A Life in Letters Book

This book had so many insights into the life of a literary genius. I've been reading it off and on for over a year, and as long as you know the general narrative of Fitzgerald's life it's an easy book to come back to after a period of absence. The letters toward the end of his life were kind of hard for me to read because of the bleakness of his life. He'd gotten into such crushing debt, his wife was institutionalized, his career was failing, etc. that it was just so sad to read. Then he starts working on his final novel which he gets so excited about that it gives him almost a second wind in finding purpose in life. These letters, however, still reek of darkness because (spoiler alert!) he died before the novel's completion.

Despite the ending sadness, I loved reading this book. I especially loved the letters to his daughter that really show the development of their relationship throughout their lives, and depict well the closeness of their relationship at the end of his life. At times it seemed like his daughter was the only bright spot of his life. Fitzgerald is just all around a fascinating artist.