The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Six Other Stories

by F. Scott Fitzgerald

First Published:1932
Pages: paperback, 202 pages
Rating: 4/5

“For what it’s worth: it’s never too late or, in my case, too early to be whoever you want to be. There’s no time limit, stop whenever you want. You can change or stay the same, there are no rules to this thing. We can make the best or the worst of it. I hope you make the best of it. And I hope you see things that startle you. I hope you feel things you never felt before. I hope you meet people with a different point of view. I hope you live a life you’re proud of. If you find that you’re not, I hope you have the strength to start all over again.” – The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

In short:

A literary potpourri of life.

In long:

The following seven short stories by Fitzgerald primarily revolve around humans and the human nature:

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (a man ageing in reverse)
Head and Shoulders (a man sacrifices his academic career for a woman)
The Cut-Glass Bowl (a woman’s life haunted by a cursed gift)
The Four Fists (a man’s life defined by the times he was punched in the face)
May Day (a man runs out of luck)
‘O Russet Witch!’ (a woman who appears to be a witch)
Crazy Sunday (a woman’s need for a man)

Of course, it is nearly impossible to like every single short story in a collection, but I have to admit, I enjoyed the majority, especially #1,2, 4, and 7, whereas I got bored by #5 and #6. And when I say, I got bored, I mean I got bored by the content, but never by his writing as Fitzgerald’s way of stringing words together is as smooth and delicate as a silk scarf flying in the spring wind.