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javafenn's review against another edition
5.0
This was such a delightful book! The Fitzgerald's have always fascinated me. I knew they were destructive but this book beautifully describes that destruction. This is a great summer read no felt like I was Anna, traversing the demented relationship between Scott and Zelda.
karlalikestoread's review against another edition
I was very interested in this book to get a closer look at the life of the Fitzgeralds and Zelda in particular. I'm two thirds of the way in and I can't see myself finishing the book without some serious effort. The parts about Zelda and Scott, and the way Zelda expresses herself, are very interesting to me. But I can't stand the main character, Zelda's nurse Anna Howard. There's something very empty and lacking about Anna that makes me have no patience for her story and the developments of her life outside of her interactions with the Fitzgeralds.
I realize that Anna's life is meant to contrast those of the Fitzgeralds and give a sense of perspective but her lack of personality is too prevalent, in my opinion, to enjoy the book as a whole.
I realize that Anna's life is meant to contrast those of the Fitzgeralds and give a sense of perspective but her lack of personality is too prevalent, in my opinion, to enjoy the book as a whole.
thehodgenator's review against another edition
4.0
This novel is an interesting perspective on Zelda and her marriage to F. Scott Fitzgerald.
I really enjoyed Robuck's attention to detail. The novel was a nice balance between fact and fiction, and the characterization of Zelda was how I pictured her. It does not mean she is portrayed in an accurate light, but for someone who suffered from mental illness, Robuck seems to capture the feel of panic within F. Scott, the sadness within their daughter Scottie, and the inner turmoil of Zelda.
Making the choice to use a fictitious character as our narrator and caretaker of Zelda was an interesting decision. At first I was disappointed that the entire novel did not focus on Zelda, but once I finished and talked about the book to my husband, I realized that the novel does an excellent job of showing the destructive nature of the Fitzgeralds as well as the effect on others.
I enjoyed the literary allusions to 'Gatsby' and felt that several times the author was winking at us with allusions to literary writers of the time, Hemingway just being one example.
Is this novel worth your time? I would say only if you are already interested/fascinated by the Fitzgeralds. If not, reading this novel could feel like a chore. On the other hand, it might help develop intrigue in those who never really thought of the relationship between the Fitzgeralds and spark a want to learn more.
I really enjoyed Robuck's attention to detail. The novel was a nice balance between fact and fiction, and the characterization of Zelda was how I pictured her. It does not mean she is portrayed in an accurate light, but for someone who suffered from mental illness, Robuck seems to capture the feel of panic within F. Scott, the sadness within their daughter Scottie, and the inner turmoil of Zelda.
Making the choice to use a fictitious character as our narrator and caretaker of Zelda was an interesting decision. At first I was disappointed that the entire novel did not focus on Zelda, but once I finished and talked about the book to my husband, I realized that the novel does an excellent job of showing the destructive nature of the Fitzgeralds as well as the effect on others.
I enjoyed the literary allusions to 'Gatsby' and felt that several times the author was winking at us with allusions to literary writers of the time, Hemingway just being one example.
Is this novel worth your time? I would say only if you are already interested/fascinated by the Fitzgeralds. If not, reading this novel could feel like a chore. On the other hand, it might help develop intrigue in those who never really thought of the relationship between the Fitzgeralds and spark a want to learn more.
lb_reads1's review against another edition
5.0
This book was such a beautiful, haunting, and enjoyable read. A deep story into the intricate details of the Fitzgeralds' lives along with their nurse Anna, who loves and cares deeply for Zelda.
astoriedsoul's review against another edition
2.0
I've been on a binge-reading spree lately regarding anything about Zelda Fitzgerald--I don't really know why. I guess it started with my reading of Therese Anne Fowler's Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald, and it snowballed from there. I picked up both the paperback and audio book for Erika Robuck's Call Me Zelda, thinking it would offer more insight into Zelda's final years, since the Fowler's focused more on the years before Zelda's committal to a hospital. While it delivered on this front, it fell short on many others.
I'll say now that I really, really wanted to love this book--but it turned out to just be "ok." First, the point of view just doesn't work. The story is told from Anna's perspective, Zelda's nurse, so Zelda takes a complete backseat to the story. I couldn't connect with Anna, at all. I found her rather two-dimensional and faceless, a bit of a Mary Sue, and this limited my ability to immerse myself in this story. Anna's narrative also limits how much we get to know the Fitzgeralds, because her perspective is limited to what she sees and learns from Zelda. A more omniscient third-person perspective would have been better suited for this story. It would allow readers an unbiased and in-depth look into the emotions, psyches, and inner-workings of each character. Anna doesn't know Scott, but only learns about him through Zelda and limited interaction. She's not a historical figure anyway as far as I know, so this just didn't sit well with me. What resulted was a very biased and unfavorable characterization of Scott. I may not be a fan of his (though I love his work), but I want him represented fairly, and I don't feel this was allowed because of Anna's point of view.
This is my second complaint about this book: Scott's portrayal. It seems in this narrative that he can do nothing right and that he's just a nasty, self-centered man focused on his novels. This isn't entirely true according to historical record and personal documents. Scott loved Zelda and she him. Yes, they had marital problems, but this is what makes their relationship real and what has made it last in stories and in literary history for decades. I am of the camp that believes Zelda's "madness" was more due to patriarchal structures of the time, brought about by some of Scott's actions and behaviors (chronic depression brought about by being forbidden to create and be herself, nothing more), but Scott is not without good qualities. He wants to do the right thing, to get her well, and he will do whatever it takes to have "his Zelda" back. That's heartbreaking for how much love is behind that. He does what he thinks is best based on what he knows and what was available at the time; Anna is incapable of seeing past the frustrations and her blinded perception of him. There's always two sides to every story, and domestic strife is a new level of issue, which is never black and white. This isn't even considered in this narrative. Sp, I felt, in all, that Scott's portrayal was completely unfair. I wasn't overly happy with the portrayal of Zelda either for similar reasons regarding Scott's portrayal. Zelda just comes across as a madwoman, and she falls rather flat in the narrative. Moreover, she becomes something of an object--something or someone people talk about, but that's it. This novel carries her namesake, so I'd expect her to be the focus, but she takes a complete backseat to Anna's musings.
Overall, I was hoping this novel would bring something new to the realm of biography, fiction, and scholarship on Zelda Fitzgerald, but it didn't. It was just a basic, self-reflective journey on the part of the narrator as she comes to terms with her own life. The Fitzgeralds just serve as the tools with which to do this. It wasn't groundbreaking. However, to be fair, it wasn't a bad novel either. I enjoyed it for what it was--it was an entertaining weekend read, and a novel that was nice to have in the car on audio book for my daily commutes to and from work. But, if you're looking for a work of biographical fiction that offers great insight into the stunning and interesting figure of Zelda Fitzgerald, pick up Therese Anne Fowler's novel, or pick of Nancy Milford's Zelda: A Biography.
This review originally appeared on my website: The Literarium
I'll say now that I really, really wanted to love this book--but it turned out to just be "ok." First, the point of view just doesn't work. The story is told from Anna's perspective, Zelda's nurse, so Zelda takes a complete backseat to the story. I couldn't connect with Anna, at all. I found her rather two-dimensional and faceless, a bit of a Mary Sue, and this limited my ability to immerse myself in this story. Anna's narrative also limits how much we get to know the Fitzgeralds, because her perspective is limited to what she sees and learns from Zelda. A more omniscient third-person perspective would have been better suited for this story. It would allow readers an unbiased and in-depth look into the emotions, psyches, and inner-workings of each character. Anna doesn't know Scott, but only learns about him through Zelda and limited interaction. She's not a historical figure anyway as far as I know, so this just didn't sit well with me. What resulted was a very biased and unfavorable characterization of Scott. I may not be a fan of his (though I love his work), but I want him represented fairly, and I don't feel this was allowed because of Anna's point of view.
This is my second complaint about this book: Scott's portrayal. It seems in this narrative that he can do nothing right and that he's just a nasty, self-centered man focused on his novels. This isn't entirely true according to historical record and personal documents. Scott loved Zelda and she him. Yes, they had marital problems, but this is what makes their relationship real and what has made it last in stories and in literary history for decades. I am of the camp that believes Zelda's "madness" was more due to patriarchal structures of the time, brought about by some of Scott's actions and behaviors (chronic depression brought about by being forbidden to create and be herself, nothing more), but Scott is not without good qualities. He wants to do the right thing, to get her well, and he will do whatever it takes to have "his Zelda" back. That's heartbreaking for how much love is behind that. He does what he thinks is best based on what he knows and what was available at the time; Anna is incapable of seeing past the frustrations and her blinded perception of him. There's always two sides to every story, and domestic strife is a new level of issue, which is never black and white. This isn't even considered in this narrative. Sp, I felt, in all, that Scott's portrayal was completely unfair. I wasn't overly happy with the portrayal of Zelda either for similar reasons regarding Scott's portrayal. Zelda just comes across as a madwoman, and she falls rather flat in the narrative. Moreover, she becomes something of an object--something or someone people talk about, but that's it. This novel carries her namesake, so I'd expect her to be the focus, but she takes a complete backseat to Anna's musings.
Overall, I was hoping this novel would bring something new to the realm of biography, fiction, and scholarship on Zelda Fitzgerald, but it didn't. It was just a basic, self-reflective journey on the part of the narrator as she comes to terms with her own life. The Fitzgeralds just serve as the tools with which to do this. It wasn't groundbreaking. However, to be fair, it wasn't a bad novel either. I enjoyed it for what it was--it was an entertaining weekend read, and a novel that was nice to have in the car on audio book for my daily commutes to and from work. But, if you're looking for a work of biographical fiction that offers great insight into the stunning and interesting figure of Zelda Fitzgerald, pick up Therese Anne Fowler's novel, or pick of Nancy Milford's Zelda: A Biography.
This review originally appeared on my website: The Literarium
apkorzon's review against another edition
5.0
So amazing. It's been a while since I've loved a book so much and I was unable to put it down
brianajae's review against another edition
4.0
I had a hard time getting into this one at first, for some reason. But once I did, I was interested until the end. Like the protagonist, Anna, I felt swept up in Zelda's life, fascinated by her mental breakdowns and her art. I know nothing of F Scott Fitzgerald outside of The Great Gatsby, so I enjoyed this look behind the scenes.
idratherbereading's review against another edition
4.0
A good, but not great, read. Great attention to historical detail. Second half is especially good