Tarquin of Cheapside by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Audio Book, Copyright 2007

Short Story Published 1917

The audio playback book I borrowed from my local library consisted of four short stories by F. Scott Fitzgerald, which were first published in a book titled Tales of the Jazz Age. At the time I only planned to listen to The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, but was intrigued by the description of another story titled: Tarquin of Cheapside.

This short story is told in narrative style. As the story opens the invisible narrator and reader are in the home of Wessel Caster. Wessel is reading The Faerie Queen when he is suddenly disturbed by frantic pounding at his front door. When Wessel opens the door he finds a man exhausted and frightened. The man, called "Soft shoes" by the narrator, quickly explains he is running for his life and needs a place to hide. Although Wessel has his concerns he decides to help Soft shoes into hiding and awaits the pursuers... All the while wondering what has caused this man to flee. Once the pursuers are gone the man demands the stranger explain, which he does in written form that Wessel begins to read aloud as the story comes to a close.

Published in 1917, Fitzgerald wrote Tarquin of Cheapside during his college days at Princeton. At the time Fitzgerald dreamed of becoming a poet and was particularly fond of the ring of every phrase in the story. And it is a pleasant story to hear read aloud. Fitzgerald uses beautiful and descriptive prose that paints vivid pictures for the reader. The story is intriguing, but the ending is a little ambiguous. It was the type of story I would have liked to have discussed with other readers to see what they got out of it, so if you have read it and have comments, please feel free to leave one.

Still, I enjoyed Tarquin of Cheapside for the prose and think I may, at some time in the future, read more of Fitzgerald's works. For those interested in reading Fitzgerald the stories contained in Tales of the Jazz Age may be the place to start, even though The Great Gatsby has long been considered his masterpiece.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Copyright 1921, Audio Book 2007

Most people are familiar with The Curious Case of Benjamin Button because of the recent film adaptation starring Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett, but I recently discovered it was first a short story written by F. Scott Fitzgerald.

While browsing the shelves of my local library one evening I discovered an audio book version of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button along with several other short stories by Fitzgerald. I decided I'd like to read/hear the story before seeing the movie.

From what I've read the short story is really nothing like the movie. All that remains the same in the movie is the main character's name and the case of his unusual aging, otherwise the story is completely changed. This review is about the short story, thus the plot is going to be about the short story, not the movie.

The Plot:

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is the tale of a man who is born a 70-year old man in the early 1860s and proceeds to grow younger any younger as the years pass, much to the bewilderment and consternation of his family and friends.

My Thoughts:

The story of Benjamin Button is a curious case indeed. The short story is told through a narrative and follows Benjamin's life from birth to death and in between lightly touches upon various milestones (his marriage), events (fighting in the Spanish-American War, admission to Harvard and Yale universities), and other adventures that he encounters along the way. It is an interesting story, but it is also a sad story. Because of the nature of Benjamin's unusual aging process his relationships are never normal and this makes for a sad story.

My Summary:

On a scale of 1-5, 1 being horrible and 5 being excellent I would rate The Curious Case of Benjamin Button a 3.5. It's an interesting story, it's well-written, but the story itself is a little on the depressing side. For those curious about the story I would definitely advise them to read the short story. I haven't decided yet if I still want to watch the movie, but knowing that the screenplay is a totally different story I may not bother. I think the short story was enough.

Rip Van Winkle And Other Stories by Washington Irving

The local library has a special book rack containing many of the most famous classics. The copies are available for borrowing with no return date. A patron may borrow the book for as long as they want without ever having to renew. This is where I picked up a copy containing five of Washington Irving's short stories.

I've always been curious to read Rip Van Winkle and as a child I enjoyed the Disney cartoon version of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, but again, I'd never read the story. As for the other three stories: The Spectre Bridegroom, The Pride of the Village, and Mountjoy -- I knew nothing of them.

Rip Van Winkle is the story of a lazy man who is henpecked by his wife. Rip is always willing to do what needs to be done.... so long as it is for someone else, some stranger. If a job has anything to do with work at home he has no interest. One afternoon Rip goes off into the woods of the Catskill Mountains (outside of New York City) and meets with a strange band of men bowling in a gully. After drinking a beverage offered to him he falls asleep. Rip awakens to what he believes is the next morning... only to discover he has slept away 20 years of his life. This story was clever and amusing and the sort of tale born from local legends and myths. It is a fun read aloud.

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow tells the story of a rather nerdy schoolmaster, Ichabod Crane, his courtship of the beautiful Katrina Van Tassel, his rival Abraham "Brom" Van Brunt, and his very spooky encounter one fateful night with the Headless Horseman. Next to Rip Van Winkle, this is probably the most famous of Irving's tales, perhaps it IS the most famous. The story has been made into various movies, include the aforementioned 1949 Disney cartoon. Another mostly altered version is the Tim Burton horror film Sleepy Hollow, which I have not seen. I have found the original to be plenty spooky enough and a wonderful read-aloud even if it isn't anywhere near All Hallows Eve.

The Spectre Bridegroom is a lesser-known tale of Irving's, but it is still a wonderful sample of his writing. It is the story of youth, love, romance, death, ghosts, and some witty moments. It has the spookiness of a ghost tale, the legend/myth of a Rip Van Winkle type story, a little humor and romance to round the story out. Although I still think Sleepy Hollow is my favorite of Irving's tales, The Spectre Bridegroom is a close second.

The Pride of the Village was a gloomier tale without being the least bit spooky. It opens with the narrator telling of a funeral train traveling through a small English town. You soon learn that one of the most beautiful and innocent maidens in the village has died. It is the story of this maiden and the disappointment of love that brings about her tragic and untimely death. I didn't like it as well as the others as I found the story a little confusing.

Mountjoy is the last and the longest short story included in this collection. Mr. Mountjoy is a young student in rural New England. Not unlike man young males of a certain age, Mountjoy has the tendency to display a rather macho arrogance about his large accumulation of knowledge. At a moment when he believes he has nothing more to learn... he takes up reading novels of romance, something of a surprise and horror to him at first. After all, up to this point Mountjoy viewed novels as beneath the attention of a philosopher such as himself. But soon he is swept up in the romance of the language and finds himself overflowing with poetry and romance. He sees beauty everywhere he looks, including in the small footsteps of an unseen maiden. A series of events leads him to the opportunity of not only meeting this maiden, but staying in her home where he is determined to impress her and her family with his vast knowledge. What he doesn't expect is to find himself the student. This story might be considered a romance, but it is even more so a humorous story complete with morals for the young. I really enjoyed this story and wished it had a sequel as the ending leads you to wonder if there might have been one.

Over all, this collection is a great introduction to the writings of a man considered the "Father of American Literature". I may be finished with these short stories by Washington Irving, but I am interested in finding and reading more in the future.

This particular collection titled, Rip Van Winkle And Other Stories is a Puffin Classics publication and was 175 pages. For some it might be a very fast read, but I chose to read one story at a time spreading them out over the course of a couple weeks -- a little reading here and a little there. Irving's writing is clear and humorous, but it was written in the early 1800s and as such is not as quick of a read as O. Henry's short stories were.

If you haven't taken time to read a little Irving, be sure to add him to your list of authors to investigate.

The Gentle Grafter by O. Henry

Last month my book club selected two books: Cabbages and Kings and The Gentle Grafter both by O. Henry for our September reading. At the time I knew very little about O. Henry and I knew nothing about his writing... except that he'd written a sweet Christmas tale about loving sacrifice between a married couple entitled, The Gift of the Magi.

Because of I knew so little I decided to do a little research before I began reading. Unfortunately both Cabbages and Kings and The Gentle Grafter are out of print and little to no information is available about either. Even the used copy I bought (pictured right) is without a jacket summary.

Thus when I opened The Gentle Grafter I had no idea what I was about to read... except that it must be about a con man (the title) and that O. Henry is famous for his surprise endings. Not much to go on, but I plunged in.

The Gentle Grafter is a book consisting of several tales of grafting around the turn of the last century. In each chapter the anonymous narrator either tells a tale of his own con work in various cities around the United States, or is told a tale by one of two other grafters, Jeff Peters and Andy Tucker. Each chapter is sprinkled with wit and wordplay and ends with a few surprising twist or turn that left me either groaning or chuckling and sometimes both. I was hooked before I started the second chapter.

Since finishing The Gentle Grafter I've done a little more research about O. Henry and learned some fascinating details including the fact that O. Henry is actually the literary "pen name" of William Sydney Porter and was chosen randomly. Contrary to some belief the "O" does not stand for anything, it was simply a letter chosen by Porter because he thought it was "easy to write." William Porter (or O. Henry) quickly became famous for his stories because of their "wit, wordplay, warm characterization and clever twist endings." -- all clearly evident in The Gentle Grafter. And interestingly enough, Porter actually served some time in a Federal Prison after being arrested for embezzlement, though he was released for good behavior.

At 235 pages and published in 1911, my copy of The Gentle Grafter was a relatively quick read once I took the time. I found myself reading a chapter or two before bed and often had to read passages aloud to my husband, they were just too good to keep to myself. I should note that because of the era when this book was written there are some objectionable aspects. Aside from the fact that main characters make their living grafting there are certain perspectives of race and gender that while generally acceptable at the time are frowned upon today. However, keeping that in mind this still is a good read. The copy I read also included some fun pen and ink illustrations and captions that went along with each chapter's story.

In my opinion, The Gentle Grafter is a lost gem of literature and it's a shame it is out of print. While it is not to be compared with Dickens or Austen -- it's nothing like those classic works, it should still be the "To Be Read" list of those who've enjoyed O. Henry's short stories or even those who, like me, are new to his works. Having enjoyed it so much I plan to read more of O. Henry's works, including the aforementioned, Cabbages And Kings.

Although your library may not own a copy I have found that several copies are available through used book sellers online at reasonable prices. Also, electronic copies of many of O. Henry's works are available online for free, but personally I prefer holding a book in my hands to reading one on my computer, so I located a copy for my library through Amazon.com.