The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - SPOILERS ALLOWED (Dec 13 Classics)

[Jo]

This is the thread for the December 2013 Classics read, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button by F. Scott Fitzgerald.

Spoilers are allowed on this thread.

[Charlotte]

I've read this early due to my holiday plans for December. The copy I read was The Curious Case of Benjamin Button And Two Other Stories - a different version to the one I nominated, as this was the one at my library! If you don't have this edition then ignore the comments on the other two stories!!

I enjoyed this collection of short stories, despite having had my expectations lowered by looking at other reviews.
1)The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - reading this after the film has been released is always going to create some sort of disappointment. The film is stunning, romantic and unforgettable. The story is very different, with Button being kept by his parents, his love affair turning sour so quickly and there just being far less happening due to the length of the story. However, in itself it was a great wee story, opening up questions regarding the role of the elderly in society, reactions of your children to the concept of parents aging or not aging as the case is here! I also pondered where was Button's mother in all this. You hear about the father's reaction but not the mother. Also, Benjamin manages to be over 5ft not too long after the birth, whilst it is all more drawn out in the film. How would a woman give birth to such a 'baby'!! I knew not to expect it to be as rich as the film, so with lowered expectations, I enjoyed it.

2) Bernice Bobs Her Hair - I probably enjoyed this the most. The twist at the end made me laugh, and it was well deserved. Good on ye Bernice! The fuss over a bob made me smile. It really was a massive statement back then. Reminded me of the times I have told various hairdressers to cut all my hair off and they look stunned and try to talk me out of it, but I know my mind, and perhaps more importantly, that I suit short hair, so I'm not phased by it!

3) The Diamond as Big as the Ritz - I liked the concept and the lush descriptions of the Washington abode. Perhaps the unfolding of the drama at the end felt a little messy, with what happened to various people seeming to be a bit of a mystery. Loose ends not fully tied.

[Pink]

I read this short story collection earlier this year and have previously seen the Brad Pitt film version several times and loved it! What struck me most was how completely different the book was. Of course there are similarities with Benjamin ageing backwards, but it was really not at all like the film. I loved it just as much though and felt that it worked great as a short story.

[Elizabeth]

I started listening to the audio version I have this morning. I finished listening to The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Such a poignant sad little story, beautifully written.

I haven't seen the film, and I'm not sure I want to either. I wouldn't want to be disappointed.

I'm part way through The Diamond as Big as the Ritz but am not really enjoying that one.

[Elizabeth]

If anyone is looking for more of FSF's short stories, there's some here.

http://munseys.com/diskone/fitzgerald...

[Sandra]

Just finished reading it. I didn't watch the movie, and my only experience with Fitzgerald's was The Great Gatsby, that I didn't really enjoy.
But I liked the Ben Button's story, is funny and different. At the same time is a little sad, since he had problems to be accepted at the beginning and at the end of his life.
But it is definitively a crazy story!

[Imogen]

I enjoyed this little story, and v pleased it was so little as I haven't got much time for the December reading! I have never seen the film, though I would like to now. I found it quite moving really, especially the end, with the smells of milk fading away and darkness descending :(

I am quite intrigued by F Scott Fitzgerald as a man, but have only ever previously read The Great Gatsby (a few times).

I felt that Benjamin B was possibly quite profound! A bit magical realist?

[Imogen]

It was sad how his family were unable to accept him for who he was, I enjoyed the satirical element.

[Kai]

I liked how Fitzgerald used broad comedy to introduce us to the absurdity of Benjamin's existence, and then introduced more tender themes as the story progressed. I enjoyed how he played with the idea of being an outsider - even while Benjamin does all of the "right" things - goes to war/wins the big football game/marries the prettiest girl - he never truly fits in, even when people don't realize why.

I noticed that the family members only truly seemed to enjoy having Benjamin around when he seemed their age. How much is how we feel about someone determined by what parts of us we see reflected in them?

My main disappointment in the short story was the lack of a woman's voice. As Charlotte noted, I thought it was strange that the mother was never really mentioned. Later, his wife is also regulated to the background as a figure who initially attracts Benjamin, but quickly loses her appeal with age - which might be a pretty realistic turn of events (even in cases where one of the couple is not aging in reverse), but could we at least get a scene from their good 15 years?

[Anastasia]

I'm a little uncomfortable for being the discordant voice, but I didn't liked it so much.

The idea is awesome, really, but I'm disappointed by the very brief and reduced thing that Fitzgerald decided to get from it.
I don't like to imagine how it could have been better if the author had chosen a different way to tell the story, because I feel it as a pretentious invasion of his job, but sometimes I can't silence my disagreement.

The "growth" has been developped so rapidly that I couldn't appreciate it entirely. It was too fast, sometimes vague and so not enough captivating. I agree with Kai about the woman's voice, but I would extend it to the all characters, even Benjamin..
I know that this is a short story with all its consequences, but..why?! :(

[Bionic Jean]

I read about a third of the story before I realised that it's a satire. As soon as that hit me I stopped worrying so much about the realism and just enjoyed it, tongue-in-cheek as it was. Here's my review

Apparently the film is a completely different story; only the initial premise is the same, so I wouldn't think it was fair to either to compare them.

[Marius]

I do not think this story works for me even when read as a satire.
To much awkwardness, too little of "message".
Maybe that is why it just a short story, not a novel.
The author did not feel it has enough "juice" to become a proper novel.