The Beautiful and Damned

By: F. Scott Fitzgerald

Narrated by: William Dufris

F. Scott Fitzgerald's second novel, The Beautiful and Damned, "marks an advance over This Side of Paradise," Edmund Wilson wrote. "The style is more nearly mature and the subject more nearly unified, and there are scenes that are more convincing than any in his previous fiction."

Published in 1922, it chronicles the relationship of Anthony Patch, Harvard-educated aspiring aesthete, and his beautiful wife, Gloria, as they wait to inherit his grandfather's fortune. A devastating satire of the nouveaux rich and New York's nightlife, of reckless ambition and squandered talent, it is also a shattering portrait of a marriage fueled by alcohol and wasted by wealth. The Beautiful and Damned, Fitzgerald wrote to Zelda in 1930, "was all true."

Lyrical, romantic, yet cruelly incisive, it signaled a new stage in Fitzgerald's career. With The Beautiful and Damned, H.L. Mencken commented in The Smart Set, "Fitzgerald ceases to be a wunderkind, and begins to come into his maturity.

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i loved it

I really enjoyed this reading - the narrators' camellion voice captures the various characters tones imaginetively and distinctively. The novel is a tale of love, of history, of woe and immorality. There is no true hero to the story, but nonetheless leaves the listener enamoroured with anthony and gloria's helplessness and deterioration. You hate them for their snobbery, idolize their lavishness, balame them for their fate, and pity them for their eventual destruction.

A Portrait of Wasted Lives

Fitzgerald writes beautifully, he paints a vivid picture and I love to hear his descriptions. The main characters are thoroughly unlikeable, shallow, disappointing people. There is no redemption of their character. But I enjoyed the story in a "what a waste of life" sort of way.

It was narrated capably by William Dufris. I enjoyed it a lot.

Worth A Listen

I’ve read a lot of Fitzgerald but somehow missed this novel, which is compelling and quite funny for a tragedy. It has the most worthless protagonists I’ve ever encountered in a novel: the indolent, alcoholic Anthony Patch and his lovely, narcissistic wife Gloria. In Wharonian fashion, they fall down the socioeconomic ladder as both squander opportunity and opportunity on the principle that work is beneath them. But The Beautiful And Damned is far more than an imitation of Wharton’s work, in addition to being filled with Jazz Age cynicism and contemporary topics like World War I, the stock market and Prohibition, it contains a surprising post-modern touch—a wry, negative reference to This Side Of Paradise, the novel that made Fitzgerald famous

Great recording

This reader did an excellent job. And the book is classic Fitzgerald, never telling the reader what to think or feel. He leaves the interpretation up to us.

Best book performance I've ever had

The story is good, and captivating. Although i have mixed feelings about Fitzgerald, he knows how to write a good story. But, the narrator, oh my, absolutely made the story come alive.
Thank you for a wonderful experience

Romantic story

About the early part of the 20th century. Not my cup of tea.

life of leisure is stressful!

I'd read "the Great Gatsby " but nothing else that F Scott Fitzgerald had written. Different story but a similar theme...money doesn't make you happy.

Story is well written, Narration is OUTSTANDING

Would you listen to The Beautiful and Damned again? Why?

I am glad I listened to this book and I would do so again (but I probably wouldn't listen to it a second time for a long time). However, I am now looking for more titles narrated by William Dufris, who did a fantastic job narrating this novel.

What did you like best about this story?

The story was well written and it was an interesting view early 20th century life of the "leisure class". But what truly made this audiobook great was the OUTSTANDING narration by William Dufris. I have listened to over 1,000 hours of audible books over the years, and William Dufris is unquestionably one of the best.

Which character – as performed by William Dufris – was your favorite?

They were all excellent, and William Dufris did an excellent job projecting the mood, tone, and state of sobriety (or lack thereof) of the characters.

Strong book that explores its characters deeply

I really enjoyed this book, even though I despised the main character. He is a weak and selfish man. However, the strength of the book is seen in parts 1 and 3 and the interesting themes it explores. The narration was fine but the production was kind of jumpy and I found myself distracted by it. The characters were very interesting, even though you don’t particularly like them.

Narrated So Well!

Wow, this book is written so lyrically, it's like listening to music. The narration could not be better. It was incredible! Breathtaking! Give it a listen.