This Side of Paradise is the debut novel of F. Scott Fitzgerald. The book's critical success was driven in part by the enthusiasm of reviewers. For example, H. L. Mencken wrote that This Side of Paradise was the "best American novel that I have seen of late." The book examines the lives and morality of post-World War I youth. Its protagonist, Amory Blaine, is an attractive Princeton University student who dabbles in literature and has the book's theme of love warped by greed and status-seeking.