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    Call Me Zelda: A Novel
    Call Me Zelda: A Novel
    Call Me Zelda: A Novel
    Audiobook10 hours

    Call Me Zelda: A Novel

    Written by Erika Robuck

    Narrated by Amy Landon

    3.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    From New York to Paris, Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald reigned as king and queen of the Jazz Age, seeming to float on champagne bubbles above the mundane cares of the world. But to those who truly knew them, the endless parties were only a distraction from their inner turmoil and from a love that united them with a scorching intensity.

    When Zelda is committed to a Baltimore psychiatric clinic in 1932, vacillating between lucidity and madness in her struggle to forge an identity separate from her husband, the famous writer, she finds a sympathetic friend in her nurse, Anna Howard. Held captive by her own tragic past, Anna is increasingly drawn into the Fitzgeralds' tumultuous relationship. As she becomes privy to Zelda's most intimate confessions, written in a secret memoir meant only for her, Anna begins to wonder which Fitzgerald is the true genius. But in taking ever greater emotional risks to save Zelda, Anna may end up paying a far higher price than she intended.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateMay 7, 2013
    ISBN9781452682075
    Call Me Zelda: A Novel

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    Reviews for Call Me Zelda

    3.5/5

    78 ratings13 reviews

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    • 4/5
      I choose 4 stars based upon the writing.I had exceedingly high hopes for Call Me Zelda by Erika Robuck perhaps my expectations were to high for the book to live up to, but having read other fictionalized accounts of Zelda Fitzgerald’s life, I felt Call Me Zelda fell a bit flat. From all accounts the Fitzgerald’s were the couple of the roaring 20s and I had expected the book to be far more interesting than it proved to be, I do not state this lightly, I love biographies, which of course this is not. I truly believe Robuck did an extraordinary job in researching for this book and did tell Zelda’s story from a different perspective, which may be why the tone was not as lively as I had anticipated. Even though it was not what I had anticipated, I truly enjoyed Call Me Zelda and would recommend it to those who are fans of the Fitzgeralds as well as those who know noting about Zelda Fitzgerald. Call Me Zelda would make an excellent book discussion group pick.
    • 3/5
      Good book about Zelda Fitzgerald, her tempestuous relationship with Scott, and her on-going battle with mental illness as seen through the eyes of nurse/friend Anna.
    • 4/5
      The author uses the nurse of Zelda when she was first institutionalized for a diagnosis of schizophrenia to tell the story of Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald. Theirs was a torrid, incredibly destructive relationship. The love was real and solid, as was the tearing apart and incredle dysfunction that resulted from two people who did the best they could when it simply wasn't enough.Zelda's nurse in the institution becomes fascinated by this incredibly lovely, sometimes caring, always insightful woman. She watches as Scott's alcoholism takes over, making him a bitter and sad figure, who is equally brilliant and equally selfish. A incredibly destructive relationship, their push and pull, love and hate, give and take, hug and push away antics were annihilating beyond words. Each knew the tender vulnerabilities of the other and relished stabbing and emotionally destroying each other.They could show intense love and tenderness in equal measure with the exceeding anger and angst.All this plays out while their daughter Scottie looks on while trying to find a safe space for emotionally protect herself.Excellently written, this is an amazing story set in the jazz age when Zelda was the ultimate flapper girl, intensely beautiful with a cutting, conoving nature who pulled men into her circle to relish the admiration and desire. Scott was one such man who fell under her spell. Unlike the others, he could not escape.Part of the "lost generation." They truly lived up to the term coined by Gertrude Stein. They were part of a group of post-WWI American writers living in France and England who were highly disorganized, with no set direction, and included F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, Gertrude Stein and T.S. Elliot. Though stellar, long-lasting American literature lived on long after their demise, Fitzgerald drank himself to oblivion, Hemingway found relief from his emotional demons at the end of a gun. Tragically, Zelda died in 1948 in Asheville, NC because of a fire while staying at an institution there.
    • 3/5
      More Zelda less Anna. An okay book. Realizing that the golden years were more interesting than the crazy years it took a lot of imagination to flesh this book out. Some unique aspects were not investigated. Such as Hemingways total dislike of Zelda. Scott's alcoholism played a major role setting the stage. I only wish things could have been different for Zelda. Modern medicine perhaps could have saved her from herself, her genius, her fate.
    • 3/5
      This novel opens with Zelda Fitzgerald's admittance into an asylum and is narrated by the nurse, Anna, who she becomes attached to. The later portion of Zelda's life is primarily featured, which left me curious about the earlier years of her life. Overall, a good read and definitely recommended for those who enjoy Jazz Age historical fiction.
    • 5/5
      Even if you're not a Fitzgerald fan, you can easily follow this story. And if you are a fan, so much the better as you will recognize elements of Scott's books as you read. It's a fictional piece but it brings to light quite well the complex relationship of Scott and Zelda. (If you're not familiar with the Fitzgeralds and wondering if certain events really happened, there is Q&A with Robuck at the end.) The narrator, an imagined nurse who becomes Zelda's private nurse and friend, is a marvelous character herself. I laughed, I thought, and I had two good cries reading it. One of the best new books I've read in years. Reminded me a little of Plath's BELL JAR.
    • 4/5
      Call Me Zelda is a captivating look at the ever-fascinating Fitzgeralds in the signature style of Erika Robuck. The focus on Zelda's descent into mental illness as recounted by a fictional psychiatric nurse with her own complex history blends fact and fiction. Scott's well-documented struggles with alcoholism are also observed as this talented couple becomes increasingly dysfunctional both individually and together.
    • 4/5
      After finishing a stunning advanced reading copy of Erica Robuck’s upcoming THE HOUSE OF HAWTHORNE, a literary historical fiction of Nathaniel and Sophie Hawthorne (May 5, 2015)- highly recommend; as well as her collaboration of Grand Central Original Stories of Postwar Love and Reunion--found I had missed some of Robuck’s previous books, and quickly purchased them on audible.CALL ME ZELDA, is a captivating multi-layered historic literary fiction, focusing on Anna Howard, a young nurse who connects with flapper, Zelda Fitzgerald--as her personal nurse and later management of the Fitzgerald household; Zelda, Scott, and daughter, Scottie.Anna becomes an important part of their family, developing a deep personal connection with Zelda on many emotional levels. Anna has experienced a tragic past and has buried her life in her work. Her husband is still missing in action and her daughter died of tuberculosis. When Anna meets Zelda at the Phipps Psychiatric Clinic in Baltimore, in 1932, she wanted the best for Zelda and could quickly see her talents, and thought she may be able to get better, if she were moved to a more private setting with her encouragement. Soon, Anna agrees to work for the Fitzgerald’s as Zelda’s personal nurse at the La Paix, their Baltimore mansion. Zelda, a girl from southern Alabama, is multi-talented – a ballet dancer, an artist, a writer, and complicated. Being married to Scott, a famous writer, always struggling with deadlines, financial woes, and creating the next story--has his own issues with alcohol, depression, and controls Zelda, even though he loves her. Anna, of course is a life saver for Scott, helping control Zelda’s energy, while Scott tries to write, always worried about Zelda's interference. Zelda of course has mental illness issues, with constant ups and downs. Anna encourages her to write her stories; however, Zelda tells Anna she cannot show them to Scott, as he does not like her writing. From one house to another, from Baltimore to North Carolina, Anna desperately tries to protect Zelda and yearns for the happiness and love between this couple, while her own personal life has been so sad and unhappy. However, Anna may be able to find her happiness and a second chance.Ah, Zelda, what is not to love about this talented, mysterious woman, as always have been fascinated with this literary couple, and love stories with different twists. Robuck cleverly adds another layer by adding Anna’s character with a different spin for a heartwarming and touching story. While capturing the Fitzgerald’s turbulent marriage, and reliving some of their glamorous days from the Jazz Age to the Depression, from New York to Paris, and the journey, leading to the end of their lives-- A bittersweet complex story which combines a nurse who becomes Zelda’s best friend, and little does she know, Zelda in the end wants the best for Anna with two women bound by friendship, hope, love, tragedy and life. I have read Beautiful Fools: The Last Affair of Zelda and Scott Fitzgerald by R. Clifton Spargo, Therese Anne Fowler’s “Z”, a Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby and many others, with twists of Zelda. Each of course, is unique and different, so would encourage readers to experience each of them.CALL ME ZELDA, a spellbinding story for historic and literary lovers, alike, will appreciate this compelling story, especially told by Robuck, as her passion for literary characters, is reflected throughout the pages as her characters come to life. Listening to the audiobook, the narrator, Amy Landon delivers a soft pleasant voice, and definitely captured Zelda's southern charm. Looking forward to reading Hemingway's Girl .
    • 4/5
      A great book group read -- used it for my Girls Night Out book discussion group. Don't read if you are looking for a book with Zelda Fitzgerald as the main character. This fictionalized story focuses on Zelda's psychiatric nurse, Anna. Anna has a tragic past, and the story follows her relationship with Zelda, first as patient/nurse which quickly turns into a friendship. Main issues/themes in this book include: whether or not this friendship is one of equals, which character needs the other more, and the question of where selfishness lies (appropriately or not) on the continuum of friendship. Definitely worth a read.
    • 4/5
      I enjoyed HEMINGWAY'S GIRL because it showed me a world with which I had little familiarity. It is the same with CALL ME ZELDA. F. Scott Fitzgerald's wife lead a tortured life. Told by the psychiatric nurse who cared for Zelda both in the hospital and at home, Zelda never becomes a likeable person, but you come to understand her a little more. At the end all I could say was wealth and a life of partying doesn't make a happy person. I wonder if F. Scott Fitzgerald was that controlling. It is a well researched novel.
    • 5/5
      Call Me Zelda is as much historical fiction as it is a psychological portrayal of a couple trapped in their own cycle of madness. As in Robuck's Hemingway's Girl, the story is told through the eyes of an outsider that can relate to the historic figure in a way no other can. Anna Howard is a nurse in a psychiatric hospital. Little does she know that her next patient will be Zelda Fitzgerald, the famous flapper and wife of F. Scott Fitzgerald. Zelda is paranoid about Scott stealing her work, and their toxic relationship threatens not only their sanity, but also their livelihoods. Anna is face with her own personal tragedy that she must learn to deal with before her own grief consumes her state of mind.I cannot tell you how much this book moved me. So much about Zelda in the history books makes her look like she was overly vain or too jealous of her husband, but Robuck's portrayal really makes Zelda human in a way we haven't seen before. Though the book is fiction, the author's research is extensive, and there is not a moment where I thought that something was other than realistic. The emotions that I experienced while reading the book were intense - Anna is sane even though she has lost the people she holds most dear in the world. Zelda has lost her mind, and is about to lose the family that she has worked so hard for. Anna gets so involved with the Fitzgeralds that she begins to lose her own identity - who is she really now that her family is gone and she is so desperate to be needed? I highly recommend this book to all readers of historical fiction (well, and just good fiction in general). It is an emotional roller coaster, especially for anyone who has had depression or other mental health issues, but it brings up so many topics about life as women that need to be talked about.
    • 4/5
      Solid 4 stars for this one… and the kicker is , unlike the story of the Titanic, I didn't know how the book would end! Erika Robuck truly pulls me into these books of historical figures where I would never go, not the least bit interested how their lives worked, or in this case didn't work well. In this book she writes as Zelda's nurse, in Hemminway's Girl, his house helper, makes for a different view of their lives. Great read!
    • 4/5
      After writing Hemingway's Daughter, which I have yet to read, this author felt compelled to write a book about Zelda, seeing as how Hemingway hated her so much. A sentiment Zelda shared. The Fitzgerald's relationship was a very volatile one, Scott was an alcoholic and mental problems ran in Zelda's family. They had a love hate relationship that was brilliantly portrayed in this novel. Although Zelda did have a nurse, the nurse in this story and her relationship with the Fitzgerald's was a literary construct. An amazing one I thought. That their daughter turned out as well as she did was surprising, that Scott was ever sober enough to write was surprising as well. The feel and tone of this book is set just right. Have never read "Tender is the Night" which I will now, nor have I read Zelda's "Save me the Waltz" which I also hope to get to. The excesses of this couple, their struggles to balance their lives were brought to life by this author and it was done very well with compassion and grace.