I can see why this book is not as well-known or widely-read as Gatsby. While both feature protagonists who are nontraditional and at times hard to like, Dick just is not as strong a character as Jay Gatsby. While Gatsby's decisions and outlooks can make you cringe at times and make him hard to sympathize with, none of his decisions are as bad as Dick. While I was onboard with Dick for the first part of the book, once the details of his relationship with Nicole were revealed, I just couldn't get over it and find any way to care about him again.

It also felt like while the first part of the book had a good deal of plot, once we got into the second and third parts, it just wasn't as interesting. I think Rosemary was one of the most interesting characters, and I'm sorry that the book mostly followed Dick rather than her. 

A well-crafted, well-controlled novel. Fitzgerald is a master of prose when it comes to pairing life’s finest luxuries with those who least deserve it. At many intervals, I thoroughly enjoyed the beauty of the writing. At a few moments, the writing seemed to hold the plot back a bit, adding little to the story or character, and seemed to exist to be beautiful without substance. Overall, a fine read.

The characters in this novel are not all (or always) good or moral people. But they are fascinating. I thought Dick Diver was missing a little something – substance, motive, characterization – and yet he was still interesting to read. Nicole Diver was a fascinating creature, as was Rosemary. Both women were deeply described and written with good depth. I think I also would have loved a bit extra from Nicole’s family, to fully understand both Nicole and Dick’s turmoil and relationship. 

The plot is really there to support the characters, and yet I still wish a little more occurred throughout the novel. Don’t get me wrong, the writing and characters made up for the lack of plot, but I would’ve loved the drama that followed Rosemary at the beginning to weave thoroughly throughout the novel. Instead, it disappeared, and the characters took the main stage.

Fascinating.