Therese Fowler

A tale inspired by the marriage of F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald follows their union in defiance of her father's opposition and her scandalous transformation into a Jazz Age celebrity in the literary party scenes of New York, Paris, and the French Riviera.

Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald

Therese Anne Fowler

THE INSPIRATION FOR THE TELEVISION DRAMA Z: THE BEGINNING OF EVERYTHING I wish I could tell everyone who thinks we're ruined, Look closer...and you'll see something extraordinary, mystifying, something real and true. We have never been what we seemed. When beautiful, reckless Southern belle Zelda Sayre meets F. Scott Fitzgerald at a country club dance in 1918, she is seventeen years old and he is a young army lieutenant stationed in Alabama. Before long, the "ungettable" Zelda has fallen for him despite his unsuitability: Scott isn't wealthy or prominent or even a Southerner, and keeps insisting, absurdly, that his writing will bring him both fortune and fame. Her father is deeply unimpressed. But after Scott sells his first novel, This Side of Paradise, to Scribner's, Zelda optimistically boards a train north, to marry him in the vestry of St. Patrick's Cathedral and take the rest as it comes. What comes, here at the dawn of the Jazz Age, is unimagined attention and success and celebrity that will make Scott and Zelda legends in their own time. Everyone wants to meet the dashing young author of the scandalous novel—and his witty, perhaps even more scandalous wife. Zelda bobs her hair, adopts daring new fashions, and revels in this wild new world. Each place they go becomes a playground: New York City, Long Island, Hollywood, Paris, and the French Riviera—where they join the endless party of the glamorous, sometimes doomed Lost Generation that includes Ernest Hemingway, Sara and Gerald Murphy, and Gertrude Stein. Everything seems new and possible. Troubles, at first, seem to fade like morning mist. But not even Jay Gatsby's parties go on forever. Who is Zelda, other than the wife of a famous—sometimes infamous—husband? How can she forge her own identity while fighting her demons and Scott's, too? With brilliant insight and imagination, Therese Anne Fowler's New York Times bestseller brings us Zelda's irresistible story as she herself might have told it.

Patrick Book

This was pretty soapy, but having zero frame of reference for the private lives of F. Scott and Zelda aside from his writings I guess that's not surprising. In all, a rather compelling story of a woman who simultaneously lived in the shadows and in a spotlight that didn't quite show her for what she really was.

Elda Mengisto

"I wish I could tell everyone who thinks we're ruined, who thinks Scott is beyond washed-up and I'm about as sharp these days as a sack of wet mice, 'Look closer'.
Look closer and you'll see something extraordinary, mystifying, something real and true. We have never been what we seemed." (3).

With this quote, Therese Anne Fowler not only delivers a message to the people in Zelda's time, but also to the readers themselves. Just because we've heard the names F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald, doesn't mean we know what their true stories were.

I came into the book with little background knowledge on Zelda, other than she died in a madhouse. On the other hand, I read "The Great Gatsby" in high school and highly enjoyed its portrayal of Jazz Age New York. Even then, I knew quite little of F. Scott Fitzgerald himself.

Nevertheless, I enjoyed the language used in the book, as we got to see the burning romance between Zelda Sayre and Scott. I felt the freedom of young love and the hopes Scott had in publishing his novel. I was fully immersed in their adventures as they romped through New York and made it their playground. It's almost as if spring never ended.

However, underneath the smuggled cocktails and rendez-vous to Paris, there was a lingering inequality which persisted, despite Scott taking the "flapper" as his muse. While trying to write his novels and stories, he insists that Zelda maintain her role as a wife and mother, which muddies their perfect dream. And it got into the social inequities which was a bedrock of the 1920s, despite giving women the right to vote. I see it through Zelda's communication with Sara, who branded herself as a feminist.

I find Zelda's mind quite interesting. On the one hand, she used her freedom to get Scott into her arms and eventually embark on a wild roller-coaster ride. On the other hand, when she tries to get her freedom through dance, painting, or writing, it is subtly shut down by the constraints in society. And even when she tries to write short stories of her own, F. Scott Fitzgerald gets the credit. It made me sad when she had to reject the chance to become a ballerina in Naples, because of Scott.

And then we have her degenerating mental state, which, as stated in the afterward, was misdiagnosed when it was supposed to be bipolar disorder. Again, we see misogyny rear its head when the doctor suggests its because she pursues her ambitions, rather than being a docile wife and mother. Again, the writing style makes this very clear.

"I dance mornings, I dance afternoons, I roam the streets in search of...nothing. Colors all look wrong to me, too bright. Music lives in my head like a ferret running on a wheel. My dreams are of ballet moves..." (318).

I assume that most of it is accurate, but I want to read any of Zelda's biographies now, to see the depths of her wild life. Z is a great fictionalization of such a curious life; it opened up a door to the alcohol, the parties, the interactions of the 1920s and 30s. Highly recommended (8.5/10)!

P.S. Thanks to the History Chicks book club for choosing this book for September! I now need to listen to the podcast about Zelda herself, haha!

Amanda Rocha

I just finished “Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald”, and it really illuminated the passion of their glamorous and dramatic love story. Fitzgerald dedicated many of his works to her, his muse, and many of her words found ways into his works. Despite her deteriorating mental health, and his struggles with alcoholism and infidelity, there is no doubt of the love between #Fitzgerald and his beloved.

Kwan Ann Tan

Words fail to describe this book. I have always been a staunch Team Scott supporter (blame tumblr and its somewhat biased view) but this book has turned me into a Team Zelda fan for life. 

Fowler has managed to portray Zelda differently from the general view of her-- we see Zelda as the normal one in this relationship, until her breakdown, that is. We see a completely different side of Scott (I have to say, I absolutely hated him in this book) and we see him as a jealous, overbearing and selfish husband who is an ABSOLUTE hypocrite. We see things from Zelda's point of view-- how consuming Scott's relationship with Ernest Hemingway was and how truly 'beautiful and damned' the pair of them were. 

Indeed, Zelda needs more love from the literary world, and I'm glad that this books exists to exonerate her from any stupid beliefs that she wrecked Scott's career. Now do excuse me while I go and read 'Save Me the Waltz'.... :)

Sarah Vaughan

"So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past."

"Nothing except luck protects you from catastrophe. Not love. Not money. Not faith. Not a pure heart or good deeds - and not bad ones either, for that matter. We can, any of us, be laid low, cut down, diminished, destroyed."

I almost gave this book five stars. I certainly would have given 4.5. There was something heartbreaking, hopeless even, about the relationship - and subsequent marriage - between F. Scott Fitzgerald and Zelda Sayre. Depending on who you ask, Zelda was either an emotional, crazy basket case of a woman who ruined Scott's career. Or, she was a woman misunderstood, expected to live in the shadow of a man that nothing in life could ever seem to satisfy - one minute the love of his life, the next, his downfall, according to him. Fowler belongs to those of the latter's mindset. And let's be honest, it was the '20s. If Zelda had been simply a woman scorned by her own husband, expected to live up to unrealistic expectations while aware that her husband was most likely indulging in "affairs of the heart," it's likely she still would've been called crazy. There's no denying that women who desired a life of more than marriage and motherhood were seen as feminists who were destroying the delicate balance of domesticity - a balance that required the utmost respect and cooperation from women from husbands whose worlds were their playgrounds. 

Not to be overdramatic about it.

I also realize that it's quite possible Zelda was a bit spoiled. She does seem to think quite a lot of herself based on the golden girl of Montgomery society she certainly was portrayed to be. But crazy? I don't think so. The tragedy that is Zelda Sayre Fitzgerald is so much more than a warning to young people not to overspend and over drink. It's also representative of a bigger picture. The idea that women like Zelda were committed to mental institutions for even desiring what women today would consider their basic human rights is itself a soul-crushing realization that women today understand as well as if we had lived it ourselves. In some ways, we are still struggling to overcome society's stereotypes about our "emotions." 

Whether or not you believe Scott ruined Zelda's life or Zelda ruined Scott's career or whether you honestly couldn't give a horse hockey about either, I recommend this book, if not for it's insight into the life of what is considered a literary great, despite the fact that he was more likely a womanizing drunk, then for the gut-wrenching reaction you will have to this woman you so desperately will want to both slap and support.

Nicole Blazek

** spoiler alert **
           Not as well written as The Paris Wife, but still very enjoyable. Makes me want to learn more about Zelda...

Melody Izard

Well that was a surprisingly good book. Would be great paired with  The Paris Wife by Paula McCain. Marches along step by step from a different point of view. I didn't know that much about Zelda or Scott. I'm not sure it's wise for me to get my literary history lessons from a work of fiction. But it certainly is an entertaining way to do it.

I just don't like historical fiction that follows the lives of real people. Give me a biography, or go ahead and base a character off of the real person, but write a good story. Tell me a good story, please!


I loved the beginning, and the marriage slowly falling apart was well portrayed. I just think that we could have used more of something. It needed more action and less fighting. The parties were boring and the book felt like I was reading a gossip column when Hemmingway showed up. It just seemed bridled by the need to fit the real Zelda's life.

A specially priced edition of Theresa Anne Fowler's Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald, he New York Times bestseller that captures all of the romance, glamour, and tragedy of the first flapper, Zelda Fitzgerald...

b.andherbooks

A frothy, boozey, southern belle, Zelda Fitzgerald comes in Fowler's novel, narrated with a Southern Accent in this audiobook. Fowler gives Zelda a tragic air, a woman who dabbled at best in many things but never truly shook off her main identity, that of the wild wife of F. Scott Fitzgerald. Not many surprises here, but a fun read for summer.

Jan Talkington

What an interesting indulgent life so many creative people lived in the 1920’s - 30’s. The golden couple through much of that time was the Fitzgeralds. There’s no secret of the turbulence they also lived in. A well written historical fiction story.

Scott Taylor

Mrs. Fowler offers an eloquent telling of the fantastic life of the world famous flapper couple through the lens of Zelda. Her tale is one that I had not known till reading this book and now, well I certainly view Scott in a different light. The writing makes this not so much a historic biography but a story, one that had me turning page after page eager to know the finer details of such a prolific couple. Mrs. Fowler does a good job of shinning a light into the dark lives of the Fitzgerald's and proves Tolkein's saying of "all that is gold does not glitter." There were a few parts however that seemed to drag on.

Renee Blankenship

THE INSPIRATION FOR THE TELEVISION DRAMA Z: THE BEGINNING OF EVERYTHING I wish I could tell everyone who thinks we're ruined, Look closer...and you'll see something extraordinary, mystifying, something real and true. We have never been what we seemed. When beautiful, reckless Southern belle Zelda Sayre meets F. Scott Fitzgerald at a country club dance in 1918, she is seventeen years old and he is a young army lieutenant stationed in Alabama. Before long, the "ungettable" Zelda has fallen for him despite his unsuitability: Scott isn't wealthy or prominent or even a Southerner, and keeps insisting, absurdly, that his writing will bring him both fortune and fame. Her father is deeply unimpressed. But after Scott sells his first novel, This Side of Paradise, to Scribner's, Zelda optimistically boards a train north, to marry him in the vestry of St. Patrick's Cathedral and take the rest as it comes. What comes, here at the dawn of the Jazz Age, is unimagined attention and success and celebrity that will make Scott and Zelda legends in their own time. Everyone wants to meet the dashing young author of the scandalous novel—and his witty, perhaps even more scandalous wife. Zelda bobs her hair, adopts daring new fashions, and revels in this wild new world. Each place they go becomes a playground: New York City, Long Island, Hollywood, Paris, and the French Riviera—where they join the endless party of the glamorous, sometimes doomed Lost Generation that includes Ernest Hemingway, Sara and Gerald Murphy, and Gertrude Stein. Everything seems new and possible. Troubles, at first, seem to fade like morning mist. But not even Jay Gatsby's parties go on forever. Who is Zelda, other than the wife of a famous—sometimes infamous—husband? How can she forge her own identity while fighting her demons and Scott's, too? With brilliant insight and imagination, Therese Anne Fowler brings us Zelda's irresistible story as she herself might have told it.

Laura

I'm a little obsessed with the 1920s, and especially the Fitzgeralds. Also, I wanted to watch the show, so I figured I should give this novel a shot. Going in to this novel, I had high hopes, excited for the chance to spend a few light hours reading about this couple whose toxic relationship maybe have very well been the death of them. 

My first problem with the text was apparent straight off. Zelda's narrative. I think third person or omniscient would have been a better choice for this novel, relieving Fowler of the pressure to have to mimic the voice and thought process of someone as complex as Zelda. And the first half was so dreadfully boring. I found my mind wandering often whenever I tried to read it, and the anachronisms of the dialogue made me feel like I had an itch on my back right where I couldn't get at it. Both Zelda and Scott didn't feel like themselves for some reason. Both seemed dumbed down, but I couldn't quite put my finger on why until I went on Goodreads to read the reviews. The word "whitewashed" appeared in quite a few, and I agree that it fits this book perfectly. Zelda's portrayal in this reminds me of Tarnish's portrayal of Anne Boleyn. Both books changed their interesting, complex, historical women into sanitized versions of themselves, declawing them so they could seem like victims of the patriarchy instead of who they really were. Zelda didn't need that any more than Anne did. I mean, this is the same chick who accused Scott and Hemingway (Hemingway!) of having a homosexual affair together.

Another problem I had with this was that Scott got blamed for Zelda's mental state, or lack thereof. Her insanity was not Scott's fault anymore than his drinking was hers. From my reading and own research into Scott and Zelda's relationship, I came to the conclusion that they had a twisted, toxic relationship. Both were at fault, Zelda was not the sole victim and Scott was not the sole abuser. In my opinion, they were perfect for each other- both selfish, immature, and narcissistic children who may have been creative geniuses (or at least Scott, I've never read anything by Zelda, but it's hard to argue against his genius, even if you don't like his personality), but were absolutely horrible to each other.

I couldn't finish this book, I'm sorry. I got so annoyed with Fowler's portrayal of their relationship and felt pity for Zelda herself to be forced into this victim box. What I want is for a book to have an honest portrayal of fascinating women in history- women like Zelda or Anne- without the author feeling the need to look at them through a feminist lense, where everything that happens to them, and anything even remotely bad they do, is all because of the men in their life. All that does it take away their personality. And that makes me sad.

THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER OF THE JAZZ AGE NOW AN AMAZON ORIGINALS SERIES STARRING CHRISTINA RICCI 'If ever a couple ... became an era, it was F Scott Fitzgerald and his glamorous "flapper" wife, Zelda. They were the Jazz Age' Independent When beautiful, reckless Southern belle Zelda Sayre meets F. Scott Fitzgerald at a country club dance in 1918, she is seventeen and he is a young army lieutenant. Before long, Zelda has fallen for him, even though Scott isn't wealthy or prominent or even a Southerner and keeps insisting, absurdly, that his writing will bring him both fortune and fame. When he sells his first novel, she optimistically boards a train to New York, to marry him and take the rest as it comes. What comes, here at the dawn of the Jazz Age, is unimagined success and celebrity that will make Scott and Zelda legends in their own time. Each place they go becomes a playground:New York City, Long Island, Hollywood, Paris, and the French Riviera - where they join the endless party of the glamorous, sometimes doomed Lost Generation that includes Ernest Hemingway, Sara and Gerald Murphy, and Gertrude Stein. Everything seems new and possible, but not even Jay Gatsby's parties go on forever. Who is Zelda, other than the wife of a famous - sometimes infamous - husband? With brilliant insight and imagination, Therese Anne Fowler brings us Zelda's irresistible story as she herself might have told it. 'Utterly compulsive reading' Stylist 'Brilliant' Daily Mail 'Superb' Independent *Therese Anne Fowler's bestselling novel of the Gilded Age, A Well-Behaved Woman, is out now*

Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald

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