"Z: a Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald" by Therese Anne Fowler - Historical Fiction Book Club - Past Titles

About the Author: Therese Anne Fowler

Birth and Education:
- Therese Anne Fowler was born in Illinois, USA.
Career Background:
- Before becoming a full-time writer, Fowler had a diverse career that included working in the fields of communication and public relations.
Literary Career:
- Fowler gained recognition as a novelist, particularly for her historical fiction novels.
Notable Works:
- One of her notable works is "Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald" (2013), a fictionalized account of the life of Zelda Fitzgerald, the wife of F. Scott Fitzgerald.
Zelda Fitzgerald's Story:
- "Z" explores the tumultuous life of Zelda Fitzgerald and provides a unique perspective on the Jazz Age. The novel delves into the complex relationship between Zelda and F. Scott Fitzgerald, capturing the cultural vibrancy and challenges of the time.
Critical Acclaim:
- "Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald" received positive reviews for its engaging storytelling and its portrayal of a historical figure often overshadowed by her famous husband.
Later Works:
- Fowler continued her exploration of historical themes in subsequent works. Her novels often focus on strong female characters and provide insights into different periods of history.
Adaptations:
- The success of "Z" led to increased interest in the story of Zelda Fitzgerald. While I don't have specific information, there were discussions about potential film or television adaptations of the novel.
Contributions to Literature:
- Fowler's contributions to literature include bringing historical figures to life through her novels, offering readers a chance to explore the personal and cultural aspects of different eras.

Synopsis

When beautiful, reckless Southern belle Zelda Sayre meets F. Scott Fitzgerald at a country club dance in 1918, she is seventeen years old and he is a young army lieutenant stationed in Alabama. Before long, the "ungettable" Zelda has fallen for him despite his unsuitability: Scott isn't wealthy or prominent or even a Southerner, and keeps insisting, absurdly, that his writing will bring him both fortune and fame. Her father is deeply unimpressed. But after Scott sells his first novel, This Side of Paradise, to Scribner's, Zelda optimistically boards a train north, to marry him in the vestry of St. Patrick's Cathedral and take the rest as it comes. What comes, here at the dawn of the Jazz Age, is unimagined attention and success and celebrity that will make Scott and Zelda legends in their own time. Everyone wants to meet the dashing young author of the scandalous novel--and his witty, perhaps even more scandalous wife. Zelda bobs her hair, adopts daring new fashions, and revels in this wild new world. Each place they go becomes a playground: New York City, Long Island, Hollywood, Paris, and the French Riviera--where they join the endless party of the glamorous, sometimes doomed Lost Generation that includes Ernest Hemingway, Sara and Gerald Murphy, and Gertrude Stein. Everything seems new and possible. Troubles, at first, seem to fade like morning mist. But not even Jay Gatsby's parties go on forever. Who is Zelda, other than the wife of a famous--sometimes infamous--husband? How can she forge her own identity while fighting her demons and Scott's, too?

Historical Timeline

The Jazz Age, also known as the Roaring Twenties, was a cultural, social, and artistic period that spanned roughly from the end of World War I in 1918 to the beginning of the Great Depression in 1929.

1918-1919:
- World War I ends in November 1918. The post-war period witnesses social and cultural shifts.
1919 (January):
- The 18th Amendment to the United States Constitution is ratified, leading to the prohibition of the manufacture, sale, and transportation of alcoholic beverages.
1919-1920:
- The Red Scare in the United States, marked by anti-communist sentiments and government crackdowns.
1920 (August 18):
- The 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution is ratified, granting women the right to vote.
1920s:
- Economic prosperity and technological advancements contribute to the growth of consumer culture.
1920s:
- The Harlem Renaissance, an African American cultural and artistic movement, flourishes in New York City.
1920s:
- The popularity of jazz music, characterized by improvisation and syncopation, rises. Jazz clubs become vibrant social spaces.
1920 (November):
- The first commercial radio station, KDKA in Pittsburgh, begins regular broadcasting.
1921:
- F. Scott Fitzgerald publishes his first novel, "This Side of Paradise," capturing the spirit of the Jazz Age.
1923:
- Time magazine is first published.
1925:
- F. Scott Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby" is published, becoming a classic portrayal of the Jazz Age.
1927 (May 20-21):
- Charles Lindbergh completes the first solo nonstop transatlantic flight.
1927 (October 29):
- The era of silent films begins to transition to "talkies" with the release of "The Jazz Singer."
1929 (October 29):
- The Wall Street Crash occurs, marking the start of the Great Depression and the end of the Jazz Age.

The Jazz Age was a time of cultural dynamism, social change, and economic growth, but it also faced challenges, including Prohibition and social tensions. The stock market crash in 1929 brought an abrupt end to the era, leading to the economic hardships of the Great Depression in the 1930s.

Zelda Fitzgerald, the wife of F. Scott Fitzgerald, led a vibrant yet tumultuous life during the Jazz Age.

1900 (July 24): Zelda Sayre is born in Montgomery, Alabama, to Anthony Dickinson Sayre and Minnie Machen Sayre.
1918: While attending a country club dance, Zelda meets F. Scott Fitzgerald, a young and aspiring writer stationed at Camp Sheridan near Montgomery.
1920 (April 3): Zelda and F. Scott Fitzgerald get married at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City.
1921 (October 26): Zelda gives birth to their daughter, Frances "Scottie" Fitzgerald.
1922: F. Scott Fitzgerald publishes "The Beautiful and Damned," his second novel.
1925: The Fitzgeralds' extravagant lifestyle and socializing in New York City characterize this period. F. Scott Fitzgerald publishes "The Great Gatsby."
1927: Zelda's first novel, "Save Me the Waltz," is published. It draws on her experiences and perspectives.
1930: Zelda experiences a mental breakdown and is hospitalized at the Phipps Clinic at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore.
1932: Zelda is diagnosed with schizophrenia. She spends time at the Phipps Clinic and Highland Hospital in Asheville, North Carolina.
1934: Zelda publishes a semi-autobiographical novel, "Tender Is the Night," in which she draws on her life with F. Scott Fitzgerald.
1936: Zelda has a second mental breakdown and is admitted to the Highland Hospital.
1940s: Zelda continues to struggle with mental health issues, and F. Scott Fitzgerald works on various projects.
1948 (December 21): F. Scott Fitzgerald passes away in Hollywood, California.
1950: Zelda's mother, Minnie Sayre, dies in Montgomery.
1951: A fire at Highland Hospital results in the deaths of several patients, including Zelda's.
1975: Scottie Fitzgerald, Zelda and F. Scott's daughter, edits and publishes "Zelda: A Biography" by Nancy Milford.
1980s-1990s: Zelda's work and life receive renewed interest, and there is a reassessment of her contributions to literature and art.
2003: A collection of Zelda's writings, including her ballet scenarios and letters, is published under the title "Zelda: Collected Writings."
2017: Therese Anne Fowler publishes "Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald," offering a fictionalized account of Zelda's life.

Zelda Fitzgerald's life was marked by her creative pursuits, tumultuous relationship with F. Scott Fitzgerald, struggles with mental health, and contributions to literature and the arts. The timeline reflects the highs and lows of her journey during the dynamic period of the Roaring Twenties and beyond.

The Jazz Age, also known as the Roaring Twenties, was a cultural, social, and artistic period that spanned roughly from the end of World War I in 1918 to the beginning of the Great Depression in 1929.

1918-1919:
- World War I ends in November 1918. The post-war period witnesses social and cultural shifts.
1919 (January):
- The 18th Amendment to the United States Constitution is ratified, leading to the prohibition of the manufacture, sale, and transportation of alcoholic beverages.
1919-1920:
- The Red Scare in the United States, marked by anti-communist sentiments and government crackdowns.
1920 (August 18):
- The 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution is ratified, granting women the right to vote.
1920s:
- Economic prosperity and technological advancements contribute to the growth of consumer culture.
1920s:
- The Harlem Renaissance, an African American cultural and artistic movement, flourishes in New York City.
1920s:
- The popularity of jazz music, characterized by improvisation and syncopation, rises. Jazz clubs become vibrant social spaces.
1920 (November):
- The first commercial radio station, KDKA in Pittsburgh, begins regular broadcasting.
1921:
- F. Scott Fitzgerald publishes his first novel, "This Side of Paradise," capturing the spirit of the Jazz Age.
1923:
- Time magazine is first published.
1925:
- F. Scott Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby" is published, becoming a classic portrayal of the Jazz Age.
1927 (May 20-21):
- Charles Lindbergh completes the first solo nonstop transatlantic flight.
1927 (October 29):
- The era of silent films begins to transition to "talkies" with the release of "The Jazz Singer."
1929 (October 29):
- The Wall Street Crash occurs, marking the start of the Great Depression and the end of the Jazz Age.

Zelda Fitzgerald, the wife of F. Scott Fitzgerald, led a vibrant yet tumultuous life during the Jazz Age.

1900 (July 24): Zelda Sayre is born in Montgomery, Alabama, to Anthony Dickinson Sayre and Minnie Machen Sayre.
1918: While attending a country club dance, Zelda meets F. Scott Fitzgerald, a young and aspiring writer stationed at Camp Sheridan near Montgomery.
1920 (April 3): Zelda and F. Scott Fitzgerald get married at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City.
1921 (October 26): Zelda gives birth to their daughter, Frances "Scottie" Fitzgerald.
1922: F. Scott Fitzgerald publishes "The Beautiful and Damned," his second novel.
1925: The Fitzgeralds' extravagant lifestyle and socializing in New York City characterize this period. F. Scott Fitzgerald publishes "The Great Gatsby."
1927: Zelda's first novel, "Save Me the Waltz," is published. It draws on her experiences and perspectives.
1930: Zelda experiences a mental breakdown and is hospitalized at the Phipps Clinic at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore.
1932: Zelda is diagnosed with schizophrenia. She spends time at the Phipps Clinic and Highland Hospital in Asheville, North Carolina.
1934: Zelda publishes a semi-autobiographical novel, "Tender Is the Night," in which she draws on her life with F. Scott Fitzgerald.
1936: Zelda has a second mental breakdown and is admitted to the Highland Hospital.
1940s: Zelda continues to struggle with mental health issues, and F. Scott Fitzgerald works on various projects.
1948 (December 21): F. Scott Fitzgerald passes away in Hollywood, California.
1950: Zelda's mother, Minnie Sayre, dies in Montgomery.
1951: A fire at Highland Hospital results in the deaths of several patients, including Zelda's.
1975: Scottie Fitzgerald, Zelda and F. Scott's daughter, edits and publishes "Zelda: A Biography" by Nancy Milford.
1980s-1990s: Zelda's work and life receive renewed interest, and there is a reassessment of her contributions to literature and art.
2003: A collection of Zelda's writings, including her ballet scenarios and letters, is published under the title "Zelda: Collected Writings."
2017: Therese Anne Fowler publishes "Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald," offering a fictionalized account of Zelda's life.

The Jazz Age, also known as the Roaring Twenties, was a cultural, social, and artistic period that spanned roughly from the end of World War I in 1918 to the beginning of the Great Depression in 1929.

1918-1919:
- World War I ends in November 1918. The post-war period witnesses social and cultural shifts.
1919 (January):
- The 18th Amendment to the United States Constitution is ratified, leading to the prohibition of the manufacture, sale, and transportation of alcoholic beverages.
1919-1920:
- The Red Scare in the United States, marked by anti-communist sentiments and government crackdowns.
1920 (August 18):
- The 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution is ratified, granting women the right to vote.
1920s:
- Economic prosperity and technological advancements contribute to the growth of consumer culture.
1920s:
- The Harlem Renaissance, an African American cultural and artistic movement, flourishes in New York City.
1920s:
- The popularity of jazz music, characterized by improvisation and syncopation, rises. Jazz clubs become vibrant social spaces.
1920 (November):
- The first commercial radio station, KDKA in Pittsburgh, begins regular broadcasting.
1921:
- F. Scott Fitzgerald publishes his first novel, "This Side of Paradise," capturing the spirit of the Jazz Age.
1923:
- Time magazine is first published.
1925:
- F. Scott Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby" is published, becoming a classic portrayal of the Jazz Age.
1927 (May 20-21):
- Charles Lindbergh completes the first solo nonstop transatlantic flight.
1927 (October 29):
- The era of silent films begins to transition to "talkies" with the release of "The Jazz Singer."
1929 (October 29):
- The Wall Street Crash occurs, marking the start of the Great Depression and the end of the Jazz Age.

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Beautiful Exiles by Meg Waite Clayton
Call Number: Fiction Clayton
Key West, 1936. Headstrong, accomplished journalist Martha Gellhorn is confident with words but less so with men when she meets disheveled literary titan Ernest Hemingway in a dive bar. Their friendship--forged over writing, talk, and family dinners--flourishes into something undeniable in Madrid while they're covering the Spanish Civil War. Martha reveres him. The very married Hemingway is taken with Martha--her beauty, her ambition, and her fearless spirit. And as Hemingway tells her, the most powerful love stories are always set against the fury of war. The risks are so much greater. They're made for each other. With their romance unfolding as they travel the globe, Martha establishes herself as one of the world's foremost war correspondents, and Hemingway begins the novel that will win him the Nobel Prize for Literature. Beautiful Exiles is a stirring story of lovers and rivals, of the breathless attraction to power and fame, and of one woman--ahead of her time--claiming her own identity from the wreckage of love.
Another Side of Paradise by Sally Koslow
Call Number: FICTION Koslow
In 1937 Hollywood, gossip columnist Sheilah Graham's star is on the rise, while literary wonder boy F. Scott Fitzgerald's career is slowly drowning in booze. But the once-famous author, desperate to make money penning scripts for the silver screen, is charismatic enough to attract the gorgeous Miss Graham, a woman who exposes the secrets of others while carefully guarding her own. Like Fitzgerald's hero Jay Gatsby, Graham has meticulously constructed a life far removed from the poverty of her childhood in London's slums. And like Gatsby, the onetime guttersnipe learned early how to use her charms to become a hardworking success; she is feted and feared by both the movie studios and their luminaries. A notorious drunk famously married to the doomed Zelda, Fitzgerald fell hard for his "Shielah" (he never learned to spell her name), a shrewd yet softhearted woman--both a fool for love and nobody's fool--who would stay with him and help revive his career until his tragic death three years later. Working from Sheilah's memoirs, interviews, and letters, Sally Koslow revisits their scandalous love affair and Graham's dramatic transformation in London, bringing Graham and Fitzgerald gloriously to life with the color, glitter, magic, and passion of 1930s Hollywood.
Gatsby's Girl by Caroline Preston
Call Number: FICTION Preston
Just as Jay Gatsby was haunted by Daisy Buchanan in The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fizgerald was haunted by his own great first love -- a Chicago socialite named Ginevra. Alluring, capricious, and ultimately unavailable, she would become his first muse, the inspiration for such timeless characters as Gatsby's Daisy and Isabelle Borge in This Side of Paradise. Caroline Preston's astute perceptions of her characters and the cultural landscapes they inhabit have earned her work comparisons to to that of Anne Tyler, Alison Lurie, and Diane Johnson. Now, in this richly imagined and ambitious novel, Preston deftly evokes the entire sweep of Ginevra's life -- from her first meeting with Scott to the second act of her sometimes charmed, sometimes troubled life. Ginevra was sixteen, a rich man's daughter who had been told she was pretty far too often for her own good. Scott was nineteen, a poor boy full of ambition. They met at a country club dance in St. Paul, Minnesota, in January 1916. For almost a year they wrote each other letters -- so long, breathless, and yearning that they often required more than one envelope. But despite their intense epistolary romance, the relationship wouldn't last. After throwing him over with what he deemed "supreme boredom and indifference," she impulsively married a handsome aviator from the right society background. Ruminating over what might have been had she picked the writer instead of the flier, she furtively reads the now famous Fitzgerald's work. When she sees herself -- much to her surprise -- in his characters, it's not just as the spoiled debutante he'd known; he's also uncannily predicted the woman she's become, cracks and all. An affecting story of two people, one famous, one known only through her portrayals in enduring works of fiction, Gatsby's Girl is a tremendously entertaining and moving novel about the powerful forces of first love, memory, and art.
Call Me Zelda by Erika Robuck
Call Number: FICTION Robuck
From New York to Paris, Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald reigned as king and queen of the Jazz Age, seeming to float on champagne bubbles above the mundane cares of the world. But to those who truly knew them, the endless parties were only a distraction from their inner turmoil, and from a love that united them with a scorching intensity. When Zelda is committed to a Baltimore psychiatric clinic in 1932, vacillating between lucidity and madness in her struggle to forge an identity separate from her husband, the famous writer, she finds a sympathetic friend in her nurse, Anna Howard. Held captive by her own tragic past, Anna is increasingly drawn into the Fitzgeralds' tumultuous relationship. As she becomes privy to Zelda's most intimate confessions, written in a secret memoir meant only for her, Anna begins to wonder which Fitzgerald is the true genius. But in taking ever greater emotional risks to save Zelda, Anna may end up paying a far higher price than she intended.
Beautiful Fools by R. Clifton Spargo
Call Number: FICTION SPARGO
In 1939 Scott is living in Hollywood, a virulent alcoholic and deeply in debt. Despite his relationship with gossip columnist Sheila Graham, he remains fiercely loyal to Zelda, his soul mate and muse. In an attempt to fuse together their fractured marriage, Scott arranges a trip to Cuba, where, after a disastrous first night in Havana, the couple runs off to a beach resort outside the city. But even in paradise, Scott and Zelda cannot escape the dangerous intensity of their relationship.

Historical Fiction Book Club - Past Titles: "Z: a Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald" by Therese Anne Fowler

About the Author: Therese Anne Fowler

Synopsis

Historical Timeline

The Jazz Age, also known as the Roaring Twenties, was a cultural, social, and artistic period that spanned roughly from the end of World War I in 1918 to the beginning of the Great Depression in 1929.

Zelda Fitzgerald, the wife of F. Scott Fitzgerald, led a vibrant yet tumultuous life during the Jazz Age.

The Jazz Age, also known as the Roaring Twenties, was a cultural, social, and artistic period that spanned roughly from the end of World War I in 1918 to the beginning of the Great Depression in 1929.

Zelda Fitzgerald, the wife of F. Scott Fitzgerald, led a vibrant yet tumultuous life during the Jazz Age.

The Jazz Age, also known as the Roaring Twenties, was a cultural, social, and artistic period that spanned roughly from the end of World War I in 1918 to the beginning of the Great Depression in 1929.

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