FICTION

Call Me Zelda

by Erika Robuck
NAL: Penguin Group (USA). May 2013. 352p. ISBN 9780451239921. pap. $16. F
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Robuck (Hemingway's Girl) has again written a novel about a Roaring Twenties literary figure. This time she focuses on Zelda Fitzgerald, author, painter, dancer, and famous wife of novelist F. Scott Fitzgerald. Robuck creates a fictional character named Anna Howard, who acts as Zelda's nurse, first in a mental hospital and then in the Fitzgeralds' home. By crafting a narrator external to the Fitzgeralds' social circle, Robuck is able to write about Zelda from an outsider's perspective. Anna examines her own life's tragedies through the lens of Zelda's memories, marital failure, and mental collapse. Anna becomes Zelda's confidante, providing opportunities for intimate conversation, honest criticism, and enduring promises.
VERDICT Though less biographical than other recent fictional works about Zelda (such as Theresa Fowler's Z or R. Clifton Spargo's Beautiful Fools), this historical novel will appeal to readers interested in the famous Jazz Age couple. As an intimate portrait of a mentally ill artist and wife, Robuck's latest work will be an easy read for fans of historical fiction or women's interests. [See also the Tantorious audio podcast with Robuck, ow.ly/kCBs4.—Ed.]
Reviewed by Shannon Marie Robinson, Denison Univ. Lib., Granville, OH , May 03, 2013
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