Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald

Z:  A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald
Author:  Therese Anne Fowler
Genre:  Fiction
Publisher:  St. Martin's Press
Publication Date:  March 26th 2013
Rating:  4 stars


I knew I would love this book, if only because of the era 1920's and that it's about Zelda and her marriage to F. Scott Fitzgerald.  Both fascinate me, mostly because of all the stories I've read about how wonderfully fun and damaged they were with their love for each other.  Most of us have heard of the crazy antics of Zelda, and many people believe she was F. Scott Fitzgerald's downfall, I always chose to think otherwise.  I tend to romanticize their relationship, two eccentric people in love with each other to the brink of insanity and in Zelda's case, to insanity.  Z is a book that I had to read.

I enjoyed Z:  A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald, it's a fictional account of how life was for Zelda, being inside her brain while being in the midst of the writers and artist of their time is really a fascinating read, especially to fans of literature, and Fitzgerald, in particular.  The egos, competition, and pompousness of these creative types and how it shaped her marriage to Fitzgerald really pulls you in and keeps you reading, so many personalities looking for attention. It seemed beautiful, yet ugly all at the same time.  It's definitely different than most accounts of their love, we mostly hear how Zelda ruined Scott, or how she craved attention and most of the time did outlandish things to demand it, but with Z we get a different perspective of how Zelda was.  I am able to visualize a different Zelda, and one much more whole.  We all have different sides of us, she must have had too.

Z takes us many places, we travel mentally to all the places the Fitzgerald's roamed to.  At times it seemed exhausting to adjust to another location.  I can't imagine the toll it took on the famous couple.  The descriptions of the places are just the right amount for someone who doesn't like too much filler, but seeks to visualize the setting.  Alabama, New York, Paris, and California are just some places we travel to as readers.  The flow of the location changes and Zelda's story are well paced and the writing is good.  Honestly, I am not one that dissects writing and the usage of words, and sentence structure, etc.  I either like a book or don't.  And I really liked Z.

My one problem with Z is one that bothered a few readers, the use of made up letters from Zelda to Scott.  I agree with other reviewers, why make up letters when there is so many preserved and published real ones.  I understand that the book is fiction but it takes something away from the story.  Simply, why?

I do recommend Z:  A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald, especially to fans of the 1920's and/or readers who like a tale of marriage gone bad.