Over the years, I've read a lot about Scott & Zelda. I'm so sorry I didn't read this book first. I tore through the text and whenever I wasn't reading thought about Zelda and her story almost constantly.

Milford's text allows the reader to appreciate Zelda Fitzgerald for all that she was: muse, spitfire, madwoman, and most of all, victim. Milford uses Zelda's own words -- culled from her own correspondence, diaries, and fiction -- to document mental illness in a vivid and frightening way. In my previous studies of the couple, I somehow never grasped that Zelda was more than just petulant, sulky, and eccentric (although she was all of those things as well). She was a delusional schizophrenic with a semi-abusive, alcoholic, genius of a husband. In other words, she never had a chance. This book will leave you with a greater depth of understanding and empathy for Zelda ... and a good reason to revisit Tender is the Night!