Careless People by Sarah Churchwell

Careless People tells the true story behind what inspired F. Scott Fitzgerald to write The Great Gatsby. Churchwell has written a fantastic story of the Jazz Age and the people who were the forerunners. In the middle of the circle is Zelda and Scott Fitzgerald, their lives, friends and work.

Parallell to Fitzgerald's lives, Churchwell has read newspapers and books of the time and highlights what was going on in America in the 20s. One big thing is the Hall-Mills murder mystery which was never solved. We follow the development of New York, people moving out to Long Island, constructions, inventions, dramas, prohibition and much more. It is a lively, charming tale of a time when people seemed not to have any bigger troubles. But, there is always a snake in paradise.

Churchwell shows us how many things that was happening in America at the time, in their lives and with their friends, entered into The Great Gatsby. There are numerous references to similarities in the book and happenings at the time. Fitzgerald was set to write a classic and according to himself The Great Gatsby was it. It did not sell very well during his own lifetime, and it was only after his death that it was more highly appreciated, not to talk about almost 100 years later.

It is a charming tale, and Churchwell also manages to describe the life the two Fitzgeralds lived, their time in France and the inevitable fall from the peak years. The times are very well described, the details sometimes a little bit too much, but it gives the reader an insight into what made the Jazz Age such a charming time. Maybe a belief that you were living on the edge and life was a party. For some but not for everyone.