The Beautiful & Damned

"Because desire just cheats you."She is a reveler. He is a socialite. They are young, haughty and selfish. And they do not understand the idea of working. Meet Gloria Gilbert, the beautiful, narcissistic dancer and Anthony Patch, the prospective heir to his grandfather's fortune. Stunned by Gloria's beauty, Anthony is desperately in love with her; and soon she becomes his wife. But as the passionate and glamorous couple await the inheritance, indulging in the luxurious and thrilling lifestyle of New York, they are chafed under financial pressures. What happens as their marriage begins to fail in the face of reality? With characters representing the extravagance of the upper echelons and the intrinsic conflicts of a changing social environment, F. Scott Fitzgerald's the Beautiful and Damned probes into the cafe society of New York, exploring the ideas of money and decadence. This Jazz Age novel is considered a masterpiece and continues to remain a bestseller.