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On Booze (New Directions Pearls)

10.95

On Booze (New Directions Pearls)

4.1

Highest ranking 101

8 comments

$10.95

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Reviews From
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GeoskiiReviewed in the United States on April 15, 2018

Great book! Glad I found it. It's short and half of the book is excerpts from his other writings... but the quotes at the begging are great and its a nice insight into the genius. Definitely glad I made the purchase.

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R. M. PetersonReviewed in the United States on May 23, 2012

In this slim book, New Directions capitalizes on (or is it exploits?) the fact that F. Scott Fitzgerald was one of - perhaps even THE - most notorious alcoholic among American authors. According to a publisher's note at the beginning of the volume, these miscellaneous snippets were all taken from the New Directions edition of "The Crack-Up". The back cover trumpets the volume as "A Collection of F. Scott Fitzgerald's Best Drinking Stories", and goes on to say that ON BOOZE "runs a gauntlet of drunken debauchery as Fitzgerald experienced it: roaring, rambunctious, and lush . . . with quite a hangover." I have now read the book (something I suspect the blurb-writer did not do) and I find the snappy New Directions marketing on the back cover to be somewhat misleading. Yes, most of the excerpts relate in some way - some explicitly, others tenuously - to Fitzgerald and alcohol, but the book as a whole is far from being a "drunken debauchery". The best parts of it reflect Fitzgerald's unease with his world - the sorts of things that CAUSED his drinking - rather than the drinking itself or the aftermath. The book is a far cry from "Everyday Drinking" by Kingsley Amis, which truly is a compendium devoted to booze and hangovers. Two of the pieces are superb. "The Crack-Up" is a retrospective psychological/existential self-assessment from the first part of 1936. It contains some brilliant writing, of the sort that engenders dropped jaws, heart palpitations, and sheer envy. "My Lost City" is a world-weary look back on the New York City of the Jazz Age and Fitzgerald's exuberant youth. Two other pieces - "Show Mr. and Mrs. F. to Number -----" (highlights and lowlights from Scott and Zelda's stays in hotels around the world) and "Sleeping and Waking" (about insomnia) - are worthwhile, though not special. Since all of the contents of ON BOOZE are taken from "The Crack-Up", and since "The Crack-Up" can be purchased from Amazon for about two dollars more, my recommendation would be to skip ON BOOZE and purchase "The Crack-Up."

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Joseph SchianodiColaReviewed in the United States on January 29, 2018

A small, short, but captivating read. Topics of discussion range from the visions of Fitzgerald's lifestyle and luxury, to the questions and trials every person confronts with age. For its small size, it makes up in its strong content – a personal window into the habits, experiences, and innermost thoughts of Fitzgerald. It's easily transportable too, as I found myself fitting it inside my coat pocket and taking it with me almost everywhere.

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t. a.Reviewed in the United States on April 20, 2013

I love Fitzgerald and I love booze. This should have been the perfect read for me, but instead it was just boring. This work lacks the flair and sexiness of typical Fitzgerald.

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CJAReviewed in the United States on April 18, 2024

Fitzgerald was a great writer, with the Great Gatsby and some of his short stories representing the pinnacle of American literature. But he also wrote some lesser works, particularly his first two novels. This somewhat ragged collection of works falls in the latter category, although there is some good here. He manages to convey the emptiness of his alcoholic lifestyle, and one does not envy him at the end.

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Andrew EllingtonReviewed in the United States on October 2, 2013

I think what makes this collection so disappointing is that it is nothing that is claims to be and so one who sits down to read this is bound to be unsettled at the fact that `On Booze' is probably the furthest thing from what this book actually presents us with. While the blurb on the back promises tales of drunken debauchery and the `roaring, rambunctious and lush' feel of Fitzgerald's previous writings and his experiences while intoxicated, this collection of stories is far too tame and reserved to be described in that way. Seriously, whoever wrote the blurb on the back of the book should be fired. All that said, this collection is actually quite good. Sure, it isn't as captivating, insightful or as memorable as some of Fitzgerald's best work, but it really plays to his strengths as an intellectual writer. I was particularly fond of `Show Mr. and Mrs. F. to Number ----------' and I found `My Lost City' and all its deep-seated observations of life and the struggle to connect with your own surroundings to be some of his best work. As a whole, this is a great collection. It is short and a brisk read (I finished it in a day) and it isn't too wordy and weighty so as to become dull despite the lack of action. These are Fitzgerald's thoughts, observations and personal ideas, and they read beautifully.

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AugustinaReviewed in the United States on March 8, 2014

My only complaint is the white cover came scuffed with a black mark and was supposed to be a 'new' book.

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Niall G McCormackReviewed in the United Kingdom on November 4, 2023

A well writen book. Small samples of the authors engaging style focused on the topic of booze.