Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald, by Therese Ann Fowler

We both liked this book. We enjoyed it in audio format; the narrator's southern accent really brought Zelda to life (Zelda Sayre grew up in Alabama.) 

This book is historical fiction, and as such, the author (Fowler) has taken artistic liberties with some details. It's important to know this upfront and to recognize that this is NOT nonfiction. For example, when there's a hint of homosexuality between Scott and Ernest Hemingway, the specific details are FICTION. That part caught me by surprise and I searched my own copy of a Hemingway biography to see if it was true; I couldn't find any evidence of it. 

Zelda appears warm-hearted in this book, with only a few moments of outlandish behavior. She forgave Scott for many of his transgressions (eg, wandering eye). Yes, she had some mental health issues, this part was true. It's also true that she had a mom and sisters who grounded her, and she may have actually tried to lay off alcohol, even as Scott never seemed to try to. Alcohol makes any mental disturbance worse, and this is true for Zelda. She had a lot of energy which she poured into ballet dancing, writing, and painting. As was the case in that time period, women were expected to only want to fill roles as wives and mothers; they needed to put any artistic desires aside. Zelda didn't care for that idea. 

Fowler made Zelda into a bit of a feminist, and for that, critics have found fault. But she was talented in her own right. And if wanting to use her talent made her "different" or a bit of a feminist, so be it. Her struggles with being "more than just a wife" rings true for that time period (post WW1 through 1930s). 

As a bonus, this book illustrates the Writer's Life. Scott Fitzgerald was always hustling. Between books, he'd write pieces for magazines, and he was always stressed out about writing the next thing in order to support his family. Fowler made him out to be the bad guy in this book, but again, this is fictionalized. He seemed misguided, possibly a bit too full of himself at times. He drank too much, and probably did have a fling or two (or more?). And for this, anyone should rightly judge him as NOT honoring his wife or his marriage. 

Therese Anne Fowler is a very talented writer. Thumbs up on this book. That said, if you want something that's more true to life, pick a biography/nonfiction.