Z - A NOVEL OF ZELDA FITZGERALD * BEING ESTHER

Z - A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald by Therese Anne Fowler - Zelda led such an interesting life that she didn't really need fictionalization. When I was young I read all the biographies about F. Scott Fitzgerald and his flapper wife, Zelda, and by all accounts they were fun and crazy and a little messed up. There wasn't as much to learn about Zelda in those days, especially about the time after she "went mad". In today's enlightened world, we can read a novel by an author who did extensive research and brings Zelda to life with actions and conversations and thoughts. I liked getting to know this Zelda who maybe wasn't so crazy or different after all. This Zelda is intelligent, but still a product of her times. She followed her man and when she doubted him, although he loved her, his insecurities led him to treat her with the superiority that was his due in those times. Here, however, Zelda's memory is treated with respect and she is remembered by a wider audience than she ever would have imagined.Being Esther by Mariam Karmel - What is it like to grow old? The question we all have, but don't always have answered. In this novel, 85 year old Esther lets us know what it's like to be her, in her body, in her thoughts, in these times, and with these people who know her. There is something compelling about this book. I'm glad that it crossed my path.