A review by kurtwombat
Tales of the Jazz Age by F. Scott Fitzgerald

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

I have often wondered what it must be like to sing—to let loose a voice that moves others. To not just sing along but cast your voice alone upon the air unsupported to fly and land on it’s own. Maybe it is like flying. Just you--clear of obstacles and free of weight, all directions and distances available and possible. Beautiful. That’s how I feel reading F. Scott Fitzgerald. He writes so beautifully, his sentences often sing and seem to fly. There are times where I have sat startled by his prose. He is often romanticized as a writer partly because of this skill, but also because of the flapper age he was immersed in and the age of his death—44. (And then there’s Zelda). More famous now for his novels, it was short stories that made his living. They aren’t as well remembered but still show that Fitzgerald could write but also write whatever he wanted. I started this thinking it would be one flapper tale after another. The ease and fashion of the roaring 20’s does permeate much of this collection, but there is more to see. He touches on fantasy (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button),  adventure (The Diamond as Big as the Ritz), mock playwriting (Mr. Icky), being Henry James (The Lees of Happiness) and fun with hillbillies (Jemina, the Mountain Girl) all with equal skill. Had he been able to fly in real life, free of money worries, worry over Zelda’s decline in health and the scourge of alcohol, who knows what he might have produced. But that always begs the question, how much did he produce because of enduring those liabilities. All that being said, this is obviously worth a look—not everything ages well (Mr Icky & Porcelain and Pink). My favorites are probably O Russet Witch & The Camel’s Back but there is plenty to enjoy.