This Side of Paradise.

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    Reviews for The Beautiful and Damned

    3.5/5

    54 ratings42 reviews

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    • 4/5
      Being bulky compared to Scott's other gems, may arouse faint hopes of an epic. The Beautiful and the Damned isn't quite that, but it does plumb the entrails of a relationship. The novel isn't about seltzer and sernades, nor invitations and the celebrity pages. It is about the sweet insomnia of expectations and the early chafing where discord gulps heavily. FSF gnaws within these pages. This isn't Homeric like Tender Is The Night. This is a novel of tingles and unexplained bruises. It is worth most people's time.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 4/5
      Dang. After suffering through The Great Gatsby several times for school (and once on my own to try and understand *why*) and a collection of his short stories, I assumed he was just a grossly overrated author. I thoroughly enjoyed this one however. The first part was overly long and drawn out, and the middling part was middling, but part three was of particular interest and may even inspire me to read other words of Fitzgerald's.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 4/5
      It makes sense that it was like this in the 20s. No need to feel sorry for the protagonists, but to see the follow of being spoilt - maybe this is the message? Or maybe there is no message at all, just a reflection of the beautiful and the damned. Not sure you can find any solace in being honest and poor, though. FSF always leaves me navel-gazing. I believe his work is much more than a simple depiction of the Jazz Age.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 2/5
      First book I read on the Kindle, not sure if that made it feel longer, but this book was a slow, often dull read.
    • 5/5
      If eggs didn't excite you before, they definetly will after reading this book. Eggs come is different sizes, colors, shapes, and textures. Some eggs are as small as jelly beans and others so big it takes two hands to hold it. Read this book to see how interesting eggs really are.
    • 3/5
      It took me forever to finish The Beautiful and the Damned. Not only because it drags on (a lot) and I have low boredom threshold, but because I didn't enjoy spending time with Anthony and Gloria Patch. Reading TBATD – at least in the beginning - felt like going from one party to the next and always ending up with a crowd you don’t like – which turns the whole night out into a bit of a disappointment.

      However, there is also something quite gripping about the book.

      For a start there is some wonderful writing. This is just one that stuck with me - it describes the routine of Gloria’s lunch appointments at around the time when she meets Anthony:

      “With her fork she would tantalize the heart of an adoring artichoke, while her escort served himself up in the thick, dripping sentences of an enraptured man.”

      And then there is that FSF injected some his personal experiences into the story. The obvious parallels are that couple live in an apartment in New York, Anthony joining the Army, and the importance of alcohol. Although, FSF may not have been able to predict in 1922 that similar to Anthony, his own life would be unraveled by alcoholism.

      But what clinched the decision to not give up on the story for me was the very aspect that made it so hard to finish. The protagonists are unlikable (I could not even warm to Gloria’s sass). They have no aspirations, and the description of their wasted lives made reading about them at times seem like a waste of time, too. And then it occurred to me that I didn't dislike the story, only the characters, and then I very much wanted to see them fail.
    • 4/5
      3.5* for the book with an extra half star for the narration by William Dufris.To be honest, I liked this novel more than I expected to (not being a big fan of Fitzgerald).
    • 3/5
      Though there is a lot of useless "bla bla" that goes on in this book, dialogue that one would only understand in the time and place, the overall story is gripping. One of the best ending I've read.
    • 4/5
      Cautionary tale about depravity and decadence. Very flowery writing style which is hit-or-miss. Still pretty good, though.
    • 3/5
      Marvellous title and powerful description of the marriage of the rich, young and beautiful is damned to unhappiness. Too long though.
    • 4/5
      In 1913, a 25-year-old man, Anthony Patch, falls in love with a socialite named Gloria. The pair is ill-suited, neither one practical or hardworking, but their passionate love is based more on momentary infatuation than a long-lasting partnership. What follows is their marriage and then their inevitable disillusionment with each other and their lives. Fitzgerald’s gift for language is clear in every description. His novel paints a poetic picture, even though the characters themselves fill you with disdain. “Things are sweeter when they're lost. I know—because once I wanted something and got it. It was the only thing I ever wanted badly, Dot. And when I got it it turned to dust in my hands.""I've often thought that if I hadn't got what I wanted things might have been different with me. I might have found something in my mind and enjoyed putting it in circulation. I might have been content with the work of it, and had some sweet vanity out of the success."The progression of their marriage is all too familiar. They’re delighted with each new thing they discover about each other. Every new behavior is endearing instead of infuriating, but soon the delightful revelations turn to irritating quirks and then to soul-crushing habits. As you learn who your spouse truly is, flaws and all, it can be incredibly painful to come to terms with the marriage if you’ve chosen badly. “It was, at first, a keen disappointment; later, it was one of the times when she controlled her temper." Their downfall is so tragic because it’s so inevitable, yet it still comes as a surprise to them. They are trapped in a state of arrested development, perpetual partiers who are shocked when they begin to grow older and realize the life they love requires money that they don’t have. Anthony is a pitiful character. He expects his family to give him money and has never had to work for a living. Because of this he has a view of self-importance but a lack of self-respect. As the story progresses he loses himself more and more in drink. Gloria reminded me of Estella from Great Expectations. She’s so admired that most men bore her. She flits from one to another with no real attachment. It’s not until she’s unhappily married for years that she begins to grow up. Her downfall feels all the more tragic because she doesn’t really become aware of what she values and desires until she is saddle with an alcoholic husband and those dreams are even farther out of reach.BOTTOM LINE: For me it’s Fitzgerald’s writing and not his characters or plot that make him great. Tender is the Night is still my favorite of his books, but this one captures that unique moment in time when an entire generation glittered with hope before reality set in. That oft repeated pattern still rings true today when bright-eyed millennials realize the party finally has to stop. “In a panic of despair and terror Anthony was brought back to America, wedded to a vague melancholy that was to stay beside him through the rest of his life.”"A classic," suggested Anthony, "is a successful book that has survived the reaction of the next period or generation.” “Surely the freshness of her cheeks was a gossamer projection from a land of delicate and undiscovered shades; her hand gleaming on the stained table-cloth was a shell from some far and wildly virginal sea…." 
    • 3/5
      Beautifully written but story left me a little cold.
    • 4/5
      This book interested me, but at the same time bored me. The characters were not at all likeable in anyway. The book was slow and lacked an intriging plot line. However, I would recommend it. I think this book is almost dead on alot of upper class lives back then and now. I was personally able to relate the characters to people in my own life.
    • 3/5
      This book contains the summary phrase: “It was a triumph of Lethargy”. This phrase could form part of an alternative title, like those of many Victorian novels: “The Beautiful and the Damned, Or, the Triumph of Lethargy”.

      In 1913 Anthony Patch is a rich young man in New York, newly graduated, with undefined ambitions for some form of accomplishment. He has a millionaire grandfather, now an ageing bore, from whom he hopes one day to inherit. He meets and becomes infatuated with Gloria, the beautiful daughter of rich mid-westerners, and after some minor difficulties they marry and become rich idle young things together. Somewhere in the background of their unengaged lives, World War 1 starts. They continue their social rounds and enjoy their place in the country along with their New York apartment. Adam occasionally thinks of employment, but he has plenty of money even though he is slowly working through his capital - perhaps it's an unconscious attempt destroy his life. Slowly, as their money slides away, Anthony and Gloria are drifting apart. Antony falls out with his grandfather and is disinherited. His lifebelt has vanished.

      There's a lot of talk about the meaning of it all. At one point, Gloria says, “There's no lesson to be learnt from life”: maybe she'd been reading Chekov.

      America eventually enters the war, Anthony is called up, has a sad affair in a southern town near his training camp, but as he is about to be shipped off to war, peace is declared. He returns to his wife in New York, they grow poorer, become alcoholics. The ending has little surprise.

      Hmmm … obviously there is a lot more to the book than this bland summary, and it's worth reading because of it. But the repulsive lives of Antony and Gloria overwhelmed me, and drowned out the sensitively elucidated explanations. I don't consider myself to be a left-wing ideologue; but the lapsed protestant in me revolts. Even Gatsby actually did something. Living off a great pile of money seeping interest payments like sour honey, to no purpose, is a horrid thing.
    • 4/5
      This book is a marvel of styles: it can sometimes be very classically descriptive, even poetic in its romantic passages, or it can be quick witted dialogue and read like a play. The pace of the novel, as well, brilliantly changes as events precipitate: the first books set the stage: a fun-loving, party-going couple with no cares; the reader can predict tragedy, an inexorable end, until the war arrives and the whole dynamic changes. All of a sudden, the pace quickens, the characters, instead of seizing a chance for change, sink further into their habits until Anthony's alcoholism becomes pitiable and Gloria's vanity ridiculous. I did wonder how it would all end, and the ending is predictably dramatic - it was the irony that threw me off.Fitzgerald's characters are not likable, nor are they meant to be, but they are intensely human and real, both puppets and makers of their lives. Although there are some lengthy passages, ultimately, the reader will become attached to these touching figures.
    • 4/5
      F. Scott Fitzgerald’s second novel centers around Anthony Patch and his beautiful wife Gloria. Inspired by Scott and Zelda themselves, this couple live wildly in 1920s New York, seeking pleasure at any cost.Anthony, a would-be aristocrat waiting for his inheritance, spends his bachelor days at clubs, attending raucous parties, and entertaining women. When he meets Gloria, a beautiful golden girl bursting with life, he immediately falls in love with her. The two marry and proceed to have as grand a time as possible. Once married, Anthony and Gloria come to see each others’ flaws. Anthony can’t bear working and lives off of his small allowance. He can’t make definitive judgements, doesn’t know how to say no, and is incredibly possessive of Gloria. Gloria is selfish, wild, and as vain as she is beautiful. The two share an equally passionate and tumultuous relationship.Anthony and Gloria live a life as carefree as can be, throwing lavish parties and drinking all night. They shirk any type of responsibility, reveling in their youth and beauty. They begin to live well beyond their means, sure of inheriting a windfall when Anthony’s grandfather dies. However, their dreams come crashing down when the couple are caught in a disrespectable position and Anthony is disinherited. It’s shocking and terrible, but they don’t let the loss of their inheritance cramp their style! Oh no, they fight the will, continuing to live large all the while. Gloria has the odd notion that as long as she can be happy today, the future doesn’t matter. It’s totally fine if they spend all of their money now; when she’s old and poor, she won’t care about having a fine time. Because that makes all the sense in the world.The couple goes on, desperate for wealth but unwilling to work for it, living extravagantly despite their lack of fortune. As their lust for money consumes them, their partnership begins to fall apart.I didn’t love this book as much as The Great Gatsby, but I thought it was an excellent portrayal of 1920s New York. The Beautiful and Damned is such a perfect title for it, perfectly capturing the empty decadence of the time. It’s a classic Fitzgerald theme: characters seeking pleasure in lavish parties and expensive things but ultimately finding them empty. Characters being destroyed by their desires, desires which have no basis in reality.“Things are sweeter when they’re lost. I know — because once I wanted something and got it. It was the only thing I ever wanted badly, Dot. And when I got it it turned to dust in my hands.”Anthony and Gloria live a hedonistic lifestyle and willfully ignore all consequences of their actions. I couldn’t like either of them, but it was impossible to look away from the train wreck of their relationship. It’s a dark book with an ending that caught me off guard. I don’t want to spoil anything, so I’ll just ask people who have already read the book: What did you think of the ending? Do you think it was fitting for Anthony and Gloria? What do you think will happen next?See the full review at Books Speak Volumes.
    • 3/5
      Every once in a while I will see a 2-star review for Hamlet, or Pride & Prejudice, or some such, and I will laugh at the hubris. That fact alone may explain why this is a 3 rather than a 2-star review. I fear people scoffing at me the way I scoff at those ridiculous 2-stars-for-Hamlet fools. So my fragile ego and the fact that Scott could write the hell out of sentence make this a 3-star. There were sentences so perfect in this I sighed with something approaching arousal. (Yes, great writing turns me on. Go ahead and judge me, but as a fetish advanced literary craftsmanship is rather tame.) The story in The Beautiful and Damned, on the other hand, made me sigh only with vexation. Gloria and Anthony are horrible characters. I don't say that because the are bad people or because I did not like them. They are bad people, and I did not like them, but often I enjoy reading about bad people I don't like. No, Gloria and Anthony are bad characters because they are one-note, charmless, stupid, lazy, vapid half-formed people. They are, simply, not interesting. This is a couple that makes Vanessa and Nick Lachey seem like Simone de Bouvior and Jean Paul Sartre. What happens to them does not matter. Was I sort of rooting for them to die in ditches covered with suppurating sores? Yeah, maybe. But I wasn't rooting with real gusto because I just did not care enough to bring any gusto to the party. The reading of this book brought on feelings of impatience and lethargy. I am no literary critic, but I am pretty sure that is a bad thing. Things improved in the last 75ish pages, but the improvement did not significantly redeem the whole. One good thing about the end of the book, the introduction of Dot made me realize there could be a character more unappealing than Gloria.Also, it is worth noting that Scott really toned down his racism and anti-semetism in Gatsby and This Side of Paradise. Both were on regular and appalling display here. It is physically uncomfortable to read parts of this book even when you go in knowing that Fitzgerald was a White Power kinda guy.
    • 3/5
      Fitzgerald is WAY too verbose and full of himself. Not a likable character in the lot.
    • 3/5
      F. Scott Fitzgerald is an interesting and problematic writer for me. The Great Gatsby (which FSF wanted to call "Under the Red, White and Blue") is a great book, that not only features stellar writing and compelling characters, but that managed to capture the ethos of an entire age. All of the glitz, glamour, and greed of roaring 20s New York is encapsulated in that work, and it's one of my favorites. In contrast, This Side of Paradise was so juvenile in both writing and sentiment that I had to drop it before I was half-way through. The Beautiful and Damned falls in between these two other works, without being remarkably good or remarkably bad. In fact, that's a good way to sum how I felt about The Beautiful and Damned: it was rather unremarkable.

      Like This Side of Paradise, the writing here doesn't come off as fully matured. There are nice turns of phrase and descriptions sprinkled (rather conservatively) throughout the work, but oftentimes the writing struck me as something FSF thought was terribly clever, despite not being very substantive. An example is that at various points the book shifts form to that of a closet drama, with all the characters becoming parts in a play. The thing is, though, that FSF doesn't use this shift in form to do anything that he couldn't already do in the style of the rest of the book: FSF's dialogue is already very reminiscent of play dialogue, so making the format more play-like isn't at all memorable. There's a reason why we remember FSF today in connection with his books, and not in connection to his Hollywood writing career.

      The subject matter of the book is likewise very immature. The two main characters, Anthony and Gloria, both unlikable for different reasons, putter about New York. They lounge away their days and they party through their nights, with both lamenting their (rather desirable) financial situation but with neither doing anything about it. Eventually something happens that's the equivalent of them not winning the lottery due to their own incompetence, and this turn is interpreted by them both as a tragedy that becomes the main factor driving the plot going forward. Anthony at one point goes to train for deployment in World War I, but the story makes that development all about him and fails to communicate what that experience was actually like. Not much happens in this book, and what does happen doesn't feel symbolic of society in the 20s like the action in The Great Gatsby did. When the book satirizes something, like the dating process in the 20s, it feels more like FSF did it by accident. The end of the story tries to recast this tale as one about the harmful nature of pride and stubbornness, but the problems of Anthony and Gloria are clearly stem from laziness and a mental inability to do anything but lounge and party- the story is more tied to the sins of sloth and avarice, so the ending pretending that it's about something else felt strange. Also abrupt. Finally, toward the end, FSF gives a shout out to his own book This Side of Paradise, an action that always makes me cringe.

      It sounds terrible to say, but I think The Beautiful and Damned stands for the proposition that FSF had to go through some real pain and tragedy in order to evolve as a writer, with this work predating that occurrence. Like This Side of Paradise, this book felt immature in writing and subject matter, though not quite to the same degree. Once FSF experienced some actual hardship, I'm betting he was better able to craft an effective text, and because of this I'm adding Tender is the Night to my to-read pile. Unfortunately Fitzgerald's work predating Gatsby has all proven lackluster to me, but I'm hopeful that is last work realizes his potential as a writer- otherwise I'll be forced to consider Gatsby a fluke.
    • 3/5
      I hereby give notice that I think F. Scott Fitzgerald is one of the most overrated writers of the twentieth century. The more I read of his works, the less I like him. Sure, he knows how to turn a phrase but he lacks what is essential to all truly good writers - how to make characters who appeal to the common man. This seems to me to be his major problem and will ultimately lead to his downfall from the pedestal upon which his friends in the New York publishing world had placed him. Who cares about the spoiled wealthy and their angst over empty lives? Every one of his books are similar in this respect.
    • 2/5
      Tedious in the extreme with a profoundly unsatisfying resolution. The characters are boring, the social criticism is not particularly sharp or interesting, and absolutely nothing changes from one end of the novel to the other. In Edith Wharton's hands, this story would have been a funny, biting social commentary; in Fitzgerald's, it's not even a half-hearted indictment of the upper classes but rather a limping, uneven chronicle of the boy who never grew up. It's not clear to me whether the story wants to be perceived as tragic, but it fails through the sheer hatefulness of the protagonists. Not one of Fitzgerald's better efforts, to say the least.
    • 3/5
      I kind of hated the characters, which may have been the point, but which makes it difficult to like the book. There were also descriptive passages which I felt outlasted their usefulness, although this is probably true of the great majority of written fiction.

      What I liked about this book was how Fitzgerald would pick a psychological pattern and run with it. Many of these patterns were things I had recognized in my own life. There were a reasonable number of times when I would think "a-ha! I knew it would turn out that way!"

      For an 88 year old book it has aged well; it's still quite readable and comprehensible. This edition also has sparse endnotes (this is a good thing) which were usually actually relevant.
    • 2/5
      Tedious, although enjoyable at times.
    • 3/5
      The only other books I've read by F. Scott Fitzgerald, prior to this one, are The Great Gatsby and Tender Is the Night. Both are wonderful, especially The Great Gatsby.The Beautiful and Damned has many pointers to the greatness that was to follow just three years later with the publication of The Great Gatsby Unlike The Great Gatsby, this is long and sprawling novel and that is its great weakness. Some judicious editing might have resulted in another masterpiece. The Beautiful and Damned explores luxury's disappointment, and the corrupting and corrosive power of money. The couple at the heart of the story have it all and yet conspire to end the story as utterly broken and tragic.As anyone who has already F. Scott Fitzgerald would expect, there is some stunning writing here and the book beautifully evokes the monied social milieu of the East Coast of the 1920s. The Beautiful and Damned is worth reading - but read The Great Gatsby first. 3/5
    • 4/5
      Good Lord, Fitzgerald, you can write depression like nobody’s business. While I could never call The Beautiful and the Damned an enjoyable read, per se, I can definitely say that Fitzgerald is a master of character study. His portrayal of the downward spiral of Anthony and Gloria is just as wrenching today as it must have been in the twenties. How often do we see the mighty socialites fall; the tabloids are covered with such stories. Difference is, Fitzgerald writes about them beautifully. If you’ve ever known someone in the throes of alcoholism, you’ll recognize them in Anthony Patch. If you’ve ever known a woman (or man, I guess) who cannot let go of their youth, who has only one strength in the world — their beauty — and who loses it as they age, you know Gloria. You’ll even recognize others in the secondary characters — the suicidal Dot who can’t be without her man, the once-great author who starts to write shtick for cash, the groups of friends who party themselves into oblivion. It’s all here. And Fitzgerald’s beautiful, light, honest writing does it all justice. Nearly a hundred years later, The Beautiful and the Damned is just as relevant.
    • 4/5
      An excellent tale of dissipation and the perils of moral groundlessness, however not, in my opinion, as brilliant as Tender is the Night or the Great Gatsby. At times a tad rambling, including Fitzgerald's annoying habit of lapsing into thinly disguised social commentary or litcrit. However, he remains in my opinion one of the most gifted writers ever to put pen to paper. His lyricism is breathtaking, and at his best no one can compare with him.
    • 3/5
      Though I had a little trouble getting into it (couldn't quite tell whether Fitzgerald's tone was detached, sarcastic, ironic, or sympathetic), I ended up being quite taken with this look at a different sort of "beat" generation. I appreciated that Fitzgerald did not attempt to romanticize his subjects; made me trust him more. It sometimes felt aimless as a novel, but that's kind of the point. Sad, often bleak, ultimately tragic, I think this is generally overlooked in descriptions of his canon, but I'm glad to have read it, if only because I was always intrigued by the title. And I'm sometimes a sucker for sad, bleak, tragic...
    • 4/5
      I found this book to be a bit rambling at times, but overall an excellent portrayal of what happens to us when we are greedy, self indulgent and expect others to solve our problems.Set in the wonderful Jazz Age in New York, The Beautiful and Damned is the story of Anthony Patch, a Havard educated aspiring writer, and loafer and his wife Gloria,a petulant party girl's downward spiral after their brief courtship and marriage. Basically Anthony and Gloria are waiting patiently for his grandfather Adam Patch to die, so that they will inherit his multimillion dollar estate. Neither one feels as though they should work and instead live on a small trust income and sell bonds to pay their bills and afford liquor, cigarettes, and domestic help.What happens next is an important lesson about reality, becoming a responsible adult and what brings true happiness. A great read although it is perhaps a little lenghty.
    • 4/5
      I had very mixed feelings about this book. My main criticism is that the characters were all completely terrible people so it was hard to be fully invested in what happened to them. There was also one Japanese character who was portrayed in a very racist way, and a horrific instance of animal abuse that really upset me.But in spite of these problems, overall I still enjoyed the book. The language was exquisite. The major characters were living, breathing people, and even minor characters who only appeared very briefly were described in interesting ways. I felt like I could be inspired by this book as far as ways to improve my own writing, which is the mark of really good writing to me.My favourite moment in the book came from a conversation the main character had with a friend about contemporary fiction:"You know these new novels make me tired. My God! Everywhere I go some silly girl asks me if I've read 'This Side of Paradise.' Are our girls really like that? If it's true to life, which I don't believe, the next generation is going to the dogs. I'm sick of all this shoddy realism. I think there is a place for the romanticist in literature.""This Side of Paradise"? F. Scott Fitzgerald's first book! So that unexpected little bit of self-deprecation made me laugh aloud.
    • 4/5
      Dismal DeadbeatsThe Beautiful and Damned is Fitzgerald's second book and is set in pre Jazz Age NYC. It is a dark and depressing story of the American aristocracy and nouveau-riche. The author writes a scathing commentary on society life and his tone is cynical and critical of nearly every character he introduces us to.There is nothing redeeming about our two selfish and shallow protagonists, Anthony and Gloria. It's all about greed, manipulation, pettiness and depravity. If, as is thought, Gloria is based on Fitzgerald's wife, Zelda, it's not a very flattering portrayal. Gloria is trading on her beauty and Anthony on his promised inheritance. I felt no sympathy for these two, who find themselves in dire straits due mostly to their hedonism and stupidity. Both are pathetic.While there are very many well written passages, some parts of the novel seemed over long. The story did keep me guessing as it unfolded, but I anticipated a bad end to this well-matched couple: well-matched in their extreme narcissism and lack of morale ethic. Fitzgerald thoroughly convinced me there was nothing glamorous about the endless partying, resulting alcoholism and broken, useless lives of the Beautiful and Damned.