Would you consider the audio edition of Flappers and Philosophers to be better than the print version?
This audiobook has been my introductory experience with F. Scott Fitzgerald. I was keen to engage as deeply as I could with the stories and characters from these short stories. Kitty Hendrix’s performance left me with strong impressions of the characters in these works and has left me with a wish to become a reader of other Fitzgerald classics. I am from Australia, in my 30s, not widely read in American classics. This collection, with Hendrix’s narration, has been the best way I can think of to have dived in to the classic literature from the jazz age.
What was one of the most memorable moments of Flappers and Philosophers?
The turning point when Evylyn learns that her daughter has taken ill, in ‘The Cut-Glass Bowl’. I remember Hendrix’s performance conveying powerfully to me the feeling of powerlessness as Mrs. Piper loses control over the direction of conversation downstairs, only to be called up to find that her daughter needs her full attention and even then there is little she can do…
Which character – as performed by Kitty Hendrix – was your favorite?
‘Shut up!’ Ardita, as performed by Kitty Hendrix, is a riot. Ardita’s first utterance, and the first line of dialogue in the book, delivered with such affectation, dropped me gleefully into the deep end of literary tropes involving flappers, bobbed hair and ‘cutting in’. Thanks Kitty Hendrix, your Ardita was a blast.
If you could take any character from Flappers and Philosophers out to dinner, who would it be and why?
Bernice. I found myself caring for Bernice a great deal, feeling as though I was in there rooting for her as her conversation began, unexpectedly, to interest the young men at the dance parties. I felt an ominous worry about her fortunes the whole time. Really, Bernice could benefit from a debrief over dinner.
Any additional comments?
I was voluntarily provided this review copy audiobook at no charge by the author, publisher and/or narrator.