The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and other Jazz Age Stories, 2 stars

[NancyJ]

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Other Jazz Age Stories by F. Scott Fitzgerald

I thought he was considered a good writer, but these stories do not show it. The middle story was the worst example of writing I’ve seen in a long time. If a student was given an assignment to include as many adjectives and descriptions as he could fit in each sentence, it couldn’t have been worse. The sentences were so long, the narrator couldn’t always make them sound like sentences. It was incomprehensible. No wonder Ernest Hemingway was less than respectful when writing about him. Their writing styles were so different, he couldn’t respect or accept his friend’s success.

Another middle story was clearly written but I hated the story. The writing was much better in the first and last stories. The title story was made into a movie starring Brad Pitt and I really loved the 1920’s atmosphere. The plots were very different. The characters is the book were somewhat wooden and simplistic. The story got better as it went along and I liked it in the end. The movie added plot lines, character depth and an emotional core that was not in the book.

I gave the book a generous 2 stars. I blame the editor for including the worst stories. It didn’t need to be a 464 page book. I disliked it so much it took me weeks to finish it. I used up all my little reserves of discipline, just to chip away at it. I feel like I deserve a big bowl of ice cream for sticking with it. Lol