I made the mistake of waiting more than a month (almost two… okay, almost three since I somehow forgot I started this review and waited several weeks to finish it) to finally collect my thoughts written on scraps of paper on Z: A NOVEL OF ZELDA FITZGERALD to finally write a review of this fascinating novel. Albeit a short review, because as you might imagine, I really don’t remember much about it other than adoring almost every single page.Z is based on the true life of Zelda Fitzgerald, the wife of the illustrious F. Scott Fitzgerald. Although we mostly know of her through her husband, her life was remarkable, unique, and awe-inspiring. And although this is a novelization, it felt like the perfect mix of reality with the narrative charm needed to keep a reader hooked. Almost like a novelization of a memoir, if you will, and I loved it.Yeah, I’m totally running out of things to talk about because I really should have written this review about three months ago. Wait, it was two months. Whoops. I’m rambling, aren’t I?With the adaptation of THE GREAT GATSBY coming out this summer, Z might be the perfect book to get you into the mood for the roaring twenties. Fowler weaves an intricate, endearing, and heartbreaking portrait of a woman who wants to be her own person while being stifled by the rules of life for women at the time. And my goodness, I don’t think I could do it. Her life was quite simply amazing, and Fowler does a great job of conveying this to the reader while keeping her heroine very much human and real.At times, though, Zelda grated on my nerves, and I’m not sure if this was intentional or just another figment of her character. This is what gets this book four stars instead of five. But I think this book will be a great book with crossover appeal for older teens, seeing as how our main character is a teenager with teenager problems – finding herself, boys, family issues – for a good portion of the book. VERDICT: I really enjoyed this novel and recommend it to everyone. That and make sure to review your books on time – not two months after you finish.
