Book 58: The Perfect Hour: The Romance of F Scott Fitzgerald and Ginevra King by James L West III

This is the second time I have read this book, and I still love it.  I think it is one of the books Zelda lovers need to read as well.  Yes, Zelda influenced his "girls" but so did Ginevra, I argue maybe even a bit more (hush).  But she is the origin of the rich girl poor boy story that he tells over and over again, ant the stories I am most drawn to.  I am always amazed by  the fact he never got his kiss from his first love.  Tragic.

At the end of the book the short stories "Babes in the Woods" and "Winter Dreams" can be found, maybe 2 of his best shorts.  This book is well worth the read.

Book 8: The Real F Scott Fitzgeral: Thirty-Five Years Later by Sheilah Graham

After reading Beloved Infidel, I wanted to see what else Sheilah Graham had to say, and I found she wrote another memoir regarding her time with F Scott Fitzgerald, this one Thirty-Five years after his passing.

Sheilah Graham had help writing Beloved Infidel, and because of this that memoir feels more polished than this one.  However, The Real F Scott Fitzgerald does feel more personal.  Even 35 years later, you feel the significance of their relationship on Sheilah Graham.  I do wonder if she still has some gauze over her eyes when it comes to Fitzgerald, she often tries to put him in a good light.  Their relationship was cut short, and I understand how this can alter how you see and feel about person.  Their relationship ended at a time when things were getting better and the future was golden, who knows if he would have continued clean or if the alcohol would take over, but that is something we will never know.

I did get the feeling that Sheilah Graham is still trying to claim her significance in relation to the famous author.  Which is understandable as at the time they kept the relationship away from the public.  Even with all of this you get the feeling that she was trying very hard to be objective and present the Scott she knew and try to reconcile it with the public version of the man.

Currently reading: Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

Book 7- Beloved Infidel by Sheilah Graham

I have been waiting to read this one, and I very much enjoyed it, so much so I was able to read it in only 3 sittings, which for me is quick.

Beloved Infidel is a memoir of Sheilah Graham, through her early life through her relationship with F. Scott Fitzgerald.  Sometimes memoirs can be dry and I feel like I slog through them to get to the parts I find interesting, however, this one was fun to read.  Her early life almost seems like fiction.  In describing it to D he thought it reminded him of Gatsby.

I wrote much more on this over at Fitzgerald Musings.  Lately I have been wanting to know more of FSF later life, the time he was in Hollywood and started writing Love of the Last Tycoon.  Personally, I think he was fighting his demons, putting his failures behind him and starting on the rebound.  I am so said that the world has missed out on how FSF saw the world, and we have been cheated on how he was going to grow as an author.

So I saw there was a movie based on Sheilah's memoir and decided to check it out.  It came out in 1959, a year after the book, starring Gregory Peck and Deborah Kerr.  And as much as I think the book would make a good movie, this is not the movie I wanted to see.  You would think that having well known and respected actors would assure a good movie, but nope not here.  The acting was bad, very affected and wooden.  Yes, I know that is how acting was done back in the day, but it does not translate for today's viewers who are wanting a feeling for the relationship.

Currently Reading: Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins (Hunger Games trilogy)