Babylon Revisited by Scott F. Fitzgerald

 Babylon Revisited by Scott F. Fitzgerald


 

According to critics, Scott F. Fitzgerald is the best writer I had the chance to read. On the Modern Library top 100 list, Scott F. Fitzgerald is situated at number two, while Ulysses is placed at number one. One day, I may still get through with the best English novel of the 20th century, again – in scholars ‘eyes. I have tried to cope with the complexity of James Joyce, even liked The Portrait of The Artist as a Young Man and Dubliners, but Ulysses seems too much, at least for the time being.

The Great Gatsby is the masterpiece I have read, placed highest in the experts ‘hierarchy. With its accessibility, Great Gatsby is a kind of summer camp game compared with the difficult, overwhelming Ulysses.

As for Babylon Revisited, it seems to be lacking something- I liked it less than Benjamin Button, with his curious case. Instead of gaining my sympathy, Charlie- the main character seems somehow aloof and unlikeable to me. I may be wrong and paying tribute to some of my moods.

It is always subjective: I fall for one story and reject another for flimsy reasons at times. It has to do with pleasure, Positive Emotions, but that is just the first level. A book or a story with a Meaning should be rated and enjoyed better than a saga which only makes one laugh… the ideal is the book which has a message, is entertaining and meaningful. I am in doubt now: some of the new books I read are either not so pleasurable (for me) or lack an interesting message.

I am not sure what I lack in Babylon revisited, but I did not connect, it did not appeal to me even if there is a little girl, a missing, dead mother and could have identified with Charlie, the father and could have seen in the little girl Hannah, my own child.

Charlie had a drinking problem, which I do not understand, being for about fifteen years something of a teetotaler. In the more distant past there have been nights from which I do not remember much, if anything, but they tended to be rare and spaced between.

It was surprising to find an esteemed author write a lesser story, even if the story may be excellent, the reader’s Emotional or Literary Intelligence could be deficient and here it is- I consider the hypothesis. These days have not been too favorable for the attention span and the understanding of a Babylon, I should grant that too.

All in all, what rating for goodreads? Two, even one star? I think I’ll go for three…

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