What an amazing book! We all have enjoyed learning about Zelda and Edouard, I am certain. Well, here the author explores the affair, the relationship and how it fascinated people are with their story. I truly enjoyed reading this book and it will serve as a great coffee table book once I purchase the hardcover. Great job!



Here is the synopsis of the book: The Gatsby Affair explores Zelda Fitzgerald’s affair with the French aviator, Edouard Jozan, who served as the prototype for F. Scott Fitzgerald’s most famous creation, Jay Gatsby. This book draws on the Jozan family papers, photographs, and archival materials and takes a bold new look at the creation of The Great Gatsby.

The romance between F. Scott Fitzgerald and Zelda Sayre has been celebrated as one of the greatest of the 20th century. From the beginning, their relationship was a tumultuous one, in which the couple’s excesses were as widely known as their passion for each other. Despite their love, both Scott and Zelda engaged in flirtations that threatened to tear the couple apart. But none had a more profound impact on the two—and on Scott’s writing—as the liaison between Zelda and a French aviator, Edouard Jozan. Though other biographies have written of Jozan as one of Scott’s romantic rivals, accounts of the pilot’s effect on the couple have been superficial at best. In The Gatsby Affair: Scott, Zelda, and the Betrayal That Shaped an American Classic, Kendall Taylor examines the dalliance between the southern belle and the French pilot from a fresh perspective. Drawing on conversations and correspondence with Jozan’s daughter, as well as materials from the Jozan family archives, Taylor sheds new light on this romantic triangle. More than just a casual fling,

I was fascinated by the complicated relationship between F. Scott Fitzgerald and Zelda Sayre. While very much in love, the things they did to each other were insensitive and emotionally damaging. I struggled to understand how they functioned and maintained such a dynamic for as long as they did. Excellent read and I would recommend it.

I've never read a biography about either Scott or Zelda. I definitely read The Great Gatsby and started to watch Amazon TV series about Zelda. When this book came across, i knew i had to request for it and thanks to #netgalley and the publisher, i received the advanced copy.
It took me a long time to finish the book since I got a little bored in the middle. When I picked the book back up, it took me 2 days to finish the rest of it.
The Gatsby Affair by Kendall Taylor is a very interesting book for everybody who loves untold biographies of famous people. I learned a lot of interesting facts that I was eager to share with my friends. It is a portrait of relationship of a Jazz Age. He is a famous man, and she can only be famous because of him. It was an unfair relationship but it was what it was.
To think that Scott was a great author, without knowing the powerful influence from his wife, is false. She was a great sidekick in a way. Could she be famous on her own? Could she be a great author or a dancer? This book really gives you some food to think about and discuss.

"The Great Gatsby" is one of my favorite novels of all time and I have always been intrigued by F .Scott Fitzgerald life, particularly his marriage to Zelda and it's tragic unfolding. Focusing on Zelda's affair with Edouard Jozan, and the impact it had on the couple's life and work. I was instantly interested in "The Gatsby Affair" and could not wait to read it.

The Jozan affair is known as one of the most defining moments of Scott and Zelda's tumultuous marriage. There was a before Edouard, and then an after. Simple as that. Scott wrote what happened could never be repaired. He incorporated the betrayal into his writing, and continuously revisited it through his stories. Most known for the emotional love triangle it created between the main characters in his classic novel, The Great Gatsby. The affair also played a pivotal role in Zelda's 2 novels, and some would say that Edouard leaving Zelda was the catalyst for her mental decline.

"The Gatsby Affair" is extremely well researched and provides biographical information about Edouard and his family, as well as insights to his character. However, No new evidence is presented in relation to their affair and he still remains a mystery, his life is very briefly discussed at the end of the novel. I did learn a lot about Zelda and Scotts life, but the title of the novel is somewhat misleading to me, as it did not focus on the affair and The Great Gatsby like expected, instead it was more of a biography of Zelda and Scott's lives. I did really enjoy it though, a story about obsession, addiction, love, betrayal, and madness. I recommend to everyone interested in the Fitzgeralds and the Jazz Age to read. 3.5 stars.

I gave this one a really good shot, got to about 70% and in the end, just had to give up because it was a chore to read.
Despite what the name suggests, it only very briefly touches upon Zelda's affair, and instead tends to focus on her struggles with mental illness and her life in and out of psychiatric care.
While interesting to see how her life and her health issues impacted Scott's work, ultimately, the book doesn't really offer a lot that existing Fitzgerald biographies haven't already covered.
This would work better as an undergraduate thesis work, rather than a standalone book for general audiences.
I wanted to like this book, but in the end, just couldn't keep going as enduring this was keeping me from enjoying reading, or reading books I wanted to get stuck into.

At this point, I am not sure what to say because of my conflicting thoughts and emotions; the only thing I can think about right now is what a despicable, selfish and jealous man F. Scott Fitzgerald was....Zelda was no saint and had her fair share of faults, but she didn't deserve this treatment from him. For all their fame, wealth and popularity, towards the end of their lives, both Scott and Zelda became sad, withering shadows of themselves.

My thanks to Netgally, Rowman and Littlefield publishers and the author Kendall Taylor for giving me an e-Arc of the book.

Taylor's account of the train wreck of the Fitzgerald marriage of two clearly incompatible people was hard to read, not because of Taylor's writing but due to the extensive disastrous consequences visited on others. Scott and Zelda consumed and destroyed so many lives. 

Notwithstanding other reviewers' comments that The Gatsby Affair: Scott, Zelda, and the Betrayal that Shaped an American Classic is misleading in emphasizing the affair in its title, Taylor's account is about the affair of Zelda Fitzgerald with Edouard Jozan and all of its ramifications, ramifications that destroyed, at least partially, the lives of Scott and Zelda because Scott could not forgive while Zelda refused to forget Edouard. On the other hand, one might see it as Zelda could not forgive -- for Scott's treatment of her afterwards and Edouard for deserting her -- and Scott could not forget because the affair was replicated in Scott's writing from then on as well as having affairs in retribution.

Perhaps the criticism in other reviews is because Taylor does not focus on the more tawdry sensational aspects of the affair. Taylor in my view is to be commended on this because a tell-all book is easy to write and the last thing the Fitzgerald or Jozan generations need. 

The Gatsby Affair: Scott, Zelda, and the Betrayal that Shaped an American Classic is also a notable contribution to literature in this analysis of Scott's (and to a lesser extent, Zelda's) works through providing context to how the characters originated in Scott's mind and how the characters continued to develop during the course of the novel.

The Gatsby Affair: Scott, Zelda, and the Betrayal that Shaped an American Classic is also important for Taylor's through research of early developments in the field of psychiatry and the treatment of mental illness. It was not a pretty history, but a cruel one and though Taylor does not expressly link this sordid history with the current less-restrictive residential community mode of therapy and treatment of mental illness, Taylor's account does shed light on why the trend is to treat those who can be in the community rather than institutionalizing them. Her account also sheds light on why patient's and women's rights have developed as they have. 

In sum, The Gatsby Affair: Scott, Zelda, and the Betrayal that Shaped an American Classic is more than just a book about a legendary affair but one worth reading for a host of other important historical and current trends reasons. The one thing that was annoying was that in the beginning (less than a 1/4 way in) the flow of the narrative  was a series of fits of starts and stops.

Copy provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Have to say this is one of my favorites,I did my high school term paper on this book! Think I made a C on Fitzgerald,but that's ok,love the story and this one also! Zelda and her affairs,her illnesz,all in here. You have to like her to like this book!

Very interesting read, but I had a little trouble getting into it in the beginning. I'm happy that I stuck with it though!

The Gatsby Affair by Kendall Taylor was a fabulous and informative read that gave more background information about another facet of the crazy relationship involving Zelda Sayre and F Scott Fitzgerald.
Their relationship was so outlandish, complicated, dramatic, messy, and all-consuming. This book focussed moreso on the rationship that Zelda entered with the French aviator Jozan and all of the cascading complications that occurred thereafter.
This is a well-researched novel that gives the reader another snippet and direction of insight into the horribly sad and heartbreaking relationship that has been such a fascination for so many years. One cannot help but feel so sorry for Zelda.
Great and informative read.

5/5 stars

Thank you NetGalley and Rowman and Littlefield Publishers for this ARC and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

Since reading The Great Gatsby, I have been fascinated with the life of the Gatsbys. I read all of Scott’s short stories and a biography of Zelda.

I wanted this to be a five star read, but for me it was pretty slow and had a deceiving title. With a title like The Gatsby Affair, I thought the entire book, if not most of it would focus on the affair that Zelda had with Eduardo but that wasn’t the case.

There was a lot of really great content and it did follow the lives of the couple very well but Eduardo wasn’t even introduced until 1/3 of the way through.

I received an advanced copy of this book from Rowman & Littlefield Publishers through Netgalley.

Thank you NetGalley and Publisher for this early copy,

I do not read a lot of nonfiction. This one was well done.

Anything Fitzgerald related and I'm there. I absolutely loved this.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review*

Call me a romantic, but I have always been fascinated with Scott and Zelda Fitgerald. The author does an excellent amount of research into the private lives of these bigger than life representatives of the 1920's and that includes the severe ups and downs of their marriage. With her cooperation from Edouard Jozan's family members Ms. Taylor is the only author that gives us a close-up view of Zelda's brief affair with Edouard on the French Riviera in 1924 while Scott was ignoring her a great deal due to his work on The Great Gatsby. They got back together again but their marriage was permanently damaged and this comes out in various characterizations in Fitzgerald's later works. Zelda appears as a quite talented and creative woman in her own right who always had to take a back seat for her famous novelist husband. I feel that the frustration of being stuck in this role had a lot to do with her breakdowns later in life. She also seemed to be constantly reminded of her "affair" with the French pilot long after it was over. Excellent reading.

I've been fascinated by the life and work of the Fitzgeralds since university so was excited to read this.

It is thoroughly researched and the end notes and bibliography is extensive.

The book focuses on the profound effects that Zelda's short affair had on the Fitzgeralds' relationship, Scott's writing and Zeldas mental health.

The details regarding the misdiagnosis and subsequent treatments faced by Zelda and the long-term impact are heart-breaking. This book shows the stark reality of a doomed relationship that is far from the glamour of the roaring 20s.

A must-read for those interested in the Fitzgeralds, Jazz Age and The Great Gatsby.

Thank you Netgalley for this digital copy in return for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kendall Taylor for allowing me to read and review The Gatsby Affair. I thought this book was really interesting!

am currently purchasing books for our secondary school library for our senior students. I am trying to provide a balance of genres and periods and really try and introduce them to a wide range of modern fiction and non-fiction. This book would definitely go down well with a hypercritical teenage audience as it has a bit of everything - great insights and a narrative style that draws you in and keeps you reading whilst also making you think about a wide range of issues at the same time. I think that school libraries are definitely changing and that the book we purchase should provide for all tastes and reflect the types of books that the students and staff go on to enjoy after leaving school. TGA is the kind of book that you can curl up with and totally immerse yourself in and I think it will definitely go down well at my school. I think that it was the perfect blend of A page-turning read with a strong narrative voice too! I think it would be a big hit with our seniors and will definitely recommend that we buy a copy as soon as we can.

This book shows that the public facade of the Fitzgerald marriage was nothing more than a flimsy mirage. Their troubles were deep and continuous.Even though this book was meant to be a study of them and the affair Zelda had and its effect on all three members of the family, mostly about how it influenced Scott and his writing, it is so much more. Taylor discusses Zelda's psychiatric treatment over the years and I found this to be just as interesting, if not more so than the affair in regards to both her and Scott's artistic endeavors and how it affected their lives more generally.

Book Court - Where I'm the Judge and Jury

CHARGE (What was the author trying to say?): To explore how Zelda Fitzgerald’s affair with Edouard Jozan affected the plot of The Great Gatsby.

FACTS: The book retraces the familiar story of the Fitzgeralds’ courtship, marriage, and dissolute lifestyle. Scott encouraged Zelda’s flirtations with other men asd it left him free to write. As the Fitzgeralds lived an extravagant lifestyle, they realized their income was sufficient to maintain them. They relocated to San Raphael, France, where the dollar had a very good exchange rate. As Scott “started a new novel and retired with strict seclusion and celibacy” Zelda met Edouard Jozan, a French Naval pilot to whom she was immediately attracted. Some have implied that Scott threw the two together to provide “more emotional stimulation that would help his writing.” Scott considered jealousy the biggest aid to making monogamy work. The affair lasted five months, but the author believes that “When one compares Scott’s first draft of The Great Gatsby with its final version, the influence of the Jozan affair becomes evident.” The book goes on to chronicle the almost current institutionalization of Zelda for much of their marriage, and the tragic end of Scott, Zelda, and their daughter Scottie.

VERDICT(Was the author successful?) : Not guilty. There was sparse evidence of the connection and the book was filled with references to relatively obscure celebrities with whom this reader was unfamiliar.#

#TheGatsbyAffair #NetGalley

I am a huge Gatsby and Fitzgerald fan so I was excited to get a story about Fitzgerald and Zelda. Their marriage was dramatic to say the least. My heart broke for Zelda she didn't deserve half the things he did to her.
This book was very interesting and the setting of the time period was amazing. I feel that is the reason I was always drawn to Fitzgerald's books, and now knowing his tendencies I am sticking with that for why I am a Fitzgerald fan. Kendall Taylor really captures the vibe of the era, the story of these real people and their stories.