Zelda by nancy milford - Ease Reading

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

July 15,2025

Zelda Fitzgerald has finally received the recognition she deserves in this fabulous jazzy age treatment.

She was part of the tragic duo, Scott and Zelda, who shone brightly for a time. Zelda was truly ahead of her time. She was "Beat" long before Jack Kerouac coined the term.

She was associated with the flappers, those young women who defied traditional norms and embraced a more liberated lifestyle. Zelda also had her own philosophies, which added to her allure and complexity.

Her story is one of passion, creativity, and ultimately, tragedy. In this new treatment, her life and contributions are being explored and celebrated in a way that they have long been overdue.

It is a reminder of the impact that Zelda had on the cultural and literary landscape of her time, and how her legacy continues to resonate today.

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SpinachGreen

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

July 15,2025

I read this book in 1980. At that time, I was deeply attracted by it.

Now, with the new interest in F. Scott Fitzgerald emerging, I have decided to read it again.

The first time I read it, I truly enjoyed it.

Zelda, the wife of Fitzgerald, was an extremely interesting character. She was not only nuts in a literal and clinical sense but also had a captivating charm. In fact, I found her to be much more fascinating than her husband.

However, her life had a very sad ending. Despite having an interesting, restless life, it ultimately ended in sadness.

As I prepare to read the book again, I am looking forward to rediscovering the story and gaining a deeper understanding of Zelda and her tragic life.

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InfernoMerrick

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

July 15,2025

The captivating and legendary story of Zelda and Scott Fitzgerald is meticulously laid out in this engaging biography of the troubled girl hailing from Alabama.

Amidst Zelda's mental instability and Scott's excessive drinking, it remains a mystery as to which issue emerged first. Did Scott's heavy drinking drive Zelda to the brink of madness, or was it Zelda's unpredictable behavior that led Scott to seek solace in alcohol? What is certain, however, is that Mrs. Fitzgerald unwittingly provided a wealth of material for Mr. Fitzgerald's novels, sometimes even duplicating entire passages from her personal journals.

The biography itself is a well-written and thoroughly researched piece of work. Some readers may find it overly in-depth, particularly the sections where Zelda's novel and a couple of Scott's are analyzed in great detail over several pages. Nevertheless, I believe Nancy Milford was skillfully highlighting the striking parallels between their lives and their literary works. This biography is an absolute must-read for literature students, offering a fascinating glimpse into the complex and intertwined lives of two iconic figures in American literature.

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Alosuhi

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

July 15,2025

What truly stands out, even more显著 than the somewhat melancholy tale of Zelda the Flapper and F. Scott the Philosopher, is Milford's remarkable tenderness towards both of them, even in the face of their personal excesses. Zelda's descent into madness appears to be inherited schizophrenia. The manner in which her life unfolds might have exacerbated the disease, but it seems as if nothing could truly halt its inexorable progress. F. Scott's near-obsession with her as the central female character in his fiction perhaps did more harm than good, for it never granted her the space to become the person she truly was. There are inklings of that character which lie beneath the surface of the character Fitzgerald creates in his fiction, but since his fiction relied so heavily on his reaching back into the past, especially his and Zelda's shared past, Zelda remains elusive.

This is an important addition to the Fitzgerald "mystique". Reading the story from a perspective sympathetic to Zelda is highly enlightening compared to the typical treatment of the pair, which tends to focus on Scott and treat Zelda as an accessory, or even the "cause" of the alcoholism that subdued and limited his life's work to three great novels, one not-so-great novel, an unfinished novel, numerous short stories of varying quality, and a couple of movie credits. With the publication of Gatsby, which, as Milford notes, he "dragged up out of his gut", intimating a painful birth of America's great 20th-century novel, his potential, in the eyes of readers, editors, admirers, and other writers, seemed boundless. However, this, it seems, was more of a burden than a blessing, for no matter what he did after Gatsby, it would never be sufficient. He was trapped by his own literary brilliance, the excesses of his times, and in the downward spiral of Zelda's disease. That he felt it his responsibility to write better and more brilliantly, to financially support Zelda's treatment, and to justify his drinking, trapped him in a vortex from which he could not, and did not, escape. Nor could she. Their complex lives and their complex life together tell a sad tale that is more captivating than anything either of them ever wrote.

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hichoru

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

July 15,2025

I never thought I'd have any inclination to read about Zelda Fitzgerald.

Initially, my perception of her was influenced by my prior reading of all about Hemingway, who didn't hold her in high regard.

However, one day, I came across the information that she died in a fire in a mental hospital. This fact piqued my interest, leading me to purchase the book.

I'm glad to report that I wasn't disappointed. While I still don't "like" Zelda, this extremely detailed book has made me understand her as a person to a greater extent.

It is truly one of the better biographies I've ever read. Of course, F. Scott Fitzgerald is an integral part of the story.

After reading about Zelda, I no longer feel the need to read his biography as Nancy Milford has already told me everything I ever wanted to know about him.

I have a penchant for reading about the 1920s and those glamorous Americans abroad during the years between the wars.

This book provides all the intricate details, and it didn't surprise me in the least that their lives weren't as grand as the pictures might suggest.

The price they paid for all the debauchery was evident. I liked the book as it evoked a sense of pity for Zelda, this fragile, mentally ill china doll.

I won't read it again, not because it's not good, but because it serves more as an educational book rather than one for pure pleasure. It is, without a doubt, the most thorough book I've read on life between the wars.

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xntla

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

July 15,2025

Please don't be depressed: nothing is sad about you except your sadness...

A few obvious points:

--> Nancy Milford conducted in-depth research. She delved deep into understanding the Fitzgeralds, leaving no stone unturned.

--> The life of Zelda and her husband is an interesting study for numerous reasons. Their story is a complex tapestry of love, dreams, and struggles.

When man is no longer his own master, custodian of his own silly vanities and childish contentments he's nothing at all—being in the first place only an agent of a very experimental stage of organic free will

I was captivated by the exploration of two people who were products of their time and place. They seemed to shine brightly in their dreams, but in reality, they grappled with the unreality of ideas and the burden of mental illness. It's a difficult task to determine how much Zelda's illness influenced their lives. On one hand, perhaps it was due to her illness that she had qualities that Scott found desirable. Without them, their life would have been completely different. On the other hand, because of this illness, they seemed doomed from the start. (Thankfully, today we are better equipped to deal with mental problems, with effective medications available.)

It was as though they were waiting for something to happen

However, to me, there were too many book interpretations and a bit too much analysis of letters. While I could understand the Fitzgeralds better through those citations, I would have preferred if Milford had sometimes just written her conclusions (rather than long quotes). I'm sure that someone who is more familiar with the Fitzgelards' books and more formally educated in literature will enjoy this biography more than I did.

In summary, it was a thoughtfully written biography, and the story of Zelda and Scott was truly fascinating. Nevertheless, reading it could be tiring at times.

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oyechi

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

July 15,2025

I was already familiar with the general outline of the Fitzgeralds' relationship. After all, who isn't? However, I gained a wealth of additional knowledge about them from this biography. It originated from an academic thesis, and while I could have done without the excessive direct quotes from the Fitzgeralds' letters, especially as Zelda's writing became less coherent. I did appreciate it when the author would draw conclusions and extract the main ideas. I simply wish she had done this more frequently.

Zelda was rather exhausting. She appeared to be deeply self-absorbed and troubled, yet also lacking in depth. She caused a great deal of confusion and pain to those around her, but didn't contribute much in return.

Despite that, the book was interesting, thorough, and easy to read. I'm glad I read it. It's just a pity that, in real life, there wasn't more substance beneath the glamour and never-ending drama of Zelda and Scott's lives. This book, although lengthy, seemed to emphasize that there was very little behind the façade.

Overall, it was an engaging read that provided valuable insights into the complex relationship of the Fitzgeralds. It made me reflect on the true nature of their lives and the price they paid for their fame and fortune.

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Chan

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

July 15,2025

I don't often read biographies. However, this particular one, which is all about Zelda Fitzgerald and also delves quite a bit into Scott Fitzgerald, was truly remarkable.

It offers a fascinating glimpse into their lives, the era they lived in, and a plethora of related topics.

If you have an interest in Zelda herself, her relationship with Scott, the Roaring Twenties era, the complex issues of mental illness and addiction, the iconic flapper culture, the art of writing, or the many facets of love, then I wholeheartedly recommend this book.

It is a rich and engaging read that will surely captivate your attention and leave you with a deeper understanding and appreciation of these important aspects of history and human nature.

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