This Side of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald

sThis Side of Paradise is what Fitzgerald called a "quest novel" about Amory Blaine. I find this amusing, because in the book Amory refers to certain biographical novels as "quest books".
"In the 'quest book' the hero set off in life armed with the best weapons and avowedly intending to use them as such weapons are usually used, to push their possessors ahead as selfishly and blindly as possible, but the heroes of the 'quest books' discovered that there may be a more magnificent use for them."
This quote sums up the novel as a whole extremely well. If you have read any of Fitzgerald's novels and than also his biography you would find many similarities. Fitzgerald's experience from his younger years and early relationship with Zelda (his wife) are clearly a strong influence in This Side of Paradise.
What I love most about this quote is that Amory is "armed" with a big imagination and instant attraction. And yes you guessed it he uses these "weapons" incredibly selfishly and blindly. Amory starts off wealthy and spoiled by his eccentric mother. He falls in love for loves sake, he climbs to the top of the social scale at St. Regis, and starts off well at Princeton by joining the football team.
An injury prevents Amory from playing and pushes him down on the social scale.  He avidly reads and comes up with all kinds of theories on life.  He has a few loves throughout the novel, all unsuccessful and one with an especially damaging impact. He falls deepest and hardest for Rosalind, who marries another man for his wealth.
Gradually as the book progresses Amory loses more and more of what he started with. Though the more he loses, the more he grows. By the end he is poor with no family but comes to terms with himself by putting all he's learned of himself together in one piece.

If you've read This Side of Paradise what did you think of it?  Who were your favorite characters?  Mine were definitely Tom and Eleanor especially.