The Débutante
- Book 2 is called "The Education of a Personage," which sounds like Amory might be getting a little bit more tolerable. Phew.
- The first thing you'll notice about this chapter is that Fitzgerald writes it out as if it were a play. We look in on a young (and rich) girl's bedroom in New York. This is the bedroom of Rosalind Connage, the sister of Alec Connage, who is best buds with Amory Blaine and his soon-to-be roommate in New York.
- Alec, his mother, and his two sisters end up in Rosalind's room talking about the arrival of Amory Blaine. Amory shouldn't expect much attention, though, since this is Rosalind's coming-out week and all the attention will be on her.
- Alec thinks his sister will meet her match in Amory, since he's the only person he knows who's more spoiled than her.
- After sassing with her sister Cecilia (say that five times fast), Rosalind is alone. Amory Blaine shows up at the house and walks in on her, and we can tell immediately that he's smitten.
- They flirt for a while before Amory crosses the room and kisses her. She kisses back. But Rosalind is also hot and cold, and just as Amory thinks they're in love, she pulls away and tells him to leave.
- Once Amory has left, Rosalind's mom comes in and reminds Rosalind that the family doesn't have the money it once had. In fact, they'll be moving out of their house by the end of the year. Rosalind is confident, though, that she'll marry someone rich and never have to worry about money again. We also find out that she's been leading on a poor young man named Gillespie who thought he was going to marry her.
- At a party, Rosalind talks to Gillespie and says she's not as into him as she used to be. Just as she finishes tearing out his heart, another strapping young man named Ryder sweeps her out of her chair and dances with her. Gillespie walks away, crushed.
- Amory meets up with Rosalind and tells her (for some reason) about his old fling with Isabelle. Maybe he wants to show Rosalind that he has other women in his life besides her.
- Amory asks Rosalind to pretend that the two of them have fallen in love, although it doesn't seem as if either would have to pretend. They kiss again and profess their love to one another. Once Amory is gone, Rosalind feels sorry for him because she knows she'll break his heart.
- From the dinner on, Amory and Rosalind spend a lot of time together. In fact, they're almost always together, especially for lunch.
- But not everything in Amory's life is peachy. He's gotten a job in advertising and hates it with a passion.
- One day, Amory hears a story about Rosalind diving off a thirty-foot summerhouse into a pool and demanding that her date (Gillespie) do the same. Gillespie thinks this is evidence that Rosalind is a bit kooky. But Amory loves the story.
- It's not long before Rosalind's mother tells her to smarten up and stop hanging with a penniless fool like Amory. Rosalind defends Amory, but it sounds like her mother's arguments get to her in the end.
- Amory comes over to see Rosalind, and she sits him down to tell him she can't marry him. It's a long and messy breakup, but in the end, Amory accepts it and leaves.