The Diamond as Big as the Ritz

This was my introduction to Fitzgerald and I can say that it was an agreeable experience. Fitzgerald may have been a bit decadent but he was by no means pretentious, nor oblivious of the flaws, or weaknesses if you will, of the rich. These stories are witty, partly observational, partly imaginary sketches of life in the 1920's in America. Fitzgerald, himself only 24 at that time, writes about young men and women of roughly that age. The stories take place at dances and balls, in hotels and clubs and are mainly concerned with the harsh social demands made in a milieu like that, and the hardship these young people experience trying to live up to them. Read 'Tender Is The Night' next.

This book contains 5 charming tales that range from the bittersweet ("Bernice bobs her hair") over the cautionary ("The Ice Palace") to the tragic ("May Day") and the grotesque ("The Diamond as Big as the Ritz").The fifth story is "The Bowl". The stories are indeed set in the jazz age (1920's)and tell about the (mis)fortunes of young men and women, high school kids, college students and the like, at that time. So imagine proms, high school dances, romances, a lot of drinking and fighting done by the men and a lot of gossip and rivalry among the women. The writing is excellent and brings forth vivid imagery in rich detail. So you've got a book about an interesting subject (1920's American high-life) that is also beautifully written. Where I come from that's called a good deal.

For those who like F. Scott Fitzgerald, this is a really good book; for those who for their own reasons dislike him, here they are going to find more of the same.In this book are contained around five or so of Fitzgerald's stories; in them, his writing style seems as being youthful: more 'This Side of Paradise' and playful than contrived. The title story is clever and more-or-less a fairy tale; for every echo of Maugham that you can find in some of these stories, there are two or three echoes hinting that Fitzgerald grasped a lot of the wicked strangeness of the world and class more like J.D. Salinger....This is a really good book.... and for ..., if you haven't read it, buy it in company with another book to save on shipping....

For those who like F. Scott Fitzgerald, this is a really good book; for those who for their own reasons dislike him, here they are going to find more of the same.In this book are contained around five or so of Fitzgerald's stories; in them, his writing style seems as being youthful: more 'This Side of Paradise' and playful than contrived. The title story is clever and more-or-less a fairy tale; for every echo of Maugham that you can find in some of these stories, there are two or three echoes hinting that Fitzgerald grasped a lot of the wicked strangeness of the world and class more like J.D. Salinger....This is a really good book.... and for $1.80, if you haven't read it, buy it in company with another book to save on shipping....

This book is absolutely fabulous. I like the style of Fitzgerald, and I believe that in this masterpiece he is in the peak of his talent. The book has a very effective style, and teaches its readers about what it aims. I also reccomend 'The Short Stories 'of F. S. Fitzgerald.