The Curious Case of Benjamin Button: The Inspiration for the Upcoming Major Motion Picture (Paperback)

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Editorial Reviews

Review

Mark Caldwell

The Philadelphia Inquirer

More than enough to re-establish Fitzgerald as a master of the American short story. --This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Review

Joseph CoatesChicago TribuneBruccoli gives [us]...a virtually new and vastly amplified Fitzgerald.

Leonard A. PodisThe Cleveland Plain DealerThis is a valuable collection, whether one reads the stories to delight in Fitzgerald's style, to conjure up a lost era, to learn more about the career of a great American novelist, or simply to gain insight into the human condition.

Jay McInerneyThe New York Review of BooksOne pleasure of rereading Fitzgerald's stories now is to rediscover just how good some of them in fact are, and how brilliant a handful.

Mark CaldwellThe Philadelphia InquirerMore than enough to re-establish Fitzgerald as a master of the American short story.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 64 pages
• Publisher: Scribner (August 14, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1416556052
• ISBN-13: 978-1416556053
• Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 4.4 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #483,272 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My curiosity was satisfied with this rather peculiar tale..., October 17, 2008

By	Andrew Ellington (Mulholland Drive) - See all my reviews

I am not a huge fan of short stories, because it never fails that by the time I find myself invested in them I have reached the last page. Same can be said for `The Curious Case of Benjamin Button', a rather delightful little story that is engaging, interesting and very rewarding. Yes, this is a short story, so I'm going to say this straight off; you may not want to invest your money in this version. I actually purchased another version from Amazon that has a few short stories for less money, so try you hand at that collection instead of this singular novel.

But, I wanted to take the time to review the story, because that's what these reviews are all about right, the work itself and not the packaging.

`The Curious Case of Benjamin Button' is a peculiar tale of a man born at the end of his life and has the rare opportunity of growing young, living his life in reverse as it were. F. Scott Fitzgerald states at the beginning of this story that it was inspired by a statement made by Mark Twain, that the best things in life happen at the beginning and the worst at the end. With `The Curious Case of Benjamin Button' Fitzgerald plays the cynic, exploring how living life in reverse can be seemingly beneficial yet ultimately devastating.

Benjamin is born a brittle old man with a cane (not literally, but he needs one) and a full mind, and as the year's progress his relationships with those around him shift for various reasons. First he is at odds with his devastated parents who are ashamed of him, but as he grows to meet his father in age they become like brothers. He meets and falls in love with the young Hildegarde, who is attracted to the `older' Benjamin, only to marry her, grow younger than her, and drift apart from her. He takes over his fathers business and prospers because of his newfound energy, yet his youth begins to destroy him as his own son becomes his elder and is thus ashamed of the very sight of his father.

There is a moment within `The Curious Case of Benjamin Button' where the elderly Benjamin (in mind, not in physicality) is attending kindergarten and is lamenting over the fact that the other children can talk about what they want to be when they grow up, a prospect that Benjamin will never see.

This to me captures the very point of this story.

Yes, this is a short story of a few pages and it moves rather quickly through Benjamin's life, but it is also written with such rich detail that one never feels jaded. I do wish that this had been written as a full length novel, for it surely has the potential to be one of the most refreshing and moving pieces of literature ever written. It is wildly original (although Fitzgerald himself has mentioned that he has read this prose elsewhere) and it is absurdly poignant. Yes, `The Curious Case of Benjamin Button' has such a deep-rooted importance, for when you strip away the preposterousness of the prose there is a moral that is so humanly real we can feel it in the very pit of us.

We have all heard the phrase `the grass is greener on the other side' and this novel is the perfect answer back to that statement, for it proves that we shouldn't always be wishing for something we don't quite understand, because once we have it we may realize it is far from desired.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Short Story, October 19, 2008

By	Andrew Corsa "Reader" - See all my reviews

This is a short story, set in huge type, and will only take an hour or two to read. So don't spend $9 on this book. Instead, read it sitting in Barnes and Noble (like I did), or buy a book of Fitzgerald's works that includes this story.

But DO read this story! It is an incredible short story, a cynical tale (a fairy tale?) with some remarkable, gem-like sentences. If you've read "The Great Gatsby," then you know Fitzgerald can really write. And he proves his skill, again, with this short story. The story is wonderful, and many of its scenes have stuck with me - in particular, the descriptions connected to the lead character's first love.

Also, the tale it tells is fairly odd and striking, and, even if the writing weren't wonderful (as it is), its boldness might, alone, make it worth a read.

Again, while you shouldn't buy this book - it's way overpriced - you should read this story!

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars insanely overpriced, September 18, 2008

By	J. Rekulak (Philadelphia) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The story is wonderful -- but I can't believe the publisher is charging ten bucks for a story that anyone can read for free on the internet. This book is 64 pages with enormous margins. You'll be done with it in 15 minutes. Save your money, check it out online, and/or get the gorgeous graphic novel adaptation instead.