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The Beautiful and Damned
From Collins Classics and the author of ‘The Great Gatsby’ comes this razor-sharp satire on the excesses of the Jazz Age. From the author of The Great Gatsby, a tale of marriage and disappointment in the Roaring Twenties. Fitzgerald’s rich and detailed novel of the decadent Jazz Era follows the beautiful and vibrant Anthony Patch and his wife Gloria as they navigate the heady lifestyle of the young and wealthy in 1920s New York. Patch is the presumptive heir to his grandfather’s fortune, and keeps his equally spoiled wife in comfort while biding time until his grandfather’s death. Patch is unable to hold down any kind of job and spends his days in luxury, indulging in whatever pleasures are available. But as the money begins to fail, so does their marriage. Patch’s gradual descent into alcoholism, depression and alienation from his marriage ultimately lead to his ruin. Fitzgerald’s novel is a remorseless exploration of the horrors of an age of excess and lost innocence. F. Scott Fitzgerald is regarded as one of the greatest American writers of the 20th century. Despite his present popularity, Fitzgerald was often in financial trouble, due to the fact that only one of his novels sold well enough to support the extravagant lifestyle that he and his wife Zelda adopted, and later Zelda’s medical bills. His novel The Great Gatsby has sold millions of copies and remains a continual best-seller.
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The Great Gatsby
Its the Roaring Twenties, and New York City is the place to be. Everything can be purchased, everyone can be bought. But, can you make money erase your past? Its the Roaring Twenties, and it is the time of over-indulgence. As far as the eyes can see and the mind can perceive, there are ostentatious displays of wealth and even more lavish displays of decadency. Unapologetic decadency. But, does it ever stop? Its the Roaring Twenties, and the great American Dream has been perverted. It no longer stands for anything profound that resonates with people. But, does the Idealism even attempt to stop the Materialism? As more and more people lose themselves to the lure of money, ironically the only person who remains unaffected is Jay Gatsby, the enigmatic host of the most extravagant parties . . . In this definitive tale on American culture, Fitzgerald pits a chaste dream against the corrupting influences of wealth and comes up with an epic story that can only be defined as a Great American novel.