Gatsby's Girl by Caroline Preston, a review

I finished Gatsby's Girl a few weeks ago, and I am full of mixed feeling, which is probably why it has taken me a while to put this together.

source-Amazon

I have to start by saying the subtlety, beauty and magic of Fitzgerald's writing is not present in this book.  Which may be a given, but I fee the need to say it.

Gatsby's Girl falls into the category of fan fiction.  The author wants us to be aware the story she writes is loosely based on the love of Scott and Ginevra, and that there are many things she has altered and imagined.

OK. Got it, not an accurate portrayal.  Not based on all the facts.  An imagined, possible scenario of events that may or may not have happened. 

So, where does that leave me?  Are you getting the idea I am not really sure what I think of this book.  On one side, I am a bit of a purist.  If you want to write a book on the love of Scott and Ginevra, base it on the facts that are known.  Don't change it up to suit the story you want to tell.  But on the other hand, have we all not spent time daydreaming about what could have happened, what they might have been thinking?  Didn't Scott play around with the big "what ifs" questions in his short stories?

I guess, in the end, I think it is a fail.  I don't think she captured my imagination of the great love between them, or the misinterpreted love if you will.  I found the Ginevra character thin and weak.  I think the real Ginevra was much more deep and devious than she was presented in this novel.

In the end I say read Babes in the Woods, by Scott or The Perfect Hour, by James West to get the real story. 

-Laurie