Covering the years 1937-1940, this book takes readers back in time to a lesser known period in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s life – his time in Hollywood as a screen writer. At this point in his life, Fitzgerald’s heyday is behind him. His wife, Zelda, suffering from schizophrenia, is confined to a North Carolina sanitarium. Their teenage daughter, Scottie, resides in an east coast boarding school. We follow his life as he develops a relationship with columnist Sheilah Graham, interacts with various famous people (stars and fellow writers), travels to visit Zelda and Scottie, and struggles with alcoholism.

This book is definitely not cheery but seems realistic. The novel conveys Fitzgerald’s increasing frustration with the never-ending changes of Hollywood scripts without the scriptwriter’s knowledge. It seems an author of his talent is not appreciated due to the need to meet popular tastes and the censor’s rules.

O’Nan has created a nuanced and believable story of a man whose life is in decline but has not given up. He is still writing, pursuing projects, and working hard when he is not self-sabotaging with alcohol. I particularly liked the interactions between Scott and Zelda, portraying their deep connection while also showing how the relationship has eroded due, in part, to her mental illness and his alcoholism.

The strength of the novel lies in the author’s ability to get into Fitzgerald’s head. O’Nan succeeds in illuminating his thoughts, motives, and attitudes in a convincing manner. Though the tone is melancholy, I enjoyed this glimpse into Fitzgerald’s work, family, and relationships near the end of his life.
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Historical fiction about Zelda and F. Scott Fitzgerald ( )

I am mixed in my evaluation of West of Sunset by Stewart O'Nan. At the end I was glad I finished it but there were times it dragged and I just wanted to put it down. O'Nan has turned the end of F. Scott Fitzgerald's life into a novel. How much of it was based on truth I am not sure. I wish I knew if the letters quoted in the book were real or made up. The author did a lot of name dropping, there were a lot of famous names from the era since Fitzgerald died in Hollywood. On the positive side the book has made me want to re-read some of F. Scott Fitzgerald's books and see some of the films he worked on. ( )

I picked up this novel because [author:F.Scott Fitzgerald|16423871] is one of my favorite authors and I was interested in learning more about his short, unhappy life. This book takes place in the last three years of his life, when he was out of fashion and no longer a best-selling author. He struggled with alcoholism, his troubled relationship with his wife [author:Zelda Fitzgerald|28243] while paying for his daughter to go to, first private school, and then to college.
I would recommend this novel to anyone who is a fan of F. Scott Fitzgerald or anyone who wants to know more about this talented and flawed writer. ( )

In 1937, F. Scott Fitzgerald, his career in tatters his wife in a sanitarium, and battling a half-hearted battle against alcoholism, tried to make a new start as a screenwriter in Hollywood. There he meets the brash gossip columnist, Shelia Graham, and falls in love with her.

Stewart O'Nan paints the sad tale of the last three years of Fitzgerald's life in this novel. and does an excellent job of portraying the down on his luck Fitzgerald who is haunted by his past success and despairing of his ability to get a screen credit even on a B grade gangster film. Not so much, I think, in his portrayal of Ms. Graham, who seems to be a remote figure instead of the insecure woman who in real life was ashamed of her lower class Jewish background and developed a co-dependent relationship with FItzgerald - probably to both their detriments.

In the end, his last novel (The Last Tycoon) may have turned around Fitzgerald's writing career, but we will never know. ( )