Scottie the Daughter Of...: The Life of Frances Scott Fitzgerald Lanahan Smith

by Eleanor Lanahan

A biography of the daughter of F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction

640 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 1995

Reviews

[Melinda]

I have been intrigued by everything Fitzgerald (Scott, Zelda, and Scottie) for most of my adult life, so I was excited to find this book. I appreciated that the focus was truly on Scottie as an individual and less on Scottie, the daughter of, despite the subtitle of the book. It was interesting to learn about Scottie's political involvement and about her family life as a wife and mother. Her daughter did a good enough job of humanizing Scottie as someone separate from Scott and Zelda, yet so much a part of them. In writing about her mother's childhood, the author draws a picture of Scott as a controlling and rather inept parent. The picture of Zelda offers no new characterizations as either a parent or woman---if only she had lived in another time when she would have been able to get the support she needed to handle her demons. My main complaint about the book is with the editing: many typos with extra or deleted words; significant grammar mistakes (periods inserted where they shouldn't be; commas missing or inserted where they shouldn't be; etc.). There is no excuse for these editing oversights.

[Deanna Lynn Sletten]

I really enjoyed this biography of Scottie Fitzgerald by her daughter Eleanor Lanahan. It begins with a nice recap of the lives of F. Scott Fitzgerald and Zelda and moves on to Scottie's childhood and then her adult years. For the first time ever, I felt that I was hearing the true story of these literary icons. Through the years, biographers have dwelled on the glitz and tragedies of the lives of Scott and Zelda, but in this telling of it, you hear the clear truth of their lives without the glamour and glitz. And from there, Scottie grew up to be an amazing person who was active in politics, a writer, and even a songwriter. All of this is described through letters to and from family members, a partially written memoir of Scottie's, and family memories.

A wonderful and powerful story of a very special lady. Thank you Eleanor Lanahan for sharing the story of your mother's life with us all.

[Thomas Schulte]

Living a life with an arc covering a childhood from the world-travelling largess of her parents in the 30s to burgeoning women's liberation movement to Democratic Party efforts leading up to the Reagan Era, Scottie Fitzgerald had a rich life worth documenting. I am not sure her daughter's scrapbook approach presents it completely enough. Largely told through excerpts of Scotties own start on an autobiography, correspondence, and other pieces this is a mix of voicings and feels to me at times more like the raw material for a biography rather than a biography itself. The author brings in around the life of her mother the arcs of many other family members, including her troubled siblings Jacky and Tim.

[Deborah]

I happened to find this book by accident after finishing a book about Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald. What I found was so much more than I expected. Instead of learning more about this famous couple, i learned about a wonderful mother and humanist. To me there daughter turned out to be the more exciting of the trio. Scott Fitzgerald left more than a literary tribute ..he left a person who made the world a better place by spreading joy and hope to many.

I applaud the sensitivity and truthfulness of the author who happens to be their granddaughter. May she paint like her mother wanted her too do!

[Bonnie]

I was always curious about Scottie, the child of F Scott and Zelda. Written by Scottie's daughter, this book gives an honest and in depth account of Scottie's life. Well written; no details were spared. Scottie led a glamorous and tragic life. Highly recommend this book.

[Ann]

I confess to not finishing this book - I read up to the time of Zelda's death, and then skimmed remaining pages looking for Scott/Zelda references. Scottie does seem to have been quite an accomplished person, but not someone I particularly wished to read about - especially not in a 600+ page book!

[Ann Piccirillo]

Reading about Zelda is both pure joy and pure sadness. Fantastic book.

[Michele]

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