The Beautiful and Damned,
F. Scott Fitzgerald's second novel, tells the story of Anthony Patch, a
1920s socialite and presumptive heir to a tycoon's fortune, the
relationship with his wife Gloria, his service in the army, and
alcoholism. Anthony and Gloria are young and gorgeous, rich and leisured
and they dedicate their lives to the pursuit of happiness and we follow
the intimate story of their marriage as it disintegrates under the
weight of their expectations, fuelled by dissipation, jealousy and
aimlessness.
Fitzgerald skilfully portrays the Eastern elite as
the Jazz Age begins its ascent, engulfing all classes into what will
soon be known as Café Society. As with all of his other novels, it is a
brilliant character study and is also an early account of the
complexities of marriage and intimacy, largely based on Fitzgerald's
relationship and marriage with Zelda Fitzgerald.
With an afterword by Ned Halley.
Designed to appeal to the book lover, the Macmillan Collector's
Library is a series of beautifully bound pocket-sized gift editions of
much loved classic titles. Bound in real cloth, printed on high quality
paper, and featuring ribbon markers and gilt edges, Macmillan
Collector's Library are books to love and treasure.
