how 'bout a nice cover?

This book had so many insights into the life of a literary genius. I've been reading it off and on for over a year, and as long as you know the general narrative of Fitzgerald's life it's an easy book to come back to after a period of absence. The letters toward the end of his life were kind of hard for me to read because of the bleakness of his life. He'd gotten into such crushing debt, his wife was institutionalized, his career was failing, etc. that it was just so sad to read. Then he starts working on his final novel which he gets so excited about that it gives him almost a second wind in finding purpose in life. These letters, however, still reek of darkness because (spoiler alert!) he died before the novel's completion.

Despite the ending sadness, I loved reading this book. I especially loved the letters to his daughter that really show the development of their relationship throughout their lives, and depict well the closeness of their relationship at the end of his life. At times it seemed like his daughter was the only bright spot of his life. Fitzgerald is just all around a fascinating artist.

This book is going out of print!! It is the closest thing to an FSF autobiography we have. Grab this gem before you are no longer able!

This is about the most depressing book that I've read in ages. Fitzgerald's letters of the 1930s are full of despair. There's one particular exchange of letters exchanged between Scott and Zelda in 1930 that are particularly heartbreaking.

Maybe twenty years ago, I read the Andrew Turnbull-edited THE LETTERS OF F. SCOTT FITZGERALD collection that was originally published in 1963. This newer volume, while not containing all of Fitzgerald's letters known to exist, contains 211 letters not contained in the Turnbull edition. For the most part, the letters in this collection that most affected me were among those 211 letters. So, from that standpoint, this edition is essential for Fitzgerald buffs like me.

That said, I wish the editors of this volume included a bit more in the way of explanatory notes. I understand that some "general readers" would be turned off by a volume containing more footnotes-- but let's be honest: any reader who'd want to read an author's letters are NOT "general readers." We're either academics, history buffs, or Fitzgerald buffs. So from that standpoint, I think the publisher erred in not letting the editors add more footnotes.

I have a whole new appreciation for FSF's earlier work now, having read his doubts, worries, exacting notes to his publisher, concerns that nobody would "get" it.

I reread Gatsby while reading this, and given his personal financial worries, apologies to those he owed money to, etc, I have a different take on it now than I did before - partly influenced also by my advancing age and events of the last decade or so. I wonder if Fitzgerald - great American novelist - didn't wonder, from time to time, if the American Dream was a crock? Dunno - just a thought.

Sadly limited to the letters saved. This means that a bunch written to Zelda aren't included, since she didn't save her letters from him. (No remarks on that, Ella!) I've always sort of loved Zelda, but it's clear from these letters that so did F. Scott Fitzgerald, or at least he repeated it to everyone he wrote.

These are worth reading if you're nosy like me.

My total infatuation with Fitzgerald began in July of 2012 when I read "The Great Gatsby" for the first time. I was 21 and my knowledge and experience of "the classics" was basically non-existent. I read much of Gatsby outside lounging around on our back patio. It was one of the first books that I read where I thought to myself, "THIS is GOOD writing. I want to write books like this." After that, I started collecting his books and reading one a year. First up was Tender Is The Night, then The Love of the Last Tycoon. I read some short stories and eventually (just last summer) got a copy of The Beautiful and the Damned, which surpassed my love for Gatsby, which up until that time had been my favorite of everything of his that I had read.

Over the winter my Mom happened upon a copy of This Side of Paradise at the closest library branch's book sale. Needless to say, she snatched it right up and brought it to me with MUCH excitement. I've been looking forward to the final July reading one of Fitzgerald's novels for the first time ever since. In the meantime, I found out about this volume of his letters and knew that it would be the perfect thing to help me make it to July.

This collection was amazing. If you've read much Fitzgerald or find yourself as enamored with him as I am, then you MUST read it. Remember these letters are raw and honest. You'll encounter his thoughts on writing and his love and devotion to his wife and daughter. If you've suspected that his fiction was inspired by his life, you'll find that you were perfectly right. You'll have the chance to get inside the head of a man who, though master of pen and paper, struggled with the writing life that was granted to him. The sorrows and calamities he and his family faced are not hidden, which may be difficult to bear at times, though certainly far less so than it was for them. The writing advice that he gave to anyone and everyone will inspire you if you're a writer. The key phrases that are repeated over and over again along with his notorious list making may make you smile. You'll learn a million and one things about him....Quirks, that he worked on the screenplay for "Gone With the Wind", that he LOVED poetry, that Keats and Cummings and Conrad inspired him and that Ulysses was well loved. He was a re-reader. He was always sending out suggestions for books and accepting copies to read as he himself wrote.

The nights I spend curled up in bed reading until 11 and 12 at night will live on in my mind as PERFECTION. To have the opportunity to get into this man's head in this way is one that I will prize forever. The writing wisdom and the honesty about the struggles he faced are the things that make this collection especially amazing.

How does one fairly review a compilation of letters? I have decided to rate it based on the editor's compilation rather than Fitzgerald's content, which was never intended for such a vast audience. It felt false giving it five stars, but I wish I'd read this years ago. There are so many gems of wisdom for how to live and write. Especially in his later letters to his daughter, Fitzgerald's analysis of literature and writing will forever influence the way I read and write.

I believe a lot of the love letters have not been included, although there are several between him and Zelda that show how complicated their relationship was. The bulk of the letters are anxiety-riddled as Fitzgerald stressed about money, a consistent theme throughout.

The letters shed light on his short stories and novels. He begins with exuberance and conceit, but as time goes on he loses his confidence. He is astonishingly self-aware of both his literary strengths and weaknesses.

Usually letters or diaries of famous people are too scattered, intimate or mundane to be interesting, but I had a hard time setting this book down once I picked it up. I would've liked some of the letters and reviews written by others about his novels to have been included, but perhaps those were beyond the scope of this book.

I chose to read F. Scott Fitzgerald's Life of Lettersfor two reasons:
1) Because I have been studying Fitzgerald's works for most of my college career, so I wanted to hear about his life in his own words
2) Because the book is such a dry read, I'd only push myself to read it under the context of a undergrad book report. Thankfully, I've received that opportunity.

No doubt, Matthew Broccoli is an F. Scott Fitzgerald expert. His task of collaging a comprehensive collection of letters in a chronological order is extremely difficult. Broccoli states his task in the introduction:

"A rule of publishing holds that volumes of letters sell poorly because they are hard to read. But it is an editor's task to make the letters usable. Fitzgerald's letters--particularly his humorous letters--have a density of topical and literary references; they require their own cultural literacy."

Also, Broccoli tells us that many of the more personal letters have been lost. Zelda didn't save Fitzgerald's love letters and almost no letters to Fitzgerald's parents have been recovered. Many of the parts I hoped to see, such as courting Zelda or the emotions behind dealing with success, are sadly absent from the collection. His life before fame is merely a glimpse. When he published This Side of Paradise, his letters talk of business transactions and finances for a long, dull period of time. And as Broccoli alluded to, the humor flew over my head. When Fitzgerald's life begins to crumble,the intrigue finally sparks and the professional tone breaks; chaos begins to seep into even the most business-like letters.

Overall, the book was hard to get through. I only realized how much I retained after I finally put the book down. It prompted me to ask philosophical questions about myself. And about him. The book stirred me on a deep level. I felt strange for a couple days.

However, it was still a rather dull read. I wouldn't recommend it to the average person unless he craves primary source material. It's a fantastic source if you're a literature student and plan to milk Fitzgerald short-stories in every literary essay opportunity. Pop some quotes from this baby and your professor will find you a genius.

But, if you want to know about Fitzgerald's life story, I'd recommend reading one of Broccoli's many biographies. That will be easier to digest and a more enjoyable read.