It seems this year's primary selections in Historical Fiction were centered around 1900-1940 (with a sprinkling of: 19th, 18th, 16th and 14th centuries) for this reviewer and to continue with this surprising fashion I decided to close this year out with a novel about "The Lost Generation". Only being vaguely familiar with the side stories and the history of the Fitzgeralds, I thought the premise for Call Me Zelda to be the perfect introduction to the accounts about this fascinating era and its equally magnetic famous individuals. Also the promise of a narration from a fictionalized psychiatric nurse immediately became a must read for this reviewer. Unfortunately, I finished reading Call Me Zelda late last night wishing I had chosen another novel or requested this from my local library. The main problems I found with this novel were the seemingly lack of clear distinction of the era the novel was set; finding anachronistic terminology and modern dialogue was very disappointing. Adding to this, the misplaced information on a few historical details and theories on mental illness and a very oddly placed carcinogenic idea voiced by one of the characters. There was also this odd crack in personality in this novel where it abruptly changes tone and races down a dull cliché journey of romance. The lack of enthusiasm or build up in storytelling and bloated chapters left me bored at times and let unwelcome reality seep in and thoughts of what tasks needed finished or started the next day. And finally in regards to the portrayal of the Fitzgeralds they seemed sadly like caricatures center staging their worst and rumored faults. In the end, Call Me Zelda sounded like the perfect read for this reviewer. It seemed to have all the ingredients that would be an instant favorite read for the end of this year. However, what disappoints this reviewer may be exactly what another reader is seeking. The negatives I found could be seen as positives if the potential reader is just looking for a fictionalized story centered around the end of the Fitzgeralds lives (after the party) and told by a devoted nurse who starts with a cautious approach of trying to connect with her patient but by the end forges a complicated powerful friendship; this may be the story for you. -read and purchased on kindle -EGP/December 2013 Comments are closed.
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