The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Other Stories by F. Scott Fitzgerald

The title story in this collection is Fitzgerald's comic masterpiece, in which a baby is born at age 70 and proceeds through his life growing younger. Scott Brick narrates this marvelous story with enthusiasm, using a variety of subtle voices for the different characters. His reading highlights the astonishing aspects of this situation, as well as the underlying humor of the tale. In "Babylon Revisited," Ray Porter's understated reading expresses the nostalgia and regret of Charlie Wales, who returns to Paris after the onset of the Depression and reflects on the way he lived and flaunted his wealth in his halcyon days. Three other stories, "The Lost Decade," "Three Hours Between Planes," and "The Bridal Party," round out this sample of Fitzgerald's short fiction. K.M. (c) AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine

November 1, 2007
This collection of Fitzgerald stories begins with the fantastical and ironic tale in which the protagonist experiences his lifetime in reverse by aging backward. The comical and lighthearted nature of the story and the pleasant narration by Scott Brick underscore a text that, through defamiliarization, deals with issues of discrimination and the class structure of the antebellum South. Benjamin is a 70-year-old man at birth and a barely conscious infant at death. In the meantime, he marries the sought-after Daisy; has a son, who eventually becomes his "uncle"; is rejected by Yale at 18 because he looks 50; and becomes a star football player at Harvard as a young man passing for a college freshman. The other noteworthy pieces include "Babylon Revisited"set in 1930s Pariswhich deals with Charlie Wale's remorsefulness for disreputable, alcohol-induced decisions made in the heady days before the stock market crash. Reader Ray Porter seamlessly shifts among the characters' diverse emotions. "Three Hours Between Planes," read by Jeff Cummings; "The Bridal Party," by Grover Gardner; and "The Lost Decade," by Paul Michael Garcia, showcase Fitzgerald's preoccupation with lost chances, lost love, and the inevitable passage of time mirrored by the country's growth into imperial adulthood. Strong stories from a canonized American master combined with likable and easily listenable interpretations make this set essential for libraries of any size. A forthcoming film adaptation of the title story, starring Brad Pitt, is scheduled for 2008.Christopher Rager, Pasadena, CA

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