This Side of Paradise

A semi-autobiographical exploration of youthful ambition and disillusionment, the story follows Amory Blaine, a talented young man from the Midwest navigating love and identity at Princeton University. His romantic aspirations with Isabelle Borgé fade, leading him to enlist in World War I. After returning, he struggles with self-doubt while pursuing a relationship with debutante Rosalind Connage. The novel poignantly captures the themes of unrealized potential and the challenges of a generation shaped by war, marking Fitzgerald's impactful entry into American literature.