This is a fine collection that offers the reader a cheerful insight into "flapper fiction". The blurbs highlight contributions from the usual gang - the Fitzgeralds, Dorothy Parker, Anita Loos, and so on, but the majority of the tales are from magazines, like "Snappy Stories", from the period. F. Scott Fitzgerald's "Bernice..." story is deservedly well known from various anthologies, and the "name" bits are fair enough, but the real treat is the wide range of snappy stories that do a much better job of capturing the feel of what entertained flappers and flapper-wannabees. This work was widely popular for a reason, and it's fun to have this handy selection.

I’ve never considered myself to be a fan of Jazz Age fiction – but, to be fair, I’ve read very little of it, other than a few F. Scott Fitzgerald novels. When I saw that Pushkin Press had put together this collection of Jazz Age short stories, I thought it would be a good opportunity to branch out and try some new authors from that era.

This edition begins with an introduction discussing the changes following WWI that led to the birth of the ‘flapper’ as women pursued social and sexual equality, then a short 1925 essay by Zelda Fitzgerald, What Became of the Flappers?. In this essay, Fitzgerald attempts to give her own definition of what a flapper is, before revealing what she believes will happen to them in the end:

"The best flapper is reticent emotionally and courageous morally. You always know what she thinks, but she does all her feeling alone. These are two characteristics which will bring social intercourse to a more charming and sophisticated level. I believe in the flapper as an artist in her particular field, the art of being – being young, being lovely, being an object."

The essay is followed by twelve short stories, most of which were originally published in various periodicals between 1920 and 1932. Apart from F. Scott Fitzgerald, all of the other authors were new to me; I had at least heard of a few of them, such as Zora Neale Hurston, Anita Loos and Dorothy Parker, but was unfamiliar with the rest. The Fitzgerald story is Bernice Bobs Her Hair, which stands out as one of the best in the book, but I expect a lot of people will have read that one so I’m going to focus on some of the less well known stories instead.

My favourite story is probably Night Club by Katharine Brush, which describes a typical night at a New York club through the eyes of Mrs Brady, who works there as a maid. Mrs Brady’s job involves looking after a dressing room, where young women come to reapply their make-up throughout the evening, therefore she gets to hear a lot of scandalous gossip involving affairs and proposals. In the world of the flapper, however, these dramas have become so commonplace that Mrs Brady is more interested in the ‘real life’ stories in her magazine!

Another I particularly enjoyed is Dawn Powell’s Not the Marrying Kind, about Aileen, who is not the kind of girl men want to marry – unlike Joan who has always known she will marry and has a ‘hope chest’ of linen ready and waiting for her special day. Then there’s Gertrude Schalk’s The Chicago Kid, in which a chorus girl at the Yellow Parrot cabaret elopes with a millionaire, which inspires Flora, a black girl from Chicago to set out to do the same. I liked the twist at the end of this one!

Despite all dealing with the common theme of the flapper lifestyle, the stories in this collection are quite diverse and include contributions by male authors and black authors, so we see things from a range of different perspectives. Rudolph Fisher’s Common Meter describes a battle-of-the-bands contest between two jazz band leaders trying to win the affections of a beautiful woman, while Viña Delmar’s Thou Shalt Not Killjoy is written in the style of a Biblical parody. I can’t claim to have enjoyed all of the stories – Dorothy Parker’s The Mantle of Whistler, a story written mostly in dialogue as a satire on the flirtatious language used by the flappers, was particularly disappointing, considering she is one of the more famous authors in the collection.

Stories by Dana Ames, John Watts and Guy Gilpatric make up the rest of the book and although, as I’ve said, I found this collection a real mixed bag, it’s always good to try something different and it was an entertaining read overall.

I would like to first thank NetGalley and Pushkin Collection for providing the free eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. I greatly appreciate it.

Given the nature of my scholarly work, any literature pertaining to the Roaring Twenties is a great interest of mine. "Where All Good Flappers Go" certainly did not disappoint. While some of the stories were too short to make sense of its meaning, the majority were entertaining and absorbing. My most favorite from the collection were “Bernice Bobs Her Hair” by F. Scott Fitzgerald, “Night Club” by Katherine Brush, “The Chicago Kid” by Gertrude Schalk, “Thou Shalt Not Killjoy” by Viña Delmar, and “Monkey Junk” by Zora Neale Hurston. All in all, this is a very recommendable book, and worth a read.

This is a must read for anyone who is a fan of the 1920s & the Jazz Age! This collection of short stories, written by some of the era's most iconic figures bring the glamour and glitz of the Jazz age to energetic, fascinating life!!
I can not pick a favorite story, they all come to life with their own individual styles, showcasing a bygone time when women were finally coming into their own, gaining a place in the world outside of the household. Rebellious, irreverent, and not to be denied the 1920s flappers were breaking all the rules and busting through the boundaries that had been in place for centuries, setting the stage for the freedoms and lifestyles we as women today so much take for granted.
I always enjoy anything written in or about this exciting era! I love the flappers, the dresses and the attitudes of this time, I should have been there!! 5 stars for this collection and anyone that loves the era as I do make sure you don't miss this one, it is well worth the reading!! I was transported into the era, at the speakeasy, drinking gin!! Oh, be still my heart!!
Thank you to Pushkin Press and to Net Galley for the free ARC, I am leaving my honest review voluntarily.

An enjoyable collection of short stories from the 1920s showcasing the changing social roles of women, marriage, work, and sex. I’d previously read Bernice Bobs her Hair by F.Scott Fitzgerald but the rest were all new to me. It’s an interesting mix of styles but nothing really stood out for me.

What a fab read! This is a collection of short stories originally printed in the 20s and 30s mainly in magazines of the time. They have all stood the test of time and are still a fresh read today........with the added twist of the flapper era. Easy to pick up and read, these stories are brilliant.

A collection of stories about the young women who so scandalised polite society back in the good twenties, ranging from the familiar, through work I didn't know by names I do, into pieces from long-gone publications like Snappy Stories which have been excavated in much the same spirit as the British Library unearths old crime and ghost obscurities. Except, of course, that here the drama comes from hemlines raised rather than bodies dropped - mostly. Bernice Bobs Her Hair is unquestionably the most famous inclusion, to the extent that it could perhaps have been omitted, but it remains classic Fitzgerald, and in terms of big names Scott is joined by Zelda, Zora Neale Hurston, Anita Loos and Dorothy Parker - though Parker's contribution, a savage satire on inane conversation among the supposedly smart set, is far easier to admire abstractly than enjoy. But I was pleasantly surprised at how well contributors of whom I'd never heard held their own in this company. Katharine Brush, for instance, whose kaleidoscopic Night Club opens with a checkroom girl who had "slender hips upon which, in moments of leisure, she wore her hands, like buckles of ivory loosely attached." Nor is that the only story which, while firmly aimed at mainstream markets, is happy to get meta, a magazine story about magazine stories; Vina Delmar's Thou Shalt Not Killjoy is even more thoroughly self-aware, and none the worse for it. About the worst I could say of anything here is that one or two stretch the theme; Rudolph Fisher (also a pioneering radiologist!) supplies Common Meter, a tale of duelling Harlem bandleaders, which fits the anthology's subtitle much better than its title and showed theme - as a story of the Jazz Age it's grand, but its most prominent female character is still firmly in a supporting role, albeit more spirited than she initially seems. And in general, that was what I took away from this; I kept expecting that, if not the stories by remembered authors, then surely the lost and local ones might lapse into finger-wagging defences of conventional morality, ditch fun for fustiness in the final pages. Not so; Prohibition is treated as a joke throughout, and over and over men have the sense to go with the fun girl who drinks and smokes over the modest one who's been planning for marriage since childhood (who, after all, isn't much fussed as to the specific man), or the outrageous flapper reforms the reformer, rather than vice versa. And quite right too.

(Netgalley ARC)

This was just a lot of fun - loads of energy and a really fascinating look at the time. Found a few authors I’d like to read more from too!

Thank you to Netgalley and Pushkin Press for the advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

3.5/5

This is a small collection of stories taken from an array of "Jazz Age" periodicals, focusing on the sensational experiences of young flapper women.

More than anything, the collection shines a light on the gender politics of the period. Knowing that many of these stories were written for young women to identify with, it's fascinating to read the character's display of confident sexual agency in a period decades before the modern women's movement would crop up. There's an undeniable tension between sexual and economic freedom being dependent on a woman's "value" on display in these stories—her looks, her youth, her vivacity—and it'd be almost tragic if it weren't played for laughs. The editor has also made a point of including black writers of the period, and it's intriguing to see that layer of race relatively unmentioned in the name of escapist literature.

Two stories in particular, "Bernice Bobs her Hair" by F. Scott Fitzgerald and "Night Club" by Katherine Brush are standouts, and even though it's been days since I finished them I just can't get them out of my mind. Beyond those two rich additions, Dawn Powell's "Not the Marrying Kind" and Viña Delmar's "Thou Shalt Not Killjoy" were like eating candied fruit. So fun!

As a party girl myself (don't tell!) I identified with many of the stories in one way or another. Even if you don't stay out way too late with random men as I do, this collection is worth picking up.

Happily stepped through time with this one!

Fantastic read for lovers of the Jazz Age! I particularly enjoyed "The Clever Little Fool" by Dana Ames, and "Not The Marrying Kind," by Dawn Powell- although they were all strong writers.

There is so much barely contained energy in this compilation that as a reader, it is greatly appreciated. My imagination was engaged. Highly entertaining!!

Great addition to your reading collection. (Can't beat those vintage writers!)

This is an advanced reader copy and all opinions are my own.

Anticipated release date: July 11, 2023.

5/5