• Careless People by Sarah Churchwell
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Careless People

Murder, Mayhem and the Invention of The Great Gatsby
  • Author
    • Sarah Churchwell
£12.99
£12.99
Since its publication in 1925, The Great Gatsby has become one of the world's best-loved books. Careless People tells the true story behind F. Scott Fitzgerald's masterpiece, exploring in newly rich detail its relation to the extravagant, scandalous, and chaotic world in which the author lived.

With wit and insight, Sarah Churchwell traces the genesis of a masterpiece, mapping where fiction comes from, and how it takes shape in the mind of a genius. Careless People tells the extraordinary tale of how F. Scott Fitzgerald created a classic and in the process discovered modern America.

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  • Published: Mar 06 2014
  • Pages: 448
  • 197 x 128mm
  • ISBN: 9781844087686
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Press Reviews

  • Jay Parini

    Literary Review
    A treasury of new material. Churchwell adds considerably to our understanding of the early 1920s, and how life for Fitzgerald played into the development of his art . . . Engaging deeply with the facts on the ground, the richly chaotic matrix that was Fitzgerald's life, Sarah Churchwell's Careless People takes us back there

  • Thomas Powers

    London Review of Books
    A suggestive, almost musical evocation of the spirit of the time

  • Nicholas Blincoe

    Sunday Telegraph
    The wonder of Careless People . . . is that it rewinds the years and allows the reader to appreciate again just how well Fitzgerald reflected his times - Book of the Week

  • John Carey

    Sunday Times
    Investigates subject after subject with subtle intelligence . . . you find yourself caught up in the excitement of her search - Book of the Week

  • Robert McCrum

    Observer
    A literary spree, bursting with recherché detail, high spirits and the desperate frisson of the jazz age
  • Guardian
    [Sarah Churchwell] tells the story crisply and intelligently, judiciously deploying Fitzgerald's eminently quotable literary remains, and also Zelda's, which are often even better, in a sprightly, enjoyable and slightly strange book: part "biography" of the novel, part sketch of the roaring 1920s, part brief account of the second half of Fitzgerald's life. Churchwell is perceptive and well-informed

  • William Leith

    Evening Standard
    A perfect book to read alongside The Great Gatsby. Excellent
  • Lady
    This book has as much spirit as gin fizz cocktails