Review: Flappers and Philosophers

Romance rarely top my list of enjoyable stories. Recall seeing lovebirds engage in passionate kisses with hands over the place at public places and make everyone present uncomfortable? The show off cannot compare to the sight of the couples holding hands with shyness and a hint of a smile lingering on both sweet faces. Love stories can be like that: Showy but unconvincing or subtle and sweet. When two people fell in love in a story, it should be believable. Let readers feel the love! The audience should not be merely the spectator. They should be engaged in a relationship.

What I love most about Fitzgerald's love stories is their realness. The characters can do incredibly romantic things or be madly in love with one another, with good reason. There are ups and downs in the relationship - just like in real life! His characters have very distinctive personality. Some are proud, some strong, some shy, some bold. They might not be perfect, but they feel like real human beings. One would worry about them when they made the wrong judgement and cheer them on when they did the right thing. They are people we can relate to, be it pain or joy. We see ourselves in their shoes.

Overall I find Flappers and Philosophers a fun and charming. It is a collection of very different types of romance. I read the book on my kindle. Having no knowledge of the construction of the book and no physical volume as hint. I did not expect The Offshore Pirate, my favorite story in the collection, to end where it did. The result was a wonderful surprise at the plot twist I would otherwise have guessed. (I have long since learned not to read book descriptions just to leave myself at the mercy of surprise.) It was a romantic journey as impacting as first love.