Paradise Lost: A Life of F. Scott Fitzgerald Hardcover – Illustrated, May 22, 2017

Prof. Brown shows himself an excellent scholar in this book. He is fine writer and his style and command of words and phrases add to the quality of this book. Much has already been written on Fitzgerald. What commends this work is how Prof. Brown weaves in other writers, the schools of thoughts, and the connection of Fitzgerald's writing to American and European society. This book is still a fresh re-examination and may be highly recommended.

A different take from other Fitzgerald biographies that I have read. The author gives him more credit for being perceptive and conscious of overall American society, and the changes that are taking place in the country.

Comprehensive, DEFINITIVE and authoritative biography of F. SCOTT FITZGERALD, by an author that has been touted as the most definitive biographer of F Scott Fitzgerald.

This is an in depth depiction of F Scott Fitzgerald tragic and yet brilliant life. The author takes great consideration of all the writing Fitzgerald did and how it paralleled his life. It is a lot to take in but exactly what I was looking for.

Author David S. Brown uses Fitzgerald's life as a metaphor for a changing American society in this book, thereby avoiding the easy perception that Fitzgerald was both chronicler and victim of the excesses of the Jazz Age. As a self-perceived scion of pre-Civil War gentility Fitzgerald began to abhor the crassness of those who inherited wealth using the sweat of non-unionized labor during America's industrial revolution. His best works demonstrate his rejection of the American belief that money bestows privilege and entitlement. The modern reader can not miss the connection to today's headlines and tweets. Fitzgerald's best work is as relevant today as it was when it was written and this book should vindicate his reputation as a premier American author.

Insecure, an outsider, product of an aristocratic mother and weak father, F. Scott's childhood, career, struggles with alcohol, and his star-crossed marriage to Zelda are presented in scholarly, clearly written, and impeccable detail, spiced with plentiful quotes from the Fitzgeralds and their friends, caretakers, doctors, and critics. Here is a full portrait of all things Fitzgerald. I reread "The Great Gatsby" while reading this biography, and I'm very glad I did. It's a brilliant and beautiful poetic masterpiece that no doubt has influenced all of modern American literature in some small part. The best thing this biography has done for me is inspire me to reread Fitzgerald's best work: "This Side of Paradise," "Gatsby," "Tender Is the Night," and his short stories. My only knock on this bio is its too frequent English class-type analyses of the novels and stories. If you haven't read these, you will be drifting through too many irrelevant character and plot dissections that repeat the themes with which Fitzgerald worked. The real point of the bio for me was to demonstrate how much Fitzgerald put himself and everyone around him literally into his work, and Fitzgerald's right-drifting but well thought out take on American culture, society, and economics. After his death, he finally attained the high intellectual regard that had so eluded him in life. This biography underscores that regard. Highly recommended.

Per my husband, a very academic-style of writing and dense/thorough. However, he also said it was extremely well-researched, well-written, and very deep. He really enjoyed the book.

It depends on what you want. If you want an actual biography of Fitzgerald, look elsewhere. You won't get much in-depth info about his life here. But if you are a big fan and want a deeper analysis of his works, you will enjoy this book. It is mainly composed of lengthy essays about to his writing, slotted into a general timeline of life events. For a diehard Fitzgerald fan, this will be a bonanza. For a general reader, it might be frustrating.