A Diamond as Big as the Ritz

Now, if you loved "The Great Gatsby" - you will really love "A Diamond as Big as the Ritz". But, if you hated it, you'll probably think that this is a better storytelling effort. 

I first read this book after finishing "The Great Gatsby" when I was around 16 years old. I didn't think much of Gatsby, but I read this different and darker story instead. I thought that we were seriously mistaken as to what we regard as Fitzgerald's masterpiece. 

Characters: 

My favourite character was Percy. For all the asshole he is in the novel - this character is by far the most intriguing as he fails to comprehend that his family history (that traces back to George Washington) is filled with slavery, unnatural death and decadence in the most cruel and torturous of fashions. Percy talks about his grandfather a lot - and when we go back into his history we only get darker and darker as the story progresses...

Themes:

My favourite theme was the price of excess. Percy's history shows the vile prices of excess by being sickly lavish and ravishing everything from slaves to diamonds. It's a cruel story with a dark and twisted excessiveness that only brings out all the wrongs with every single character of the Washington family. 

Storyline:

I quite enjoyed the explanation of family history throughout the novella. It's pretty straight forward and doesn't try to sound more intelligent than everyone else. I think that was the real message; the verboseness of Percy and his family are reflected of the need to be simplistic and realistic. These are then juxtaposed and lead straight to tragedy. 

Verdict:

I give this novella 8/9

100% for characters: I enjoyed these more than Gatsby and Daisy - by far. 

100% for themes: Who better to concentrate on tragedy and excess than F Scott Fitzgerald himself?

2/3 for storyline: I would've liked it to be longer. I felt a bit disconnected, but then again - I also believe that the emotional detachment was the whole point of the novella.