STORIES OF F. SCOTT FITZGERALD (Stories F Scott Fitzgerald Hre) [Hardcover]

Fitzgerald (Author)

Book Description

Series: Stories F Scott Fitzgerald Hre | Publication Date: September 1, 1977

What we know of that unique period in American history labeled the Jazz Age has been defined by F. Scott Fitzgerald's piercing fiction.

His short stories brilliantly realize an era both exploding with opportunity and seething with decadence. His prose captures the melancholy lacquered over with merriment, the corruption interlaced with the glamour, all refracted through a spectrum of human lives.

Here, Caedmon has assembled an extraordinary cast of stage and screen stars to bring Fitzgerald's early work to resonant life. His characters (some passionate, some comic, some tragic) take on an extra dimension when interpreted aloud by these fine actors.

This collection both honors and enhances Fitzgerald's already irreplaceable position in American letters. Each return listening will bring even more emotional impact to each story.

--This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Nine stories are included in this excellent and well-rounded collection, each performed by a different reader, all of whom are well-known stage and screen actors. Blythe Danner describes the hapless Bernice and her efforts to belong to "The Crowd"; Parker Posey does "Benediction" with flair; and Campbell Scott, perhaps the best in this program, reads the distressing "May Day." Bill Irwin does a fine job with the "Curious Case of Benjamin Button," while Robert Sean Leonard starts the set with a reading of one of the better-known tales, "A Diamond as Big as the Ritz." Other works here are "Head and Shoulders" (Peter Gallagher), "Ice Palace" (Martha Plimpton), and "Jelly-Bean" (Dylan Baker). Any audio collection should have Fitzgerald well represented; this selection is nicely varied, balancing humor, tragedy, and pathos, and the readers are expert. Recommended. Harriet Edwards, East Meadow P.L., NY
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition.

About the Author

F. Scott Fitzgerald (1896-1940) was born in St. Paul, Minnesota. Upon graduating from Princeton, he served in the Army and worked briefly in advertising. He married his wife, Zelda, in 1920, a week after his first novel, This Side of Paradise, was published. His works, considered by many to be classics, include The Great Gatsby, Tender is the Night, and the uncompleted The Last Tycoon. He died of a heart attack at the age of 44.

--This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 504 pages
• Publisher: Scribner (September 1, 1977)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0684153661
• ISBN-13: 978-0684153667
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,680,955 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars AN EXEMPLARY COLLECTION SUPERBLY READ, April 12, 2001

By 

Gail Cooke (TX, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Stories of F. Scott Fitzgerald (Audio Cassette)

Surely an icon in the annals of American literature, F. Scott Fitzgerald produced a body of work which epitomized the Roaring Twenties. It has been said that his dominant influences were "aspiration, literature, Princeton, Zelda Sayre Fitzgerald, and alcohol." Nonetheless, his writing possesses an urgency, a bite, unrivaled by his peers.

Collected in this superb audio are nine of his early stories performed by accomplished actors. Broadway/film actress Blythe Danner reads "Bernice Bobs Her Hair," a narrative inspired by a lengthy letter Fitzgerald wrote to his younger sister, Annabel, in which he offered advice on how she could become popular with boys.

"The Jelly-Bean," read by Dylan Baker, takes place in Georgia. Fitzgerald credits his wife for her expertise in helping him write a portion of this tale involving crap shooting, saying "as a Southern girl" she was an expert at this endeavor.

The talented Peter Gallagher reads "Head and Shoulders," the first of Fitzgerald's story to appear in The Saturday Evening Post.

Also found in the collection are "The Diamond As Big As The Ritz," "Dalyrimple Goes Wrong," "The Ice Palace," "Benediction," "The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button," and "May Day."

This is an exemplary combination of memorable prose and oral presentation, a remarkable listening experience.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I could listen to this over and over, April 14, 2001

By 

A Customer - See all my reviews

This review is from: Stories of F. Scott Fitzgerald (Audio Cassette)

I was delighted to find out that not only were F. Scott Fitzgerald's short stories being narrated on audio cassette, but that one of the performers was none other than Robert Sean Leonard. Scottie is by far one of my favorite American authors. It takes an incredible talent to condemn the life you live in your literature, and when I think how he strived for excellence but fell victim to society, I can't help but pity him. His writing is so delicious to read as well. He has such wonderful similies and metaphors, and is so descriptive I can taste the wine, feel the rain and see the stars. The Jazz Age is one of my favorite time periods and F. Scott Fitzgerald captures it perfectly. You see the glittering side but then the glitter gets tarnished as it must. What is even better about this audio is that one of the narrators is none other than my favorite actor, Robert Sean Leonard (better known as Neal in Dead Poets Society and Claudio in Much Ado About Nothing among other films). His voice is wonderful to listen to, even if you're not a fan of his acting. It's perfectly clear and flowing and it reminds you of listening to your parents reading you a bedtime story. The tape itself leaves you feeling as if you've been on an emotional rollercoaster. There's a nice beginning, then it peaks with conflict, the resolution, and then the end finishes as calmly as it started. Yet you've gained something from it. Fitzgerald has some incredibly phenomenal themes in his work. The odd part is that I usually don't like getting audio books, but I certainly reccomend this audio of The Stories of F. Scott Fitzgerald" It's worth every penny.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I love this man's work!, August 16, 2001

By 

Carla M.Golden (Tacoma, Washington United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Stories of F. Scott Fitzgerald (Audio Cassette)

I first became acquainted and fell in love with the work of F.Scott Fitzgerald when I read a hardback copy of The Great Gatsby in my early 20s. Since then, I have read Tender Is The Night and This Side of Paradise, so when I discovered this collection of stories by my literary hero, I floated up to the cieling. My favorites include The Diamond As Big As The Ritz and Bernice Bobs Her Hair, and anyone who has not already been introduced to Fitzgerald, either in English class at school or while browsing in a local bookstore, it's not too late to change your mind, and it is my sincere hope that you will love this man's work as much as I do!