During the Jazz Age, Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald were at the
top. Widely known and sought after, they seemed to have
little to worry about. But it wasn't anything like it looked
from the outside. Behind closed doors, their love burned a
blaze through their home, bringing jealousy and rage with
it. Zelda was committed to a Baltimore psychiatric clinic in
1932 for her schizophrenia. She befriends her nurse, Anna
Howard, who has her own tragic past to contend with.
However, Anna's empathetic ear and caring heart draw her
deep into the Fitzgerald's lives. With Zelda's secret
memoir, Anna learns much about the mysterious woman. Anna
becomes emotionally attached, returning with Zelda to the
Fitzgerald's home, and almost loses her own identity in the
process.
I have a fascination with the Jazz Age. The flapper dresses,
the music, the glamour, the super highs and rock bottom
lows, they all excite and entice. The Fitzgeralds go hand in
hand with all of the previous mentioned, and are synonymous
with this time period. Coming off last year's cinematic
experience through "The Great Gatsby", this book allowed me
to continue with my curiosity. Author, Erika Robuck, takes a
bit of nonfiction and interweaves it with a touching
fictional character, Zelda's nurse, Anna Howard.
Anna was
almost bigger than Zelda herself, and her character was more
relatable. I felt for Zelda, sure, but I really felt for
Anna, willingly throwing away her life for the wacky
Fitzgerald's. It's funny that the made up character, Anna,
felt more real than Zelda did a lot of the time. Her
optimism was a little infectious. To be honest, though, some
of Robuck's facts of the era were not precise.
I recommend
taking CALL ME ZELDA as a work of fiction, lose yourself in
the
story, and enjoy it. If you go in thinking this will be
historically accurate, you will be disappointed. If you're
looking for an amusing read about the Fitzgeralds' coupled
with an entertaining tale, you've come to the right place.
Everything in the ward seemed different now, and I no
longer felt its calming presence. The Fitzgeralds stirred
something in me that had been dormant for a long time, and I
was not prepared to face it....
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....
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