Welcome to Litsy!

This was a depressing difficult book to read. Zelda was an athletic beautiful young woman, courted by many men, but F Scott Fitzgerald was determined he‘d “own” this southern belle himself. He truly believed he owned not only her but all her ideas, what she could and couldn‘t do with her life, etc. When she tried to exert some independence, particularly in ballet and writing, he blasted her! Her ballet was a waste and her ideas belonged to him. ⬇️

From a transcript of Scott‘s and Zelda‘s joint therapy session. He controlled Zelda, and likely until this book was published at least to those who‘ve read it, the narrative of her life.

I started to tell my husband about how awful Fitzgerald was, and his response was: well Zelda was quite bad, too. So I started reading Fitzgerald‘s own words about Zelda to my husband. Zelda had no say in how her reputation would be interpreted through the years.

Zelda‘s own doctor may be finally realizing that Scott should not be in control of Zelda‘s mental health care, her doctor wrote in a letter to another one of her doctors.

I‘ve never used this term in my life, but I must now: F Scott Fitzgerald was a swine. He moved to Switzerland to be near his wife while she was being treated, but promptly started an affair and moved in with another woman, while declaring: “What I gave up for Zelda was women and it wasn‘t easy in the position my success gave me.” He despised her only physical and emotional outlet, dancing, belittling her for it.

Reading this book, I want to boycott F Scott Fitzgerald‘s books. I‘m glad I haven‘t read any yet. He treated his wife horribly and she had so many emotional and mental health problems as a result. I may, however, try to find any books she‘s written. The excerpts of her letters to her daughter are brilliant. She was a writer, designer, among many talents.

This is not a particularly well written book as demonstrated by this profound statement. Really??

Throughout her life, Zelda read. She read popular novels and later in life she admired William Faulkner‘s Sanctuary and the work of the writers she knew in Paris; and she was pleased to find herself and Scott as characters in Carl Van Vechten‘s 1930 novel Parties.[15] She also knew from childhood that she had been named for the beautiful Gypsy woman in Robert Edward Francillon‘s 1874 novel, Zelda‘s Fortune. Her mother was also an avid reader.

My next ebook read. #LetterZ #litsyAtoZ