zelda

After I saw Midnight in Paris, I wanted to know more about Zelda Fitzgerald.  I knew sort of the romantic bare bones of her relationship and marriage to F. Scott, but really not much at all.  So I took to the internet and found that Zelda: A Biography by Nancy Milford was the authority on Mrs. Fitzgerald.

The information in the book is interesting - I definitely did not know the extent of Zelda's mental illness - and it was clearly thouroughly researched.  But it read like it was researched, heavily quoted from letters and diaries.  So it felt very accurate, but it also felt like I was slogging through a masters thesis.  I feel like I might have been just as satisfied by reading Zelda's Wikipedia entry. 

But, for those who must know more, I have to agree with the masses that the biography covers everything you might want to know about the writer married to a famous writer.  There are conspiracy theories on just how much Zelda and F. Scott actually influenced each others art, but the book doesn't go into that beyond Zelda copying much of Scott's work. 

I did love reading about their early life together, their famous friends and extreme lifestyle.  For obvious reasons, I do find myself drawn to true stories about women married to extremely strong men.  The Gorilla would say I just like commiserating with other wives who are crazy.

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I just learned about this, and I wish I could go.  Scott Shepherd gives a dramatic reading of the entire text of The Great Gatsby.  It takes eight hours and they take three breaks.  I love being read to and I love reading aloud.  I just think this would be phenomenal.

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You can read all of my book reviews here.  I'm also on goodreads here.  And, because I just can't get enough.  I'm started a few Pinterest book boards.  Books I Want To Read and My Favorite Books of All Time.   

*Affiliate links included in this post.  As always, my opinions are all my own.