The Short Stories of F. Scott Fitzgerald

The use of language doesn't get much better than this. Each sentence is a work of art and a pleasure to read. I smile as I read. The stories themselves are so clearly placed in a post-WWI setting that they are a glimpse into life in the 1920's - as, I believe, Fitgerald wanted to show. Also, to me, any Fitgerald work edited or or explained by Matthew Bruccoli is informative & interesting. The above, though, is to those... Read Full Review

F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote tons of stories during his lifetime--something around 134, total. This book, however, contains the most elite chunk of those writings. To start, "Bernice Bobs Her Hair" is one of Fitzgerald's most-read stories. I have read it myself, but have found better ones. "The Ice Palace", for instance, has a remarkable ability to make its readers walk away saying "I relate to this!". "May Day", my personal... Read Full Review

As a devoted admirer of the form, I can tell you that this book has more gems in it, POUND FOR POUND that virtually any other book of it's type.Do you enjoy the poetry of Keats and the other Romantic poets? Do you enjoy Shakespeare's sonnets? Then you'll LOVE this book. It BREATHES, it shivvers with vitality and lyricism. I've read the entire book twice, and individual stories like "Rich Boy", "Babylon Revisited", "Absolution";... Read Full Review

Don't be misled by another reviewer who claimed that this book "leaves out his (Scott's) hits", as if that were a way to speak about pages written in blood. It doesn't leave them out anyway."May Day", with its tremendous symbolism and exploration of early socialism in this country. The insites into the North/South dichotomy reflected in his marriage to Zelda, and expounded upon in Ice Palace. The incredibly beautiful story... Read Full Review

This book is the wellspring of Fitzgerald's literary genius. The first treat is Brucolli's informed selection of Scott's some 165 works and his brief, beautiful preface...followed by 43 perfectly crafted gems from the master: Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald. I read a clutch of Fitzgerald novels in my late teens. More than 20 years later, I started on this impeccable volume, which unfurled an additional world of wonders... Read Full Review