Customer Reviews

The Price Was High: Fifty Uncollected Stories

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Of course, any of Fitzgerald's work edited by Mr. Bruccoli must be wonderful. These short stories, which appeared in various magazines from the 20s through the 40s are simply charming. Fitzgerald's elegant style of writing and sensuous story-telling techinque captivate the reader from the very first lines. Particularly appealing is Fitzgerld's use of humor - sometimes dry; sometimes understated - and well illustrated in the story, "The Pusher in the Face." Typical of early Fitzgerald, some of these stories end with an ironic twist of fate, such as the story, "Two for a Penny." Fitzgerald's themes are timeless and relevant to people living at the end of this century. These stories could have been written yesterday. If it is cold where you are, read these stories with a cup of hot cocoa by the fire; if warm, read them on your porch in the early evening with a pitcher of ice tea or lemonade.

Many American writers learn much about their craft by studying Fitzgerald. As Dorothy Parker said: Fitzgerald could write a bad story, but he couldn't write badly. Many of these stories, although unsuccessful by Fitzgerald's standards, are nonetheless instructive in their weakness: the strong parts stand out so clearly that they afford insights into what makes a given story truly work, and what makes one fall short. And: weak or not, there's beautiful writing in all of them. This collection is a treasure for Fitzgerald fans, and an important addition to a fiction writer's or writing student's bookshelf.