Six Tales of the Jazz Age and Other Stories

by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Frances Fitzgerald Lanahan (Introduction)

From Simon & Schuster and one of the greatest writers of his generation, F. Scott Fitzgerald, comes a masterful collection of short stories that encapsulate the Jazz Age.

Tales of the Jazz Age, F. Scott Fitzgerald's second book of 11 short stories, including The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, a humorous satire of the wealthy, is a perfect length for a long commute - and for a return to a golden, bygone era.

Genres: Short Stories, Classics, Fiction, 20th Century, American, Collections, Literature

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1925

About the author

Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald, widely known simply as Scott Fitzgerald, was an American novelist, essayist, and short story writer. He is best known for his novels depicting the flamboyance and excess of the Jazz Age, a term he popularized in his short story collection Tales of the Jazz Age. During his lifetime, he published four novels, four story collections, and 164 short stories. Although he achieved temporary popular success and fortune in the 1920s, Fitzgerald received critical acclaim only after his death and is now widely regarded as one of the greatest American writers of the 20th century.
Born into a middle-class family in Saint Paul, Minnesota, Fitzgerald was raised primarily in New York state. He attended Princeton University where he befriended future literary critic Edmund Wilson. Owing to a failed romantic relationship with Chicago socialite Ginevra King, he dropped out in 1917 to join the United States Army during World War I. While stationed in Alabama, he met Zelda Sayre, a Southern debutante who belonged to Montgomery's exclusive country-club set. Although she initially rejected Fitzgerald's marriage proposal due to his lack of financial prospects, Zelda agreed to marry him after he published the commercially successful This Side of Paradise (1920). The novel became a cultural sensation and cemented his reputation as one of the eminent writers of the decade.
His second novel, The Beautiful and Damned (1922), propelled him further into the cultural elite. To maintain his affluent lifestyle, he wrote numerous stories for popular magazines such as The Saturday Evening Post, Collier's Weekly, and Esquire. During this period, Fitzgerald frequented Europe, where he befriended modernist writers and artists of the "Lost Generation" expatriate community, including Ernest Hemingway. His third novel, The Great Gatsby (1925), received generally favorable reviews but was a commercial failure, selling fewer than 23,000 copies in its first year. Despite its lackluster debut, The Great Gatsby is now hailed by some literary critics as the "Great American Novel". Following the deterioration of his wife's mental health and her placement in a mental institute for schizophrenia, Fitzgerald completed his final novel, Tender Is the Night (1934).
Struggling financially because of the declining popularity of his works during the Great Depression, Fitzgerald moved to Hollywood, where he embarked upon an unsuccessful career as a screenwriter. While living in Hollywood, he cohabited with columnist Sheilah Graham, his final companion before his death. After a long struggle with alcoholism, he attained sobriety only to die of a heart attack in 1940, at 44. His friend Edmund Wilson edited and published an unfinished fifth novel, The Last Tycoon (1941), after Fitzgerald's death. In 1993, a new edition was published as The Love of the Last Tycoon, edited by Matthew J. Bruccoli.

Reviews

[Daniel Clausen · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are stories in here that will dazzle you. There are stories that will make your heart ache. There are stories here that will make you hungry for the vagaries of life, long for the tender joys of youth, and melancholy over the compromises and pains of later years.

For me, the greatness of this book is what it taught me about craftsmanship. Can I ever write a more complete story than "The Camel's Back"? I can try. Can I write a more technically sound story than "The Lees of Happiness"? I can only strive. In the meantime, I will read, study, and learn from one of the greats.

[Bruce · Rating 3 out of 5]

These stories were all written for magazines, and are perfect examples of "slick magazine fiction." Each one is engaging, well-written, moving, and has much evidence of the sophisticated style and high seriousness which characterizes Fitzgerald's later work. Often they contain a good deal of very engaging wit and humor.

All that being said: they are not worth reading, unless one is interested in Fitzgerald's growth as a writer (which I am). Fitzgerald's efforts to pander to the magazine reader of the early 1920s results in much superficial sentiment that rings patently false. These were, however, early stories, and I look forward to witnessing his progress towards that triumph of the first-person narrative, The Great Gatsby.

[Miriam Hrádeľová · Rating 3 out of 5]

Niektoré príbehy budú bolieť, niektoré nudiť, niektoré rozveselia, niektoré zas v tebe zanechajú niečo čo doznieva dlhšie.
+Príjemný štýl písania

[Andrea Bastien · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Camel’s Back is one of the funniest strangest short stories I’ve ever read.

[Hamish · Rating 3 out of 5]

These were somewhat famously done for money, and the implication has always been that they were slick, watered down stories written to appeal to the large audience that purchased magazines like The Saturday Evening Post. And yes, some of them (Hot and Cold Blood, The Adjuster) do feel pretty lightweight, with hackneyed twist endings, but others (The Camel's Back, The Lees of Happiness) are actually pretty exceptional. Fitzgerald is enough of an artist that even his obviously for money work is still full of strong craft. Not essential reading by any means, though.

[Seg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Издание, которое я читал включало в себя следующий ряд рассказов

The jelly-bean -- Джеллибин 3/5
Неплохо, язык Фицджеральда замечательный, это можно сказать про все его произведение, и именно это не служит исключением. Я не могу сказать, что-то конкретно не понравилось мне в данной работе. В ней нет ничего кардинально отталкивающего, просто не по мне.
The camel's back --Половина верблюда 3.5/5
То же, что и про предыдущее произведение. Правда сюжет более интересный, пускай и просто и не будит в твоей душе заснувшие вопросы нравственности.
May Day -- Первое мая 4/5
Замечательное произведение, читал с большим интересом, однако концовка слишком простая, как будто автор не успевал закончить рассказ в срок и выбрал легкий выход.
Porcelain and pink -- Фаянсовый и розовый (пьеса в одном действии)
The Diamond as Big as the Ritz -- Огромный, как «Ритц», алмаз 5/5 Удивительный рассказ и язык, и сюжет, и вопросы поднимаемые автором все а уровне.
The curious case of Benjamin Button -- Странная история Бенджамина Баттона 3/5 Мэх... слишком переоцененный поэтому и такой низкий балл, а в целом не плохо.
Tarquin of cheapside -- Тарквиний из Чипсайда 2/5 Слабо
O russet witch! -- «О, рыжая ведьма!» 5/5 Единственный, пожалуй, рассказ, который заставил задуматься, а не просто двояко улыбнуться.
The Lees of happiness -- Осадок счастья 5/5 А нет не единственный, вот он лучший рассказ из сборника, советую прочитать
Mister Icky: The Quintessence of Quaintness in One Act Мистер -- Липкин: квинтэссенция эксцентрики в одном действии 2/5 Ха. Забавно.
Jemina, the Mountain Girl -- Джемина, девушка с гор 3/5 Не могу понять серьезность написания данного произведения, как по мне Фицджеральд написал его, чтобы посмеяться над работами подобного типа.

В целом не плохо, но не зацепило (за исключением нескольких работы).

[Jonathan Vincent · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first 60 percent of this book is absolutely terrible. No story was good or even interesting. They read like long O. Henry stories, where each has one clever idea- but in an O. Henry story that idea only needs to cover 2 pages and in these 20.

It gets better towards the end though. Not great, but better. Thoroughly okay. I guess if I have to pick my favorite I'd go for The Lees of Happiness, it was the only one that was memorable.

Not a great book.

[~Sara~ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fitzgerald's Tales of the Jazz Age made me wish I lived during that era even though they weren't stories with happy endings, just fantastic stories of how life could be (but probably wasn't). These stories really make you examine the relationships people have with one another and made me think about how my own were similar or different as I read.

In The Jelly-Bean a man who isn't really worth much from society's point of view is almost persuaded to turn his life around and make something of himself until the woman who makes him want more slips away.

The Camel's Back is a humourous story of a man inadvertantly tricking his reluctant fiancee into finally getting married.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is the story of what would happen if someone were to age backwards, from old age to birth. How he is treated by the people around him and how he struggles to find his place in the world is not really different from if he lived a normal life. His son talks down to him and has no patience with him, like many do with the elderly when they get senile or can't function without help. His father tries to make him the kind of son he wants him to be by dictating how he should act and dress, who he should play with, what school he will go to, trying to force him into the mold he doesn't fit in. Throughout the book, Benjamin is blamed for aging this way like it is a mental illness he has the power to cure but is too stubborn to do so despite the misery it causes his loved ones. These themes are common even though the rest of the tale is definitely not.

Tarquin of Cheapside is a very short story telling how The Rape of Lucrece came to be written.

"O Russet Witch" is the story of a man resisting the temptation that he didn't realize had nothing really to do with him. This was one of my least favourite stories. There were parts of the story that confused me and, although I found the revelation near the end interesting, I didn't like how the end of the story left Merlin not only without dreams but with no dignity either.

The Lees of Happiness is the tragic but beautifully written story of a true love that lasts "until death do us part".

The Adjuster reminded me of a dark Mary Poppins where someone mysterious comes along and shows the person how selfish they are and that family and loved ones are the most important part of their life.

Hot and Cold Blood teaches you to be true to yourself to be happy and Gretchen's Forty Winks is about a man trying to begin a successful business without losing his wife to another man.

A few things I noticed in several of these stories were the older sons were very disrespectful of the fathers, most of the women were glorified even though they were spoiled, selfish and sometimes unreasonably demanding, and the nannies appeared to be the only ones that actually paid any attention to the babies aside from a few minutes of cooing. Different times I guess. It didn't make me want to live in them any less though!

[Julka Oreska · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rozumiem, prečo sa o Fitzgeraldovi hovorí, že bol majster krátkych literárnych útvarov. Všetky tieto poviedky sú brilantne vystavané a napísané. Avšak keď sú takto spolu v jednej knižke, akosi na seba narážajú. Neviem prísť na nič, čo by ich spájalo a nie je to dokonca ani džezový vek, pretože niektoré sa odohrávajú v 19. storočí. Kniha potom pôsobí veľmi nesúrodo, čo je škoda. Každopádne veľmi dobré čítanie.

[tortoise dreams · Rating 3 out of 5]

A selection of stories from two other of Fitzgerald's original short story collections.

Book Review: Six Tales of the Jazz Age and Other Stories is an odd assortment of F. Scott Fitzgerald's work, valuable for the introduction written by daughter Frances "Scottie" Fitzgerald (then Lanahan) and because it contains three stories from the hard-to-find All the Sad Young Men (1926) (published following The Great Gatsby). The remaining six stories were taken from an earlier book (as suggested by the title) Tales of the Jazz Age (1922) (published following The Beautiful and Damned). Generally, this selection, first assembled in 1960, consists of stories that had not been chosen for other anthologies; the most notable such at the time was Malcolm Cowley's The Stories of F. Scott Fitzgerald (1951). Thus, mostly the weaker of Fitzgerald's works. As Frances Fitzgerald notes in the Introduction here: "A few short pieces in the original collections have been left out, for the very reason that they are 'pieces' rather than stories proper." The six stories included here from Tales of the Jazz Age are:

"The Jelly-Bean" - True love makes a young man want to be a better person, and then it doesn't.

"The Camel's Back" - A slapstick story about how the course of true love never does run smooth, except for camels.

"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" - The strongest story in this collection, more affecting than I expected given its odd and awkward premise, and later made into a 2008 film with Brad Pitt. Surprising that this wasn't included in the Cowley anthology.

"Tarquin of Cheapside" - More clever than brilliant and clearly the product of a lit major, but clever nonetheless.

"'O Russet Witch!'" - A fable of fantasy and regret for the Jazz Age.

"The Lees of Happiness" - Another fable of lost chances and what might've been.

But Six Tales of the Jazz Age and Other Stories of course also includes "other stories." F. Scott once told his daughter: "I guess I am too much a moralist at heart and really want to preach at people in some acceptable form rather than entertain them." This attitude is reflected in the three stories found here from All the Sad Young Men:

"The Adjuster" - A young wife and mother still wants to enjoy life after marriage, but in a harsh lesson learns the error of her ways. A generally unpleasant story with an even more unpleasant moral. Judgmental and a bit prudish.

"Hot and Cold Blood" - A husband and soon-to-be father is goaded by his wife into selfishness, but soon learns the error of his ways. A more palatable moral, but still a harsh lesson for the shrewish wife.

"Gretchen's Forty Winks" - A young wife and mother refuses to delay gratification for six weeks even to establish the couple in wealth, so her husband masterfully takes matters into his own hands.

Not the best introduction to Fitzgerald's stories and not a particularly strong selection of his work, serving as a catch-all for works not collected elsewhere. But Fitzgerald is always interesting, even at his most average, and Six Tales of the Jazz Age provides a glimpse into the wide variety of his efforts. No one will be harmed by reading these stories, but the four original collections and the anthology by Matthew J. Bruccoli, The Short Stories of F. Scott Fitzgerald (1989) are best. [3★]

[Jamesjohn Jamesjohn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nine short stories set in the cruder times of a hundred years ago, all containing brilliant passages so characteristic of the author, but many with gaping weaknesses. These stories sold well and along with his novel _Paradise_, solidified Fitzgerald's fame, and trapped him so that he struggled to break out from under their shadow for the rest of his career.

I strongly disliked _The curious case of Benjamin button_ because it's unsupportable plotline depends upon total absence of any mention of Benjamin's mother. Any acknowledgement of her existence would have collapsed the whole thing. Women's subordination is typical of the times, but this carries it beyond extreme.

The gem to me is _Gretchen's forty winks_. It has the most beautifully wonderful opening paragraphs in American literature, the story is clever and playful, and the resolution at the end is fun, satisfying the reader with a chuckle.

[Tauan Tinti · Rating 2 out of 5]

Com certeza o pior livro que li esse ano - e o intervalo de alguns meses entre a leitura dos contos menos ruins e os péssimos só piorou o gosto ruim que me sobrou na boca. Cautionary tales sentimentaloides e historinhas açúcar-com-água formam um clima vagamente distópico, um mundo onde a vida digna acaba antes dos trinta, a única qualidade possível para uma mulher é a beleza (com prazo de validade aliás restrito) e o egoísmo fundamental só pode ser superado pela ambição do chefe da família. Li em algum lugar que esses contos foram escritos com pressa, para revistas de circulação relativamente grande, com a intenção de ganhar uns trocados - mas não acho o livro menos ruim por isso, fazer o quê. Mas noto, de passagem, a manifestação ocasional de alguma inteligência narrativa (um sorriso que literalmente para o trânsito num conto, a digressão de abertura de um outro, envolvendo salas de espera), infelizmente esporádica demais pra rebater meu mau humor de agora.

[Karla · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fantastical fun read! After reading heavier items, I wanted to change it up. I ate this book! I love the writing style of his earlier years, and he has a wonderful way of describing scenes.

“It was a dark afternoon, threatening rain and the end of the world, and done in that particularly gloomy gray in which only New York afternoons indulge. A breeze was crying down the streets, whisking along battered newspapers and pieces of things, and little lights were pricking out all the windows - it was so desolate that one was sorry for the tops of sky-scrapers lost up there in the dark green and gray heaven, and felt that now surely the farce was to close, and presently all the buildings would collapse like card houses, and pile up in a dusty, sardonic heap upon the millions who presumed to wind in and out of them.” - “O Russet Witch”

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

'Six Tales of the Jazz Age' was an unsatisfying group of short stories that leaves the reader feeling sorry for F. Scott Fitzgerald rather than admiring him. This volume is not a medley of his hits. Fitzgerald could certainly tell a story but a number of thoughts jump to mind. With so much talent why did Fitzgerald waste his time writing so much drivel? Did he let his stories come out in dribs and drabs for small change from magazines because he couldn't sustain an effort long enough to survive in between books? Most of the characters in these stories are about people like himself - married, in their early twenties, and living a life of comparative ease. Things have come very easy to his characters and yet they all act like unhappy middle-aged overworked burnouts. Yes, they sound just like F. Scott Fitzgerald. The only familiar story in the compilation is 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button' about a man born old who ages backwards to infancy. No 'Bernice Bobs Her Hair' or 'The Diamond As Big As The Ritz', nothing that's going to make a volume of great short stories. In short, 'Six Tales of the Jazz Age' is nothing to get jazzed about.

[Maurice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nine stories that highlight Fitzgerald's wonderful writing style, mostly about relationships, usually husband and wife, and about relationships that didn't quite occur, like "The Jellybean", about a young small town young man who has fallen in love with an exciting girl who will never think of him twice. That story ends with an interesting description of the South: "The street was hot at three and hotter still at four, the April dust seeming to enmesh the sun and give it forth again as a world-old joke forever played on an eternity of afternoons... in this hour nothing mattered. All life was weather..."
What writing?! Fitzgerald reminds me of Thomas Wolfe, who knows and describes the South so well.

[David A Townsend · Rating 4 out of 5]

He was an old man now indeed, so old that is was impossible for him to dream of ever having been young, so old that the glamour was gone out of the world, passing not into the faces of children and into the persistent comforts of warmth and life, but passing out of the range of sight and feeling. He was never to smile again or to sit in a long reverie when spring evening wafted the cries of children in at his window until gradually, they became friends of his boyhood out there, urging him to come and play before the last dark came down. He was too old now even for memories. There was nothing left but heaven, where he would meet only those who, like him, had wasted earth.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice collection. Kind of surprised by the variety, and by the fact that not all of them ended badly. 'The Adjuster' may have been my favorite, though I also much liked 'Gretchen's Forty Winks." I did feel that I'd read some of them before -- Benjamin Button again failed to impress. While I did enjoy reading all of these, I have the feeling that I won't remember much about any of them in a few days.

[Alisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is hard for me to rate the short stories of an author I've loved based on the novels I read in college. These stories seemed hard and brittle and judgmental - of women, of growing old, of those with nothing and those with everything. I'm not a huge fan of the format of short stories generally but these did not evoke any joy and very little humor.

[Samantha · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 stars because I only really enjoyed two stories from this collection. “O Russett Witch” was the best one. Lots of fantasy and whimsy. But pretty much every story in this collection had AT LEAST one thing that is PROBLEMATIC by today’s standards. 👀

[Jiwon Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some stories are precious, while some are puzzling. Personally, I don't find F. Scott Fitzgerald's narrative charming, but I really like his plots. He is one of the few authors I wish I liked but don't. It's hard to convince yourself when naturally you don't feel attracted to the words used.

[Lois Melbourne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I appreciate the stylized prose of Fitzgerald. Even when I wasn’t impressed with a story’s conclusion, I enjoyed prose and the telling. I don’t know how I missed the fact that “The Curious Life of Benjamin Button” was written by Fitzgerald. Fascinating short story.

[Og Maciel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great list of 6 short stories to give you a taste for Scott Fitzgerald's style.

[Rachel Dows · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of Fitzgerald's best collections. Each tale was filled with opulence and irony, justice and despair. Definitely a collection worth reading.

[Christopher Hartliss · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent.

[Allan van der Heiden · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great short stories from one of the greatest authors of all time. The stories give just the right size to give you quick short reads.

[Jane · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm a big fan of Fizgerald novels, but this book of short stories didn't capture me. His wordy style stood in the way of what I consider a good short story.

[EvA]

Od Miňa

[Michele · Rating 4 out of 5]

In questi giorni mi è capitato di vedere il film Il curioso caso di Benjamin Button. Non sono un assiduo frequentatore di sale cinematografiche e di rado mi precipito a vedere l'ultimo film appena uscito. Preferisco seguire percorsi indipedenti, che somigliano ai percorsi di lettura. In fondo i buoni film non invecchiano. Così, mi è venuta poi voglia di andare a leggere il racconto omonimo, contenuto in Six Tales of the Jazz Age di Fitzgerald, da cui il film è tratto (a dir la verità molto liberamente). In effetti i due racconti, pur partendo da uno stesso spunto (la storia di un uomo il cui orologio biologico va capricciosamente all'indietro), raccontano due storie molto diverse, che poco hanno a che fare l'una con l'altra. Il film di David Fincher sembra in un certo senso voler dare un fondamento più realistico all'intera vicenda: sullo schermo Benjamin vede la luce da neonato senescente, e non da anziano uomo fatto, come nel racconto; e da vecchio, cioè da bambino, soffre di Alzheimer nonostante le sembianze infantili. Ma soprattutto il film, a differenza del racconto, finisce per girare tutto intorno a una grande, hollywoodiana storia d'amore: quella tra due persone che si riconoscono anime gemelle al primo sguardo, anche se lei è una bambina e lui un arzillo vecchietto "diverso da tutti gli altri", e che pur cercandosi per tutta la vita si incontrano veramente solo per un istante (ma un istante che vale un'esistenza), come due treni lanciati in direzioni opposte si incrociano per pochi attimi a metà del cammino, e poi proseguono la loro folle corsa, inesorabilmente, allontanandosi per sempre.
Senza alcuna indulgenza al mélo, Fitzgerald racconta invece di un uomo che incontra la sua giovane sposa da maturo benestante («preferisco sposare un uomo di cinquant'anni che si prenda cura di me», dice Hildegard, «piuttosto che uno di trenta e dovermi prendere cura di lui»); e cessa di provare attrazione per lei quando, sentendosi più giovane e rinvigorito, la vede moglie e madre quarantenne, ormai «divorata da quell’inerzia interiore che un giorno assale la vita di ciascuno di noi e non ci abbandona più fino alla fine». E non sono forse cose che succedono, anche a chi non ha l’orologio biologico invertito? Ma quello che è folgorante, nella cinica narrazione di Fitzgerald, è l’ipocrisia con cui intorno a Benjamin si cerca di negare la sua condizione, ben diversamente dall’amore incondizionato della madre adottiva nel film. Già il padre, quando è ancora piccolo, lo manda a scuola vestito da fanciullo benestante, malgrado le sue sembianze da vecchietto; e la moglie, in quella che forse è la battuta più sferzante del racconto, al vederlo ringiovanire lo apostrofa così: «I’m not going to argue with you. But there’s a right way of doing things and a wrong way. If you’ve made up your mind to be different from everybody else, I don’t suppose I can stop you, but I really don’t think it’s very considerate».
Interpretata in modo più sentimentale e calligrafico nel film, più cinico e spiazzante nella novella, la storia di Benjamin Button è una favola su come il tempo gioca e si fa beffe delle nostre vite e dei nostri progetti e dei nostri amori. È proprio vero che, come diceva Mark Twain, «è un peccato che la parte migliore della nostra vita venga all’inizio e la peggiore alla fine»? È peggio precipitare verso l’abisso della vecchiaia o trascorrere gli anni della saggezza e del ricordo imprigionati nel fisico di un ragazzino capriccioso? E come mai tante volte i bambini sono i più pronti a riconoscere il lato infantile nello sguardo di un vecchio? Il tempo ci trasforma, gioca col nostro fisico e con la nostra mente, spesso disallineando stati mentali e condizioni del corpo. E, come dice il Benjamin/Brad Pitt, niente dura.

[Mayra Correa e Castro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Depois que O curioso caso de Benjamin Button foi pros cinemas (2008), a capa deste Seis contos da Era do Jazz começou estampar o letreiro do filme, inspirado no conto homônimo, integrante da coletânea. Mas não é nem de longe o melhor texto entre os nove e, mesmo entre eles, o excelente ensaio de Brenno Silveira sobre Fitzgerald (1896-1940) e sua época nos faz pensar que o anúncio da festa costuma ser mais excitante que a festa em si. E, à medida que passamos pelos contos, isso vai se confirmando.

De início, lemos O boa vida e As costas do camelo, em que tudo é cheio de purpurina, long drinks e charutos. Daí vem Benjamin Button, bem menos intenso no papel que em película; então, quase achamos que vamos voltar aos long drinks e charutos com Tarquínio de Cheapside e “Ó feiticeira ruiva!”, até que afundamos na vida suburbana nada atraente de O resíduo da felicidade, O conciliador, Sangue ardente, sangue frio e A soneca de Gretchen. Por isso, pra gostar do livro, você precisa curtir Fitzgerald e seu estilo que tenta a todo custo arrancar a pompa e a atenção de si. O mais complicado da leitura é lidarmos com inúmeros nomes que logo surgem nos primeiros parágrafos, algo muito distante das narrativas do século XXI, onde todos os escritores perceberam que nomear seus personagens não serve pra absolutamente nada (embora sirva pra que nunca consigamos transformá-los em qualidades, como fizemos tão facilmente com quixotesco, casmurrice, bovariano, etc – talvez nos arrependamos no futuro dessa escolha pelo anonimato).

Outra coisa sobre esta edição é a introdução escrita pela filha do casal, Frances Fitzgerald Lanahan (1921-1986), que se tornou jornalista. Conhecida pelo apelido Scottie, ela relembra alguns truques escolares que aprendeu com o pai e nos aponta o quanto ele escreveu apesar de ter vivido pouco. No final, tanto ela quanto nós nos quedamos rendidos ao fato que seu pai e sua mãe tenham encarnado o espírito dos Roaring Twenties e deixamos de ligar se os contos são, alguns, medianamente bons, misturados a outros francamente ótimos: é Fitzgerald, afinal.

Leia o restante desta resenha com citações comentadas em:
http://asmelhorespartes.blogspot.com....

[Tiffany · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really, really like Fitzgerald's writing style, especially in his short stories. I think Fitzgerald could be the Great Find of my adult years (Amazing that I made it into my late twenties before reading *any* of his work).

1) "The Jelly-bean" - 2.5 stars
2) "The Camel's Back" - 3 stars
3) "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" - 4.5 stars - I could see how this would be an amazing and startling story before the movie made the concept known to everyone in the world, especially when it was first published.
4) "Tarquin of Cheapside" - 4 stars
5) "'O Russet Witch!'" - 5 stars - superfabulous!!
6) "The Lees of Happiness" - 3.5 stars - I was really hoping this story would end in a happily-ever-after, but it ends ambiguously. I choose to believe there was eventually a happily-ever-after.
7) "The Adjuster" - 3+ stars - WTH? Is he God? The Ghost of Life Yet to Come? Fate? The Ghost of Don't Say Things You Don't Mean??
8) "Hot and Cold Blood" - 3 stars - Ah, I was able to guess the end reveal, but not how it would affect the main character. It felt a little cheap, but the rest of the story was good.
9) "Gretchen's Forty Winks" - 3.5 stars