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3.01.2013

A Review: Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald by Therese Anne Fowler


Zelda Sayre is young, sociable, and hell bent on breaking the rules. A force in her small Alabama hometown, her wild tendencies haven't met a match until she meets a young Army officer, F. Scott Fitzgerald, at a town dance. Z follows the infamous couple from the beginning of their happy lives together, highlighting Scott's height of fame, before exhibiting their final collapse after leading lives of excess. Told from the perspective of Zelda through these trials and tribulations, Z is a refreshing look at this tragic story.

From what I understand, the recapitulation of Zelda and Scott's relationship is quite polarizing. Some believe Zelda and her emotional fits ruined Scott and drained his creativity. Others, however, believe that Zelda was very clever, incredibly yielding, and allowed Scott to repeatedly claim her work as his own. I, for one, have never been one to view a relationship and its success or failure on one individual; clearly, there were issues with both Scott and Zelda. Both appear to have been unable to control their fiery temperaments, which probably didn't mix well with Scott's alcoholism and Zelda's mental instability. This, however, most certainly falls into the camp that sympathizes with Zelda, and obviously so, as it's told from Zelda's perspective of their wonderful honeymoon period and its subsequent decline.

Fowler has a way of evoking the sights and sounds of the glitz and glamour of cities like New York City and Paris in the late 1920s. Smoky dens, loud music, and artists assembled around crowded tables come to life in its pages. While she doesn't necessarily provide vivid descriptions of these scenes, her characters and their actions bring it to life in a way that makes it so much more fascinating.

Fowler admits that she took liberties with some events in the book, which is standard for historical literature, but emphasizes that she was inspired by reading countless letters from the couple to one another, and credible biographies on the two. Overall, it's a well written historical look at a couple that history has long been fascinated with, told by the figure that is often overshadowed but provided just as much color. I can't recommend this one enough; a fun read that is sure to prompt you to learn more about the Fitzgeralds.

I received a copy of Zelda: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald from St. Martin's Press in exchange for an honest review. You can expect to see this novel in stores on March 26, 2013.
Read an excerpt, or pre-order a copy.

14 comments:

  1. March 26! That's such a long time to wait! It sounds similar to The Paris Wife, which I loved, so I'll definitely be getting it.

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    1. I know! But it's worth the wait. I promise. I have The Paris Wife checked out from the library at the moment. I think they probably will be very similar. Look forward to it!

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  2. OMG! I just got my copy from NetGalley the other day and was about to start reading this one. How funny! Anyhow, I'm glad I read your review as it makes me interested in finding out more about these two literary characters. I actually requested this book thinking it would be something similar to The Paris Wife, so I guess I'll find out soon enough.

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    1. Nadia,
      I think you will love it! This the second comparison to The Paris Wife, which I just happen to have checked out from the library at the moment. I think they probably will be similar from what I've heard. Hemingway comes off as such a snake in this one so it'll be interesting to see him from Hadley's perspective. Although I know their separation wasn't necessarily a smooth one. Let me know what you think! Eventually I'll get my review up of Me Before You!

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  3. I am reading this one now and enjoying it so far! Have you seen Call Me Zelda, out in May? Another Zelda Fitzgerald novel. Will be interesting to see how they are similar/different, I think.

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    1. I've heard of that one but don't much about it. I'm definitely interested! Did you find that on Netgalley or the like? Would make a great comparison. I'm really interested in her story now!

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    2. I read Erika Robuck's previous novel (she's a local-to-me-author) so got an early galley of Call Me Zelda. Actually, I got two galleys -- if you'd like one, I'm happy to send your way! Just email me your address: ofabookworm AT gmail DOT com

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  4. I have such a good feeling about this book. I can't wait to get my hands on it! Great review Beth :)

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    1. I hope you love it! I'm looking forward to your review!

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  5. I love Zelda Sayre-Fitzgerald and really want to learn more about her life. Having studied literature from a feminist point of view, I tend to question what most people consider "madness". Maybe there was something wrong with Zelda, but where did it come from - I think - is worth exploring.

    If you liked the description of the Fitzgeralds, I can't recommend you Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris enough. I hope you see it soon if you haven't yet.

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    1. I definitely agree that there is something to be said about the way in which women were treated at this period of time for what was considered mental illness. However, modern professionals believe that she suffered from schizophrenia. The details of her time in these facilities is somewhat hazy, which is to be expected, but there are tons of other texts that can paint a picture of what it was like. I think you would love this one!

      I've seen Midnight in Paris which was initially got me interested in the Lost Gen. I enjoyed all the period bits but couldn't stand the present day scenes!

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  6. I remember you tweeting about this book, so I was really excited to read your review. I love the cover - definitely eye-catching and makes me want to read this even more! This sounds a lot like The Paris Wife and The Aviator's Wife, two books I really enjoyed about famously flawed marriages. I agree with your view on relationships - in all of the books I've read like this, and in life really, both people are typically very flawed and contribute to the problems in the marriage. Excited to read this one when it's released!

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    1. Everyone is talking about how this is really similar to The Paris Wife. I actually have it out from the library but don't know if I'm up for reading another historical fictionesque title at the moment. I do want to get to both of those that you mentioned above!
      Let me know what you think when you get it! I think you'll really enjoy it.

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