In a previous post I talked about the Great Gatsby and how I didn’t enjoy it. In the spirit of giving an author a second chance I decided to not judge F Scott Fitzgerald on only one novel. Therefore I’ve read Babylon Revisited and other stories, which, as the title suggests is a collection of short stories.
Turns out that my experiment was a good one. Babylon Revisited tells the story of Charlie Wales who had been successful in the boom of the 1920s but lost out with the stock market crash in 1929. The story is told from Charlie’s point of view after all this has taken place. From the events that take place in the story you can piece together what happened in the boom and how Charlie is now a very different character.
It’s a very touching story and I found that I wasn’t able to keep from feeling frustrated on Charlie’s behalf. It’s clear that in the boom or jazz years he had led a very decadent and care free life that had ultimately ended in tragedy and him being parted from his daughter.
The other stories also had their impact but it was Babylon Revisited that really stick with me and I’m glad that I gave F Scott Fitzgerald another chance.
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