This 1922 short story collection is a trip back in time through the eyes of this celebrated author. There are 11 stories here, of varying quality and I enjoyed reading them all and letting myself visit the time and a place and the culture that is now just a small blip in the annals of history. Some stories are set in the world of the moneyed, others are set in the world of fantasy and there are other that are just figments of the author's imagination. I didn't like all of these stories. As the saying goes, "when they were good they were very very good, and when they were bad they were horrid", but I felt I got to know F. Scott Fitzgerald through these stories, see how his mind worked, and understand how he became so well known and was able to come to his full power in his novels.
His strongest stores were set in the real world, the young southern man who was smitten by a rich young woman, two recently released soldiers from the War in Europe who stumble upon some party-going socialites, a very funny story about a costume party where two men dress in a camel costume, and a sad story about a happy marriage which is spoiled by the husband's illness.
I don't like fantasy and found myself annoyed by these stories, even the one about the Curious Case of Benjamin Button which was recently made into a movie, or The Diamond as Big as the Ritz which was a fantasy of enormous wealth and cruelty. There were stories of unfulfilled dreams and real emotion which I liked. And others that were just stupid and silly and hard to follow.
Yes, I enjoyed this book, even the stories I didn't like. Having a critical attitude towards something I am reading is not a bad thing. However, I was really annoyed at the plethora of typographical errors throughout the book. There is no excuse for that.
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