Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald

The name Fitzgerald is synonymous with The Great Gatsby. As a high school English teacher, I am no stranger to the nuances of F. Scott Fitzgerald and his "roaring twenties" lifestyle, to include his vivacious wife Zelda Sayre Fitzgerald. What I'd never really considered, until now, was what it might be like to be married to a man like Scott. And while Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald by Therese Anne Fowler is a fictional account of their life from Zelda's point of view, it paints a harrowing journey of living with a literary mind.

Raised in deep south Alabama, Zelda Sayre was quite always the life of the party. Doing her part to support the war efforts, and by saying this I mean dances and hidden drinks and kissing by the light of the moon, her ebullient and alluring personality captured the attention of a young F. Scott Fitzgerald. At the time, he was serving his duty in the armed forces, but the decision of Armistice prevented him from ever seeing actual combat. Married far too young and far too soon before Scott's personality infiltrated the recesses of Zelda's life, an adventure begins - sometimes journeying to the top of Olympus, but more often plummeting into the river Styx.

Their tale is the height of the Jazz Age. The parties, the lifestyle, the drinking (despite prohibition) and the downfall hits them harder than The Great Depression. F. Scott Fitzgerald makes a name for himself, but this novel explores Zelda in all her glorious, glamorous, and complicated mess.

Fowler's writing is flawless - Zelda's first person narrative leapt off the pages at me. I could not put this book down and found myself rereading sentences with the same intense passion that I've read F. Scott Fitzgerald's writing. She can and does a phrase worthy of literary merit and praise. I felt as if Zelda was talking directly to me and my heart broke for her in ways I cannot explain. Fowler provoked anger in me at the boy-wonder of a husband that destroyed Zelda's sparkling persona, and internalizing that anger caused me to despise not only Scott, but his novels (I'm over this - still love Gatsby - but there were moments). After reading this, I see so much more in Fitzgerald's writing than before, particularly knowing that much of his fodder came from her. I know she was a victim of the "times" - but his abuse of her ideas hurts my soul. She is Daisy or Rosalind - her life became the backdrop of which he wrote his novels, and his corruption of her spirit leaves a black hole in me, as much as it clearly did in her. The afterward discusses the research of the Fitzgerald's lives, and for me I'm cleary #teamzelda.

You can purchase from Amazon The Collected Writings of Zelda Fitzgerald for a fairly steep price right now (it would not be the publishing industry if they couldn't make a buck off something). But, this collection of work establishes her as what she was all along - a true artist in not only the performing world, but the literary world. She is a member of the Lost Generation and one worthy of notice and praise. May she earn posthumously the credit she did not receive in her life. I know I will be changing my approach to teaching Fitzgerald, with Zelda taking center stage. She was his muse and had it not been for her, I'm not sure works like Gatsby would even exist.

This novel is a must read - it's an eye opening adventure based on real events. A resounding and full ☕☕☕☕☕ - this book will haunt me for quite some time.

This is Therese Anne Fowler's first novel, but I'm sure we can expect more great writing from her. To learn more about the author, visit her website at: https://thereseannefowler.wordpress.com

Side note: There's a lot about Hemingway in this and the sordid relationship with F. Scott that has seen much speculation over the years. I've never liked Hemingway - he's an ass and I thought so before, during, and after reading this book. Sorry for this little random rant, but just felt the need to get in a dig on ol' Ernest.

“So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past." + The last sentence of The Great Gatsby and also the quote on the marker of their shared gravesite, strangely sums up the lives of Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald. I did not know much about either of their lives before reading this fictional account based on many of their letters to each other. The Fitzgerald's shared an intense, tumultuous relationship plagued by substance abuse and mental health struggles. They also shared a never ending commitment to each other despite their struggles. Their relationship started just after the first World War, after the Influenza Pandemic of 1918, which both took so many lives and soon after emerged a changed country. The Jazz age followed. A time of prohibition, flappers, music and dance. A time of great excess for some that were considered the elite and the quest for the American Dream. It was during this time F. Scott Fitzgerald became a novelist, penning among other writings, The Great Gatsby. His young wife Zelda, whom this book was inspired, played her part and became the "first American flapper." This book was hard at times to read but very informative and a great account of the times. It is not a time period I am very familiar with and gave a glimpse into this part of American history. I am also always interested in how people were treated medically years ago. Zelda was likely misdiagnosed and most definitely mistreated during her psychiatric breakdowns. 1 empathized with her character, as I did Scott's. So young when they married, still trying to discover themselves and thrown into this world of partying, drinking and excess that would make anyone unwell. Always trying to keep up and compete. Always searching for more.

Interesting! The audiobook narrator did an awesome, slightly Southern trans-Atlantic accent that felt very appropriate for the time period. It was quite sad to see the percentage ticking down and know that, since it was about Zelda's life, her life was coming to its conclusion. I enjoyed this book!