Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald by Therese Anne Fowler

Another delicious read…Z:  A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald is the fictionalized autobiography of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s wife, from her days as a privileged teen through her tumultuous years married to the author of The Great Gatsby, to her final years in an institution.  Theirs was a passionate love story, always against her parents wishes, and despite their wild life, Scott’s alcoholism,  money problems, and infidelities.  Zelda often is portrayed as crazy and the source of her husband’s troubles.  Fowler shows there is more to Zelda’s story that parties with famous people, public scenes and frequent travel. 

What I found interesting was that though Zelda was creative and talented in her own right, she had to publish her work as if in collaboration with her husband.  Her mental health issues would likely have been different with today’s treatment and attitudes.  Zelda appeared to love being a mother, but rarely spent time with her daughter Scottie, leaving her care almost exclusively to nannies.   Much of her public life was an act to try to “be” the characters in Scott’s books–she was the Lindsey Lohan of her time. 

With the movie Gatsby coming out soon, this is the perfect book to whet your appetite.