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Type of bind: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.52
EAN num: 9781416556053
ISBN number: 1416556052
Label: Scribner
Manufacturer: Scribner
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 64
Printing Date: August 14, 2007
Publishing house: Scribner
Sale Popularity Level: 92822
Studio: Scribner
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Product Description:
Today, F. Scott Fitzgerald is known for his novels, but in his lifetime, his fame stemmed from his prolific achievement as one of America's most gifted story writers. 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,' a witty and fantastical satire about aging, is one of his most memorable stories.
In 1860 Benjamin Button is born an old man and mysteriously begins aging backward. At the beginning of his life he is withered and worn, but as he continues to grow younger he embraces life -- he goes to war, runs a business, falls in love, has children, goes to college and prep school, and, as his mind begins to devolve, he attends kindergarten and eventually returns to the care of his nurse.
This strange and haunting story embodies the sharp social insight that has made Fitzgerald one of the great voices in the history of American literature.
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Rated by buyers 
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Benjamin Button was written in 1922 by one of the greatest American authors ever. However, the idea could have been written at any point in time, which is a testament to Fitzgerald's uniqueness.
The story is brief and focuses on the psychological and social aspects of such a situation: being born old and maturing younger through time. While I have not seen the movie, this must be in great contrast to the more romanticized and action-packed version to which I have seen trailers for on TV.
I found the beginning of the story quite odd and obviously not very believable. His father's reaction is not something that we can relate to in this day and age. Fitzgerald seemed to make his youth pass quite quickly and while his family and society found him strange, like a circus act, they did not completely outcast him from a normal life.
But once Button began to proceed through life beyond his teenage years, the social aspects become much more believable and interesting. His wife marries him as an older, more mature man, but then he grows younger then her and they fall apart. His father passes on the family business to him and due to his increasing energy, he actually gives it more life rather than letting the business age with him.
The book gets awkward again toward the end of his life, as he becomes a teenager. His smaller physical size and youthful look can no longer pass for an adult and he struggles to cope with society again. An embarrassing story with his return to the military amplifies the pain he goes through.
Each instance and example in the book is meant to point out one false pretense of society or another. This is a gift Fitzgerald excels at, as proven by his several novels of his time. I would suggest this quick read to anyone who studies sociology, anyone going to see the movie, or any Fitzgerald fans. I did not know of the story at all until the movie came out, so I think modern cinema does continue to surprise me. That said, I will probably not be seeing the movie until it shows up on DVD at my home or is presented as an option on a long flight.
Rated by buyers 
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The story is wonderful -- but I can't believe the publisher is charging ten bucks for a story that anyone can read for free on the internet. This book is 64 pages with enormous margins. You'll be done with it in 15 minutes. Save your money, check it out online, and/or get the gorgeous graphic novel adaptation instead.
Rated by buyers 
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The story is very good but this website has priced this one short story very high. However, check your local Borders or other book stores because you can find it at bargin prices. I paid $2 for mine!!
Rated by buyers 
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Don't buy this book unless you want to pay a lot of money for just ONE STORY set in HUGE type. The publisher is clearly trying to cash in on possible interest in this story due to the upcoming Brad Pitt film. Fitzgerald wrote many wonderful short stories early in his career, most of which are collected in "Tales of the Jazz Age" and "Flappers and Philosophers." Buy one of these collections instead of this overpriced little book, if one could even call this thing a book. If you want just the story and a few others, a good book to buy would be the one published by Coyote Canyon Press, which includes a few other stories, like "The Jelly-Bean" and "Bernice Bobs Her Hair."
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