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A review by samnopal
I'd Die for You: And Other Lost Stories by F. Scott Fitzgerald
4.0
Originally posted on Reddit
I'd Die For You is a sampling of F. Scott Fitzgerald short stories that had previously been unpublished. Throughout the book the editor includes both photos of Fitzgerald that give a little context to where he was in his life during each writing, and written context as to where it was submitted for publication, why it was rejected, or why Fitzgerald never followed up with editor notes.
The stories are decidedly darker than his normal tone and reflect a writer eschewing the young love of his most popular stories (such as This Side of Paradise.) The book is arranged chronologically.
The book is filled with stand out and funny stories. There are a cluster of more typical Fitzgerald short stories ("The I.O.U.", "Nightmare", "What to Do About it", "Travel Together") wherein a male lead and a female lead battle with sometimes weird external factors and their own feelings for each other. The early half highlight is the titular short story "I'd Die For You" in which a film crew cameraman attempts to woo a movie star only to see their romance interrupted by an irresistible murderer.
The end of the book begins to get a little harder to read and a little more densely packed plot wise. A duo of Civil War stories shine. ("Thumbs Up," "The Dentist")
The collection concludes with a short story about a young married couple embroiled in an argument leading to divorce. The couple decide to part but wait out the coming of the woman's mother and to go about as normal with a dinner party and the hiring of a second couple for service in the home. The story feels a little thin, a little rushed, but includes a bizarre circumstance that is both comical and heart warming in its conclusion.
I'd Die For You is a sampling of F. Scott Fitzgerald short stories that had previously been unpublished. Throughout the book the editor includes both photos of Fitzgerald that give a little context to where he was in his life during each writing, and written context as to where it was submitted for publication, why it was rejected, or why Fitzgerald never followed up with editor notes.
The stories are decidedly darker than his normal tone and reflect a writer eschewing the young love of his most popular stories (such as This Side of Paradise.) The book is arranged chronologically.
The book is filled with stand out and funny stories. There are a cluster of more typical Fitzgerald short stories ("The I.O.U.", "Nightmare", "What to Do About it", "Travel Together") wherein a male lead and a female lead battle with sometimes weird external factors and their own feelings for each other. The early half highlight is the titular short story "I'd Die For You" in which a film crew cameraman attempts to woo a movie star only to see their romance interrupted by an irresistible murderer.
The end of the book begins to get a little harder to read and a little more densely packed plot wise. A duo of Civil War stories shine. ("Thumbs Up," "The Dentist")
The collection concludes with a short story about a young married couple embroiled in an argument leading to divorce. The couple decide to part but wait out the coming of the woman's mother and to go about as normal with a dinner party and the hiring of a second couple for service in the home. The story feels a little thin, a little rushed, but includes a bizarre circumstance that is both comical and heart warming in its conclusion.