Book Review: On Booze by F. Scott Fitzgerald

A slightly nicer format for this book review. I might tweak it a bit more for my next one, but hopefully this is a lot better and more informative.

On Booze is a compilation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's works including selections from The Crack-Up, "Show Mr. and Mrs. F. to Number---", Sleeping and Waking, & My Lost City. As bonus material in On Booze, we are treated to a set of 'Selections from the Notebooks', and 'Selections from the Letters'.


I noted in my short Goodreads review that the editor of this compilation seems to have just done a Ctrl+F search for 'alcohol', 'gin', 'champagne', and 'booze'. The effect of this is a very disorienting journey through Fitzgerald's life, both with and without Zelda, which mimics the feeling of being constantly drunk. Whilst this sounds good at first - maybe even a hint of genius - the actual effect of this is nauseating when trying to connect each chapter chronologically. Each piece seems to be chosen randomly based on how many keywords relating to booze were in the chapter, and when coupled with Fitzgerald's distinctive way of writing about himself, dovetailing wildly here and there in every direction, I am left unable to actually read the words but only able to note the rhythm of his writing with a slow nod of my head as my eyes scan the page without taking in any information.

I am particularly baffled by the inclusion of "Show Mr. and Mrs. F. to Number---" in this compilation. The whole chapter is nothing but a simple listing of every hotel that Fitzgerald and Zelda were patrons of between the years 1921 and 1934. The actual writing style of Fitzgerald is beautiful, we are taken from the early, happy days of the Fitzgerald's marriage, right through to the glumness of travelling with a child as the depression sinks in. However, the extract does not serve as a good fit in between The Crack-Up and Sleeping and Waking, which both detail elements of mental illness such as insomnia and social anxiety, which Fitzgerald experiences as he writes over days, months, and years.


For On Booze, I give 3 stars. Whilst worth reading just because it is by Fitzgerald, and every sentence is typically a gem, it is badly edited and compiled - no wonder than the editor is never mentioned anywhere by name.

Rating: 3 stars
Alternatives: The Great Gatsby, All The Sad Young Men