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kschmoldt's review against another edition
4.0
Call Me Zelda is a fictional story about a nurse who cares for Zelda Fitzgerald during her mental hospitalization from 1932 due to schizophrenia. The story addresses Zelda’s illness, her tortured relationship with her writer husband F. Scott Fitzgerald, and the friendship that grows between Zelda and her nurse, Anna. The struggles of mental illness are very deftly portrayed, but no one in the book comes off as very likable. F. Scott and Zelda are both selfish, addicted individuals; she to manipulation and he to booze. Neither of them is good for the other and although they seem to truly be in love in a warped way, they also enjoy torturing each other. Anna, the nurse, is caught in the middle of it all and thrives on being needed by Zelda, even if it costs her personally. I’m giving this book four stars because I found Anna to be frustrating and not as sympathetic of character as I believe she was meant to be, but the writing was well done and I enjoyed the book.
shiloniz's review against another edition
5.0
"Call Me Zelda" is a historical fiction which begins in 1932 with Zelda Fitzgerald being checked in to a psychiatric hospital in Maryland. It is told through the perspective & narration of Anna, Zelda's psychiatric nurse at the hospital, who then goes on to work as a nurse for the Fitzgerald's in the privacy of their own home. Anna becomes a close friend to the Fitzgerald's through some fo the hardest years of their instability, where Zelda's demons run her ragged and Scott's drinking consumes him. I absolutely loved this book and would highly recommend it.
ermunleybooks's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed reading it, though I did get a bit frustrated with the misuse/wrongness of some of the more minute details (like Baltimore geography) that I know fairly well. It was an easy read, though got so cheesy at certain points that I wanted to hurl. Enjoyable but I don't really plan to read it again. It has, however, inspired me to read Gatsby, Tender, and Save Me again!
linsliterarylove's review against another edition
4.0
I have to admit that this book has kept put me captivated from beginning to end. I love how it focused on a point of view from someone who is not famous, rather than the two famous supporting characters. The author gave specifics throughout the entire story, switched up scenarios at the right times, & gave intriguing details. The only reason why it didn't get five stars from me is because I feel like, even though it was written very well, I could've gotten more from it.
keeleyywilcox's review against another edition
4.0
Okay, it brought me back! A lovely historical fiction following the tumultuous relationship of Zelda and F. Scott Fitzgerald told through the eyes of Zelda’s private psychiatrist nurse, Anna. As Zelda’s condition deteriorates, the story takes us through how her relationships change and what Anna does to try to help mitigate this change, while she deals her with her own pains and losses.
janiev's review against another edition
1.0
This book is not for me. Not only did I have issue with how Scott and Zelda were portrayed, I had issue with how neatly everything is resolved in this book. In general, I do not like books that give you hurdles that need to be overcome and then provide neat little resolutions to absolve the characters of real struggle.
kayto4's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this read! The plot wasn't complicated but the characters were! I felt Anna was a very well developed character and could have had a book only about her! The friendship, art, and choices of the characters I thought were well thought out, interesting, and engaging. I wrote a longer review here for my new book blog. ^_^
This sparked my interest in the Fitzgeralds, and I think I'll be reading more about them in the future!
This sparked my interest in the Fitzgeralds, and I think I'll be reading more about them in the future!
penandpage's review against another edition
5.0
http://www.dishwaterdreams.com/book-reviews/book-review-call-me-zelda
I started this book with the intention of reading it slowly, taking it in piece by piece and enjoying every second. I loved Erika Robuck's last book, Hemingway's Girl, and I wanted to love this one just as much.
The book opens and immediately you are swept into the place and time with Anna, a psyciatric nurse who is the focal point of this story and becomes Zelda's nurse when she arrives at the hospital.
One thing I really enjoy about the way Robuck writes is the effortless detail from the ballerina's dancing upstairs to the way Zelda's eyes look when she is in the midst of an episode. You are drawn in and the story does not let go until the firey end.
I also really like Robuck's approach to historical fiction. Both Hemingway's Girl and Call Me Zelda have a main character that is fictional but interacts with the lives of the famous people in the story. The fictional characters react the way I would expect people to act around these specific famous people. Anna becomes obsessive and protective of Zelda, just as I imagine many of those in her circle actually did.
There are breathtakingly beautiful lines that bring out the truth about the world. Nothing feels rushed or trite.
Robuck actually makes you care about people that, historically, we don't like much like Scott Fitzgerald or Paula Hemingway. She is able to take a characaturized idea we have of this person, and revive their humanity. Her charcters are real, not overly expository, and completely enthralling.
The story carries you to new and unexpected places as the characters face tough life questions. Call Me Zelda will make you love Zelda, Anna, and their friendship, and possibly reevaluate where you might find your Second Act.
I started this book with the intention of reading it slowly, taking it in piece by piece and enjoying every second. I loved Erika Robuck's last book, Hemingway's Girl, and I wanted to love this one just as much.
The book opens and immediately you are swept into the place and time with Anna, a psyciatric nurse who is the focal point of this story and becomes Zelda's nurse when she arrives at the hospital.
One thing I really enjoy about the way Robuck writes is the effortless detail from the ballerina's dancing upstairs to the way Zelda's eyes look when she is in the midst of an episode. You are drawn in and the story does not let go until the firey end.
I also really like Robuck's approach to historical fiction. Both Hemingway's Girl and Call Me Zelda have a main character that is fictional but interacts with the lives of the famous people in the story. The fictional characters react the way I would expect people to act around these specific famous people. Anna becomes obsessive and protective of Zelda, just as I imagine many of those in her circle actually did.
There are breathtakingly beautiful lines that bring out the truth about the world. Nothing feels rushed or trite.
Robuck actually makes you care about people that, historically, we don't like much like Scott Fitzgerald or Paula Hemingway. She is able to take a characaturized idea we have of this person, and revive their humanity. Her charcters are real, not overly expository, and completely enthralling.
The story carries you to new and unexpected places as the characters face tough life questions. Call Me Zelda will make you love Zelda, Anna, and their friendship, and possibly reevaluate where you might find your Second Act.
lmjack91's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this book. Zelda is not the main character, but she might as well have been to me, because I found myself not really caring about Anna and her story, but more about Zelda.
Knowing very little about the infamous Fitzgerald's, this book made me want to learn more about the life of both Zelda and Scott.
Knowing very little about the infamous Fitzgerald's, this book made me want to learn more about the life of both Zelda and Scott.