Careless People by Sarah Churchwell

My fiancé teased me a little when he realized I was reading a book about the writing of another book, but my brand didn't change when I graduated with my English degree, I just have to go more out of my way to stay on brand. In her stunning book "Careless People: Murder, Mayhem, and the Invention of The Great Gatsby", Sarah Churchwell writes of the events of the 1920s that would have inspired F. Scott Fitzgerald as he wrote Gatsby. With extensive use of his letters, his contemporaries writings, and the newspapers he would have read each day, Churchwell tells us the story of how Gatsby became the book that we all know and love today. Starting in September of 1922, the Fitzgeralds are moving to New York from St. Paul. That same night the notorious Hall-Mills murder would take place in New Jersey, a case that would never be solved. And so begins the story of the writing of one of the most beloved American Classics, the man who wrote it, and how headlines change the stories we write.

I don't remember how I found this book, but a book about murder and The Great Gatsby? Sign me up! And that instinct was right. I learned so much about the Fitzgeralds and the 1920s through this book, and it was so much fun to read. Some pieces of nonfiction end up being boring because they are written for such a niche audience, but this book had the pacing of a novel and understood what needed to be explained without it feeling like I was being talked down to as a reader.

Overall if you are interested in history and/or F. Scott Fitzgerald in general, I guarantee you will enjoy this book. The writing is beautiful, the story is fascinating, and I loved every second of it. And if you read it, please let me know! I would love to have people to talk to about it.

I hope you are all staying safe and doing well and know how much I love and appreciate you all.

XO, Ellen