““For every biographer or scholar who believes Zelda derailed Scott’s life, [there] is one who believes Scott ruined Zelda’s,” writes the author of this new book on the real-life Fitzgeralds.
Z—which is based on real events but takes plenty of artistic licence—opens in 1918, seven years before the publication of The Great Gatsby cemented F. Scott Fitzgerald’s place in the 20th-century literary canon. Scott, then a dashing young army lieutenant, arrives in Alabama—where he soon falls for a 17-year-old belle with a healthy dose of impishness. Against the wishes of Zelda’s hidebound parents, Scott and Zelda wed and set off for the jazz-fuelled streets of New York City.
The rest of the book follows the slow collapse of that marriage. Yes, there are periods of success and elation—usually celebrated over stiff cocktails with the likes of Coco Chanel, Pablo Picasso, Gertrude Stein and Ernest Hemingway (whom Zelda deplores). But in the end, misery wins out. Scott is blighted by tepid book reviews and a love of the bottle. Zelda spends her 30s in “sanitariums” for the mentally disturbed.” http://www.macleans.ca/culture/books/z-a-novel-of-zelda-fitzgerald/
jbdlibrary leisure books sep/2014
Most recent stories in jbdlibrary leisure books sep/2014
“In a notably ambitious British debut, an 18th-century English dairymaid leaves home to enter a world of secrecy, survival and forbidden love.
It’s young Louise Fletcher’s good character and willingness that rescue her from a life of rural drudgery and transform her into a lady’s maid. Employed by Capt. Handley to tend his pretty second daughter, Rebecca, who is about to make a good marriage, Louise moves to the port town of Harwich, where she quickly falls under willful Rebecca’s spell, even risking her life to save her mistress when she falls ill with smallpox. Both women survive, but Rebecca loses her looks and her marriage prospects. Then the two women become lovers. Louise’s story alternates, chapter by chapter, with that of her brother Luke, who was “pressed”—forced—into the English Navy for a brutal life of fighting, flogging, hard work and danger, from which he eventually makes a violent escape. Worsley’s richly atmospheric twin tales capture the flavor of the era, especially the limited options for women, and the passion of illicit love. After an impressive late plot swerve, she reunites her lovers, but their future is bittersweet and pervaded by the call of the sea.
Despite excessive length and some overly ornate period language, this unusual, seductive period tale of love and transformation creates its own memorable world.” https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/kate-worsley/she-rises/“Can a class of wannabe novelists solve a murder in their midst? That's the premise of this dark comedy of the absurd from Willett (Winner of the National Book Award ), a boisterous satire of pseudointellectuals, impotent writers and the adult extension programs of public universities. The only things Amy Gallup, a once-noted California author, has published in years are blurbs of other writers' work. Amy's only income comes from teaching fiction writing to a motley collection of varyingly talented “prepublished” adults. Someone in the class is making threatening phone calls and sending extremely cruel notes to other students. When two of the students are murdered, a deep sense of danger takes hold. Yet the class goes on. Amy's lectures actually constitute a damn fine guide to writing fiction, while Willett's prose has sparkling moments (“The line was playful, offhand, the poem itself a smug, imperious cat stretch”). The tension is so strong that readers can hardly resist the temptation to peek ahead and see which student is the killer.” http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-312-33066-8
The author of the best-selling Maisie Dobbs mystery series (10 novels in all), Jacqueline Winspear, returns to her preferred historical period of World War I with her first stand-alone novel, "The Care and Management of Lies." Instead of setting the narrative during the aftermath of the Great War, Winspear begins her story in June 1914, a month before its bloody outbreak.
"People - country people - would reflect on this time and remember cricket on the village green, with ladies seated, drinking tea, while men and boys ambled back and forth between the stumps," she writes in the opening chapter, "the ricochet of leather on willow accompanying a run here, a spring there, followed by light applause from members of the audience not already lulled into an afternoon doze on the pavilion veranda." http://www.sfgate.com/books/article/The-Care-and-Management-of-Lies-by-Jacqueline-5673163.php“The bestselling author of the Scott Pilgrim series returns with another hit. Twenty-nine-year-old chef Katie runs a restaurant called Seconds; it’s successful, but she dreams of starting a restaurant of which she can be part-owner. Katie is frustrated in her love life, having lost her boyfriend, Max, and construction of the new restaurant is moving slowly, with many setbacks and added expenses. In a desperate state, Katie discovers the house spirit of Seconds—a crouching sprite who lives off scraps—who unwillingly gives her a chance to reverse a recent error that led to a grisly accident in the kitchen. Katie soon becomes addicted to this magical method of fixing mistakes, but as she changes more and more about her world, reality itself starts to deteriorate. O’Malley’s engaging narrative voice hasn’t diminished—even the self-absorbed Katie is likeable enough to root for, although it’s obvious that she’s making things worse for herself. O’Malley’s sweet, nimble art, now in color, has acquired more confidence: the plot unfolds cinematically, and his character designs are more appealing than ever. A solidly hilarious entry in the “what if we could do it all over again” genre.” http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-345-52937-4
“A clever concept distinguishes this anthology sponsored by the International Thriller Writers. Each of the 11 stories pairs well-known series characters created by different authors, sometimes in adversarial but more often in collegial ways, and almost always effectively. Complementary heroes include John Lescroart’s Wyatt Hunt and T. Jefferson Parker’s Joe Trona, who share adventure in “Silent Hunt.” Others are far-from-obvious matches, like Jeffery Deaver’s Lincoln Rhyme and John Sandford’s Lucas Davenport, who join forces in the longest entry, “Rhymes with Prey.” Steve Martini’s prosecutor Paul Madriani and Linda Fairstein’s defense attorney cross swords in “Surfing the Panther,” but end up wielding their weapons for the same cause. The strangest pairing is in “Gaslighted,” featuring R.L. Stine’s ventriloquist dummy, Slappy, and Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child’s FBI agent, Aloysius Pendergast. Other notable duos include Lee Child’s Jack Reacher with Joseph Finder’s Nick Heller in “Good and Valuable Consideration”; M.J. Rose’s Malachai Samuels and Lisa Gardner’s D.D. Warren in “The Laughing Buddha”; and Ian Rankin’s John Rebus with Peter James’s Roy Grace in “In the Nick of Time.” This idea is so good it demands a sequel, perhaps one that reaches beyond the U.S., the U.K., and Canada for contributors.” http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-1-4767-6206-7
