Customer Reviews

Gatsby's Girl

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I am a huge Fitzgerald fan, and have read many biographies from Mizener to Matthew Bruccoli. I was very dubious about reading a historical novel on the subject of his romance with Ginevra King, but was, much to my surprise, won over.

Gatsby's Girl follows Ginevra Perry evolution from an impossibly spoiled self-centered teenager to a mature woman who has gained wisdom through life's hardships-- a troubled son and a ruined marriage. The sixteen-year-old Ginevra spurns the attentions of F. Scott Fitzgerald, and then sees herself portrayed in his fiction again and again.

The novel starts off as satire. The scene of Fitzgerald trying to make a good impression on Chicago high society is painfully funny. By the end, though, I found Ginevra's story moving. It reminded me of my own grandmother who decided against marrying an artist (in her case, an architect) and later felt stiffled by a "safe" marriage to a prominent lawyer.

I was somewhat puzzled by the previous review which took Preston to task for factual mistakes, especially for moving the date of their romance from 1915 to 1916. Preston explains in the historical note at the end of the novel that she intentionally compressed their 2 1/2 year romance into a single six month period in 1916. Preston obviously based her description of the Westover school on Fitzgerald's description in "A Woman with a Past"-- fiction based on fiction. Preston herself suggests that anyone interested in a factual account of Ginevra King should read James West's The Perfect Hour.

I really enjoyed this imaginative and original novel.

I took this book to the beach, where I lost my glasses, so I ended up holding "Gatsby's Girl" a few inches from my face and finding myself absorbed into an early 1900s privileged world. This writer has a natural storyteller's instinct for keeping you going and a sharp eye for the kind of detail that makes you completely believe in what's happening. I didn't always like the narrator, but I never lost interest in her--that's the way interesting people are. And the fact that she was a vivid character when Fitzgerald wasn't on stage surprised and delighted me. I liked that the author didn't try to imitate Fitzgerald's poetic language--it wouldn't have worked for Ginevra. There were no wrong turns here, no false moves, just solid fun summer reading.

I'm not usually a big fan of novels like this that take a fairly obscure historical figure (in this case Ginerva King) with connections to a very famous figure (F. Scott Fitzgerald) and then twist some facts around to create some "what-might-have-been" fiction. I confess I had never heard of King and always supposed Daisy Buchanan and the other silly society girls in Fitzgerald's works were based on his famously tragic wife Zelda. But a little googling confirmed Ginerva as the source for many of Fitzgerald's characters.

Caroline Preston has changed Ginerva's last name from King to Perry for her novel but the similarities between the fictional Ginerva and the Ginerva Fitzgerald fell in love with as a Princeton student are striking. Aside from the same unusual first name both girls hail from the wealthy Chicago suburb of Lake Forest, attend boarding school at Westover in Connecticut and meet Scott Fitzgerald through a roommate named Marie from his hometown of St. Paul, Minnesota. Reality and fiction diverge quite a bit after that though the real Ginerva did apparently escort an emotionally disturbed Zelda to the 1933's World Fair at Scott Fitzgerald's request and Preston recreates this meeting in her novel.

Caroline Preston does a great job of describing life among privileged Midwesterners in the first part of the twentieth century and these descriptions are a major reason to enjoy the novel. The Ginerva of GATSBY'S GIRL does not remain the heartless flirt of her teenage years but grows in to a likable mature woman through the difficulties life hands her. And the book does provide an added interesting perspective to Fitzgerald and his novels.

I have to say right off that I am not a fan of F. Scott Fitzgerald's but I am a fan of Ms. Preston's so I thought I would give this book a try. I wasn't expecting to like it as much as I did.
I got so wrapped up in the story, and the characters, and the setting...I could not put it down. I stopped right before I was finished because I didn't want it to end. I just wasn't ready to let go yet.
Don't let your decision to read this book rest on your knowledge or appreciation of Mr. Fitzgerld's books, this is not his story. But it is a great story, and a great character. Ms.Preston is a wonderful story teller.

I read "Gatsby's Girl" when it first appeared in 2006, and, having just re-read it, it seems the story has improved with time. Some reviewers fault Ms. Preston for the book's lack of historical accuracy. Apparently they failed to read Preston's "Historical Note" at the end of the book, where the author herself points out some of the differences between the real Ginevra King and the fictional Ginevra Perry.
Preston takes the F. Scott Fitzgerald-Ginevra King romance as the springboard for this novel about the life of an upper-class woman living in the early twentieth century. In the beginning, one of Scott and Ginevra's mutual friends awakens their interest in each other, and they meet at a party in St. Paul in early 1916. In the course of a romantic sleigh ride, Scott and Ginevra flirt with each other and then kiss. For Ginevra this is all just good fun, but Scott becomes seriously smitten.
Unfortunately, the lovers' time together is short, as Scott must return to Princeton and Ginevra to the Westover Girls' School for the spring semester. While apart, Ginevra and Scott write lengthy letters to each other in which they express their youthful hopes and dreams. When the semester ends, the couple manages to spend an afternoon at a Broadway show in New York, where Scott begins to appear less attractive to Ginevra than he had previously. Eventually Ginevra tires of what to her is only a flirtatious game, but not before she casually invites Scott to visit her at her home in the elite suburb of Lake Forest, IL.
Since Ginevra has stopped reading Scott's letters, which have become boring to her, she is unprepared for his arrival in Lake Forest in August. Not only that, but Ginevra is now imagining the romantic possibilities that will be available to her at the upcoming "party of the season" at the McCormick home. In this atmosphere, Scott is only an encumbrance, and Ginevra treats him as such throughout his visit, forcing him to sit around while she attends to her social correspondence and taking him to play golf with her friend Millie, who is an expert at the game. For his part, Scott makes a bad impression on Ginevra's parents by drinking too much.
At the McCormick's party, Ginevra attracts attention with her daring "Hawaiian" costume and falls for Billy Granger, who has been training to become an aviator in France. Left to himself, Scott gets drunk. After the party, Ginevra tells Scott that she fears her father has the mistaken impression that they "have an understanding," and says that both she and Scott need to get serious about life. It is her way of dismissing him, and she tells him he must leave the next day.
At this point, Scott fades out of Ginevra's life. She goes on to marry Billy Granger, have a family, and discover things about herself and others that she never would have imagined in her youth.
"Gatsby's Girl" may initially attract readers because it is based on the F. Scott Fitzgerald-Ginevra King romance, which still retains much of its mystery. As the book branches out, however, it becomes the story of a fairly ordinary woman's life. Like most of us, Ginevra wonders how the girl she was became the woman she is. Through Ginevra, the reader imagines what might have happened had Scott Fitzgerald married her instead of Zelda. Into this story, the author cleverly weaves hints and resonances from Fitzgerald's life and writings. Some readers have mistaken these "literary influences," as Preston calls them, for a garbled attempt at writing a factual narrative of the Fitzgerald-King story. Instead, the purpose of these references is to enhance the novel, which they do. "Gatsby's Girl" is a rich, evocative novel. If historical accuracy is what you want, read "The Perfect Hour." The two books are not mutually exclusive, but compatible.

Although I'd never heard of Caroline Preston or this book, I picked up "Gatsby's Girl" while browsing in a bookstore. What serendipity! In beautiful prose, Preston spins a tale about F. Scott Fitzgerald's great first love - a socialite named Ginevra. Preston weaves historical fact with fiction seamlessly and the result is one very satisfying read. The characters are fleshed out and three dimensional, and the conficts are completely believable. My only criticism: In this story, Preston makes several references to the book "The Wizard of Oz." But L. Frank Baum's novel was actually titled "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz." The movie "The Wizard of Oz" wasn't released until 1939 - well after the same title was referenced by Preston. Even so, "Gatsby's Girl" is a gem!

Once again, gifted writer Caroline Preston immerses the reader in her characters' world. Preston has an extraordinary ability to tell a story through dialogue. The reader gets to know the characters, their lives, their venues, effortlessly. Here, Preston takes us into the life of a not-so-wonderful heroine who wins F. Scott Fitzgerald's heart. It is to Ms. Preston's credit that she makes us care about both these self-absorbed characters, owing to her own winning portrayal of them. The story is riveting and the dialogue so realistic that you can "hear" the characters speak. Whether you are Fitzgerald's greatest fan, or have never heard of him makes no difference -- you will love this book.

One of the most interesting books I've read in a long time and I read continuously. Caroline Preston has so convincingly combined historical fact with an educated imagining of events that it all seems real. Her story takes us behind the scenes of an era and culture and gives us a glimpse of what it must have been like for our grandparents in their time. Makes them more real to us as young people.

I've also read "The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt" by Caroline Preston that is another interesting story presented in a very unique way. Truly innovative and fun. I'm just starting her first book "Jackie by Josie" and looking forward to reading about one of my most admired personages.

I highly recommend "Gatsby's Girl" to anyone who liked the '20s, F. Scott Fitzgerald, strong women or simply a good story.

I had to read The Great Gatsby for HS years ago and remembering being bored. Much later, when I discovered how much I liked that time period, I reread it with very different eyes and really appreciated his work. This book, a fictional look at the woman who was his model for Daisy and others, was really quite in the mode of his book and of the time. A fast and rather pleasant read; one that I'd recommend to anyone interested in either the author or the time period

Gatsby's Girl, by Caroline Preston, is a lively and entertaining look at a teenage girl growing up in the early half of the twentieth century. It is a fictional account of the woman who inspired many of F. Scott Fitzgerald's characters, including Daisy Buchanan of the American classic novel, The Great Gatsby. Preston paints an interesting portrait of a Ginerva Perry, based on Fitzgerald's one-time love, Ginvera King. This book makes for a nice, light read.