Reviews

Call Me Zelda by Erika Robuck

emimbs's review against another edition

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4.0

I needed a “Z” for my alphabet challenge this year so I chose this. It was fiction centered around Zelda Fitzgerald’s nurse. Quite a unique storyline and sparked more interest for me. I must read more about the Fitzgerald’s soon. Very good audiobook. Full of emotion and intrigue.

chelz286's review against another edition

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5.0

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and learning more about the tumultuous relationship between Zelda and F. Scott. It was very intriguing and has me looking into more books by and about the Fitzgerald's. I will also be looking to read the other books by this author, the writing flowed nicely.

buzzingaboutbooks's review against another edition

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3.0

Zelda seems to haunt my every being now a days so after finishing Z ( an absolutely amazing piece of literature) I felt an emptiness with in me that needed to be filled. Cosco books are one of my weaknesses and it was there I laid eyes on this little book. It was a fun read and I felt very nostalgic while reading it though I don't think I would have enjoyed it as much if I had not read Z first, which I highly recommend if you are going to vencher into reading this one.
In "Call me Zelda" Anna a nurse working at a psychiatric hospital is left in charge of the mysterious and wonderful Zelda Fitzgerald. She, like many others becomes enraptured with Zelda and leads a life full of her. Some parts of the book I felt were a little corny and unnecessary but the story of the Fitzgeralds tragic tale is so hauntingly beautiful that any story is worthwhile. Yet again I must find a new way to fill my heart with stories of the Fitzgeralds and Zelda or I shall go mad much like she did.

tinyquietlife's review against another edition

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sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

trigger points: depression, mental health, and grief of loved ones. 

claudiaswisher's review against another edition

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5.0

For me, this book starts with my mother. She, with her high school education, knew literary secrets...she knew Dill in TKAM was Truman Capote. And she knew F. Scott Fitzgerald, for all his genius, used his wife's work and revised it as his own. I can remember in high school saying that and being laughed at.

Guess what? Mama knows best. Robuck's novels are amazing views into the lives of self-destructive artists. Her HEMINGWAY'S GIRL drew me in and this book may be even better...

Zelda is not the narrator: Anna, a psychiatric nurse who meets Zelda and Scott under dire circumstances, is. Anna becomes intrigued with Zelda and Scott and their relationship. Devoted one day, raging the next. How could anyone stay sane? They didn't.

Anna falls under Zelda's charm, and attracted by her vulnerability, channels her own grief into helping this couple. She observes, she assists...but always she champions Zelda.

Robuck does such a good job of showing how talented Zelda really was -- Scott hated that she wrote...he took her diaries, he reworked them, he raged when she published her novel before he was able to publish THIS SIDE OF PARADISE. He resented the fact he was reduced to writing short stories to pay for their extravagant lifestyle. But writing was not her only talent: she was a dancer and a visual artist. But her fragility doomed her...and his doomed him.

Anna desperately wants to save Zelda...to the point she almost forgets to save herself.

Art, redemption, love, grief and loss; Robuck touches on all these issues...and her words are beautiful:

"They both began to cry like two lost, scared children.

I...wondered if prayers were triaged

The material he thought he owned was Zelda's life

A stew of wealthy, useless people

Scott and Zelda slowly killing each other by stray bullets meant for themselves

The only thing predictable about the Fitzgeralds was their unpredictability.

But peace never stayed long in the Fitzgerald house

The children make us. We're forever tethered.

I had to help Zelda honor the sweetness in her former life and who she was before they came apart

Art is a form of madness

When I am in a creative place I am outseide of this time and space

Then Art is an addiction. Some can handle their art and some cannot

The act of art is so important. It is expression, identity. It helps others cope."

And Robuck on the Fitzgeralds in her own words, not Anna's: "Their continued devotion to each other in spite of all their miseries, affairs, and tragedies was truly as if they were connected at the soul."

There it is...and yes, they were.

thegreatergatsby's review against another edition

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I am so disappointed to express how dull this book was, how bland the characters were, and how much time I wasted trying to find a spark within the pages of this book.

topaintsunlight's review against another edition

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5.0

Loved it. I already miss Zelda and Anna.

readingwithsammi's review against another edition

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3.0

I knew very little about Zelda before this novel but it makes me interested to read [b:Save Me the Waltz|150104|Save Me the Waltz|Zelda Fitzgerald|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1329118499l/150104._SY75_.jpg|144874] to learn a bit more.

jordanwaterwash's review against another edition

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medium-paced

3.0

jess_the_mess's review against another edition

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3.0

eh maybe 2.5?