Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald

Ever since I took an English lit class focusing on Fitzgerald and Hemingway, I have been drawn to almost anything written about them. This is the first time I've ever read anything focusing on Zelda Fitzgerald, and it shows quite a different perspective from what I am used to. Yes, this is a work of fiction, but the author clearly shows with whom her sympathies lie.

It's 1918, when we meet high-school-aged Zelda Sayre at her hometown in Alabama, where there is a street named for her family. She is beautiful and charming and could have her pick of any boy, but she falls head-over-heels for the handsome officer stationed there, Scott Fitzgerald. Her family would like her to marry someone with a profession (writing it not a profession by their standards) but she'll have none of it. So begins the fun, wild, interesting, intriguing, and heart-breaking life of THE premier Jazz Age couple.

My main problem with the novel is that the author, Fowler, places pretty much all of the blame for the couple's problems squarely on Scott's (and to an extent, Hemingway's) shoulders. Yes, Scott is a needy alcoholic artistic genius (bordering on abusive), but I don't believe Zelda is as innocent as she is portrayed. Fowler takes tons of artistic license, including making up correspondence between Zelda and Scott, despite having the actual letters available as reference. Fowler also makes Hemingway out to be just a horrible person, which I think is over-simplifying one of the greatest literary minds of a generation.

Having said all that, this is still a GREAT read. The characters are rich and interesting, the story moves very quickly, and I really like Zelda. She was arguably one of the most interesting women of the 20th century, in fiction or reality.

Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald

The Dark Witch

Okay, so all of you who regularly read this blog (all 3 of you!) know that I have a love-hate relationship with Nora Roberts. On the one hand, her books are just so easy to read, and she tells a gripping story. On the other hand I often find her formulaic and a little repetitive. But I have to say, I really enjoyed this first book of her new Irish trilogy, The Dark Witch. It's got Ireland and castles and witches and spells - what's not to like?

American Iona Sheehan has felt different her whole life, and when her grandmother urges her to go find her distant cousins in Ireland, she leaps at the chance. When she meets cousins Branna and Connor, she feels a special kinship right away, and she realizes that coming to Ireland is fulfilling her destiny. Hitting it off with sexy stable owner Boyle is just icing on the cake.

So Iona, Branna and Connor are the three who are destined to vanquish the evil witch Cabhan, thanks to their ancient ancestor Sorcha's curse. They get help from Boyle and friends Meara and Fin - Fin being a descendant of the evil Cabhan, wouldn't you know. This is mystical realism/romance at it's best, and Nora does it better than anyone.

I'm already looking forward to book two, which I'm guessing will focus on Meara and Connor. She'll probably save Branna and Fin for the last book.

The Dark Witch